Printing on... cassette shells?

[Shamax]

I know it's not t-shirt related, but I figured this would probably be the closest forum this kind of question would go in, so here goes: I know that printing on curved surfaces like mugs and skateboard decks is possible through the use of certain types of jigs. For smaller items like golfballs, keychains, etc people usually use a pad printer. But what about cassette shells? I know most places use a pad printer on those too, but would it be feasible to print some text and basic lineart onto a cassette with a regular screen and flat platen? Has anyone tried anything like this? Also, what inks would be best for this - the same that are used for coroplast? If so, how do those inks cure usually - air dry?

If nothing else, I may attempt a test-print with my waterbased inks onto an old tape. That oughta tell me if further pursuit would be madness or not

[Catspit Productions]

Well, you can certainly try but yes, that would normally be pad printed I think due to the minor 3 dimensionality a squeegee can’t really negotiate. You may be able to cut a special squeegee for the cassettes and use high off contact or a recessed jig. I might try a high mesh count with a very soft squeegee so it will flex easily.

The ink would be some kind of air dry vinyl ink I think for plastics. You should ask an ink manufacturer about that. Chemically speaking I don’t know if Coroplast inks would work but again if you have some you could try it and let us know

[Shamax]

Thanks Jonathan. I'll post here and update as I explore this a little further