Method for printing on spherical object and pad to be used therefor

A method for printing on a spherical object to be printed, comprising the steps of:

• preparing a hollow printing pad having a transfer surface, the printing pad being configured so that when the transfer surface is pushed, the gas in the hollow part is released to the outside of the printing pad, wherein the printing pad has a columnar side surface adjacent to the transfer surface having a substantially hemispherical shape and an inner surface defining the hollow part, a thickness (Ts) of the pad between the side surface and the inner surface is at least about 1.2 times larger than a thickness (Tp) of the pad between the transfer surface and the inner surface, and the thickness (Tp) of the pad between the transfer surface and the inner surface is at least about 0.3 times as large as a diameter (d) of the spherical object to be printed;
• transferring ink or paint in recesses formed on the surface of a printing plate to the transfer surface of the printing pad by applying the ink or paint onto the surface of the printing plate and by pressing the transfer surface of the printing pad against the surface of the printing plate;
• and
• transferring the ink or paint, which has been transferred to the transfer surface of the printing pad, to the object to be printed by pressing the transfer surface of the printing pad, to which the ink or paint has been transferred, against the object to be printed until at least the hemispherical portion of the object to be printed is wrapped by the transfer surface of the printing pad.