Digital Ceramic Tile Decoration

We are probably all familiar with inkjet printers and their many uses from printing paperwork, children’s homework, photos, our own greetings cards etc. but industrial strength versions are also now being used to print designs on ceramic tiles with specially formulated inks. This opens up a whole new world of design possibilities in our homes with a range of new decorative effects from established ceramic tile manufacturers and also from smaller companies who will print your own designs onto ceramic or porcelain tiles.

Large, unique murals can be created on ceramic wall and floor tiles in a cost-effective way that brings unique bathroom, kitchen or swimming pool tile designs within the budget of ordinary mortals. Any image that can be saved on a computer can now be printed on a ceramic tile so you no longer have to be able to afford designer tiles by Versace or Philippe Starck to be able to have a stunning tile feature in your home.

For well-established ceramic tile manufacturers such as some UK-based manufacturers who have committed environmental policies they also find that digital ceramic printing is environmentally friendly as it helps to minimise waste. Where 200 print colours might have been required for traditional ceramic decoration methods such as screen printing, for direct digital printing only four colours of ink (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) are required to produce a similar wide range of different colours, in much the same way as a domestic or office inkjet printer would.

Obviously, ceramic tile manufacturers are using industrial scale inkjet printers with special pigmented inks suitable for digitally decorating ceramic floor and wall tiles but the principal is the same.

So not only are there now a multitude of new design opportunities but we can also feel good knowing we are, in some small way, helping our environment.