In present work for the first time we report the synthesis and characterization of pure CdO and Cd0.98Al0.02O films by innovative sol–gel screen-printing technique. The prepared films were characterized for their structural, morphological, optical and electrical properties. XRD studies reveals the polycrystalline nature of the films, exhibiting cubic structure with preferred orientation of grains along (111) plane. SEM image of CdO and Cd0.98Al0.02O indicates that surface of the films were uniformly covered and have smooth surface area on the entire film. EDAX analysis confirms the presence of Cd, O, Al along with some impurities as films were prepared on glass substrate. A UV–Visible spectroscopy confirms the direct band gap of 2.53 eV for CdO and 2.51 eV for Cd0.98Al0.02O films. The refractive index for the Cd0.98Al0.02O films firstly increases and then decreases with photon energy. The emission features of pure CdO and Cd0.98Al0.02O films were studied through PL spectra. Semiconducting nature of films was confirmed by the DC electrical conductivity measurement via standard two-probe method.