Tampo

Tampo or Tampography refers to the pad printing livery application process used on models and track parts, first introduced in 1974. Releases of previous years featured sticker sheets to apply liveries.
Hot Wheels uses the functional principle "open" system of machines, with plates that are etched with each color in a design. If the design had three colors, three plates were used for each surface that received graphics. Machines that can print up to six colors with a very high level of accuracy and registration are present at factory locations, however, most designs are limited to three colors due to cost cutting.
Plates are loaded into the tampo machine by an operator. The machine itself features rubber teets that are repeatedly pressed onto each paint-loaded plate per color. The livery is then transferred and stamped onto each model at a high speed.
In 2003, the Fusion Graphics application process was introduced to achieve a higher level of detail present in each livery.
Category:Definitions