Ceramic emboss decals are a popular choice for adding intricate designs and textures to various surfaces. These decals are created using specialised techniques that allow for raised patterns, giving a tactile and visually appealing finish.
Fired at onglaze temperatures of 820 degrees, ceramic relief decals are used to provide a tactile feel and shape to the surface of the decorated ceramic article. Often referred to as white on white, this is a reference to the process of printing. The ink is overprinted with a coarse screen twice using a stiff zircon material, after firing the ink sits high on the surface of the glaze.
This type of decal is an alternative to using moulds to shape the ceramics, this allows standard white ceramic pieces to be give a unique shape. The white emboss can be combined with standard pigments to enhance the final design. The white pigment is exceptionally durable to dishwasher use.
As the the requirement of the final colour is a raised / tactile effect, the pigment is made from a stiff zircon based material. Therefore, when normal pigments are added there is a tendency for these to soften the ink and reduce the raised effect when the pigments are fired. Smaller amounts of additional colour added to a white produce more of a pastel shade.
This technique requires heavy deposits of ink. These deposits of ink are achieved by using a screen with a lower thread count. When coarser screens are used, so too is achievable resolution. More detail requires finer screens that will result in a lesser ink build.