What is (digital) ceramic printing?
If you have never heard about printing on ceramics you might wonder what it is at all. When we talk about ceramic printing, we mean the process of decorating ceramic, glas or enamel surfaces by transferring digitally produced prints onto the final products. It is also referred to as ceramic decal printing with ceramic toners.
In order to make the colours last on your tiles, porcelain, enamel, glass (find examples in our gallery) for a very long time you need to protect them from surrounding influences. This can be achieved by embedding the colour into the surface layers. When firing the colours at high temperatures they sink into the glaze of the substarte what leads to scratch protection as well as resistance to temperatures, UV light resistance weather influences. If you use our toners the decorated and fired tableware is dishwasher proof and food safe.
Is it possible to print on glass?
Yes, we developed glass toners and cover coat options specifically for use on glass. Some customers also use our ceramic toners for this purpose and also achieve good results. We recommend you to contact us for consultation in order to find the best possible solution for achieving your goals.
Can you print white colour?
We offer white fluxed ceramic toner which is generally used for writings or marks like barcodes etc.
If you send us designs to be printed with flux or standard toner sets, white colours (and background) will be transparent.
What are the printable sizes?
We offer a variety of paper formats to produce Your ceramic decal. Please be aware that there is a need to keep a margin of 5mm around the decal.
Paper formats and printable areas:
- A4 (297mm x 210mm) – Max. printable area (287mm x 200mm)
- A3 (420mm x 297mm) – Max. printable area (410mm x 287mm)
- A3 + (457mm x 305mm) – Max. printable area (447mm x 295mm)
- SRA3 (480mm x 320mm) – Max. printable area (470mm x 305mm)
- A0 (914mm x 1100mm) – Max. printable area (900mm x 1000mm)
What file formats can I use?
Generally, we process your files with Photoshop, so you can send all file formats that are compatible: PDF, PSD, TIFF, JPG, PNG, etc.
Please make sure to embed a colour profile into the document (e.g. FOGRA39 or sRGB, Adobe RGB, …)
What resolution should I use for my documents?
300 DPI.
Is there a minimum order quantity?
Yes, one A4 sheet is the smallest amount we can deliver.
If you plan to order large amounts of decals or if you are a new customer we can also send you test prints in order to figure out what will work best with your products.
How do I fire my decals/ What's the firing curve?
We know a lot of different tile and porcelain manufacturers and can give you good estimates on what will work and what needs to be tested. If you produce your own ceramics, we suggest you to start with some trials before diving into production of decals. Since our spectrum of toners is quite wide, we mostly have no problem finding a suitable solution for your needs.
Will it work with my ceramic/glaze?
How to fire depends on the colour set you chose as well as the materials and kiln you are using.
As a general guideline you can use these temperatures:
Unfluxed Red Toner set: 860°C – 1,150°C
Unfluxed Magenta Toner set: 880°C – 1000°C
Fluxed Magenta Toner set: 880°C – 900°C
Fluxed Red Toner set: 805°C – 830°C
During the heating phase until around 420°C the kiln needs to be ventilated!
Are the environment conditions relevant for using my printer?
Yes, the surrounding environment of the ceramic printer can have a big impact on quality of the print and lifetime of consumables. The temperature should be around 20°C – 25°C and the humidity between 40% – 60%. We recommend air conditioning and avoidance of sudden changes in temperature and humidity as it can otherwise impact the developers as well as photosensitive parts inside the printer.