Printed tiles are ceramic or porcelain tiles with a photo, picture or artwork printed onto the surface. At Unique Tiles we make custom printed ceramic and porcelain tiles to order at our manufacturing site in Somerset. Your design is printed as a ceramic decal, applied to each tile by hand and kiln fired, so it is fused into the glaze and will not fade, peel or wash off.
For patterns and tile designs of your own, see our custom tiles. Want one big picture spread across many tiles? That is a mural, and our tile murals page explains how we make one.
We do not print directly onto the tile with ink. Your design is printed onto a ceramic decal using specialist ceramic pigments, then each decal is applied to the tile by hand. During firing, the pigments fuse into the glaze, so the image becomes part of the tile rather than a layer sitting on its surface.
That is what gives kiln-fired tile printing its durability and sets it apart from cheaper methods. With UV printing and sublimation, the image remains in a coating on the surface, where it will scratch and fade over time, particularly in direct sunlight. For that reason, we do not offer UV printing.
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A photo, artwork, logo or pattern, together with the measurements of the area and where the tiles will be fitted.
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An image that looks sharp on a phone can appear soft when enlarged onto a 20 x 20 cm tile, so we check the resolution against the finished tile size before quoting and will tell you honestly if it is unlikely to print well.
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We send you a proposed layout and quotation. Our free tiles visualisation service can also show how the finished tiles could look in a photograph of your room.
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Each ceramic decal is applied by hand before the tiles are fired in our electric kiln at 900°C. We are proud to use carbon-free electricity throughout our production, helping us reduce the environmental impact of every tile we make.
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Every tile is numbered on the front and supplied with a fitting map, so your tiler can see exactly where each one goes.
Most of our printed tiles are used on walls. Some customers choose a row of photo tiles among plain ones, while others create a feature wall, a pattern across an entire room or a branded installation behind a reception desk. We work with homeowners, interior designers, architects and developers, as well as businesses looking to incorporate their branding into an interior. See our logo tiles for your business.
Because the design is fired into the glaze, it is as hard-wearing as the tile surface itself. That makes printed wall tiles suitable for busy commercial spaces as well as homes. Greenfield High School, Ted Baker London and Zurich City Council all have installations featuring our printed tiles. For fit-outs and larger orders, see trade and commercial orders.
In kitchens, printed tiles are often used on a splashback behind a hob or Aga. They can withstand the heat, and because the surface is glazed, grease and splashes wipe clean just like any other ceramic tile.
Once fired, printed tiles are waterproof, making them ideal for shower walls, wet rooms and bath panels. Steam, hot water and normal cleaning will not affect the design. For shower areas, we generally recommend porcelain for its added durability.
Picture tiles work particularly well in bathrooms as a feature: behind the bath, on the back wall of a shower or as a panel above the basin. Keeping the surrounding tiles plain helps the image stand out without competing with the rest of the room. A background colour that ties in with the wider décor will also help the design feel considered rather than separate.
For layout ideas and inspiration, see our bathroom tile murals page.
For floors, we print onto porcelain tiles suitable for foot traffic: 8 mm thick for 30 x 30 cm tiles, and 10 mm for 30 x 60 cm and 60 x 60 cm formats.
Printed floor tiles can be used for a decorative border in a hallway, a logo at a shop entrance or a pattern across a bathroom floor. Our custom floor tiles page has more on floor projects.
Almost anything you can send us as a suitable image file. Customers ask us to print:
Fine detail and intricate artwork reproduce well. Very bright colours need more care, because we print in ceramic CMYK pigments and some can’t be reproduced exactly. It is the simplest way to create decorative tiles that are completely personal to your kitchen, bathroom or interior.
You must have the right to reproduce the image you send us. Your own photographs and artwork are fine. For anything else, please check the copyright or obtain permission before sending it.
We make printed tiles for permanent installation on walls and floors. Photo gift tiles supplied with stands or frames are a different type of product.
Send it with the size of your wall. We check the image and reply with a layout and a free quote.
Type your idea, pick a style and see it on your wall, tile by tile, in about 20 seconds. Send us the design you like and we'll email your quote.
Free to try. No sign-up for your first two designs.
Many of the patterned tiles sold in tile shops are printed too. The difference is scale. A factory produces the same design across thousands of tiles and you choose from the patterns already available. With custom printed tiles, the design is yours and we produce only the quantity needed for your project.
Patterned tiles are often described as encaustic-effect or Victorian-style tiles. Genuine Victorian encaustic tiles were not printed at all. The pattern was formed by inlaying different coloured clays into the body of the tile. Most modern encaustic-effect tiles recreate that appearance using printed porcelain.
Printed ceramic tiles are not a modern invention. Before transfer printing, decorated tiles had to be painted by hand, making them slow and expensive to produce.
In 1756, John Sadler and Guy Green of Liverpool developed a method of transfer printing onto ceramics. They claimed they could decorate more than 1,200 tiles in six hours, work that would previously have required around a hundred decorators. Transfer-printed tiles later became a familiar feature in Victorian homes, fireplaces, pubs and public buildings.
Our ceramic decals are a modern development of the same basic idea. Instead of an engraved copper plate, the design now begins as a digital file. That allows every order to be different, while still producing a design that is fired permanently into the glaze.
Printed tiles are priced per tile, with the printing included. Porcelain prices:
| Size | Price per tile | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 10x10cm | £4.64 inc VAT£3.87 + VAT | Photo tiles, borders, small splashbacks |
| 10x20cm | £8.94 inc VAT£7.45 + VAT | Brick bond walls and borders |
| 15x15cm | £10.63 inc VAT£8.86 + VAT | Feature tiles and patterns |
| 20x20cm | £16.92 inc VAT£14.10 + VAT | Splashbacks and shower walls |
| 30x30cm | £44.23 inc VAT£36.86 + VAT | Floors and large wall designs |
| 30x60cm | £118.80 inc VAT£99.00 + VAT | Floors and shower walls |
| 60x60cm | £288.00 inc VAT£240.00 + VAT | Floors and statement walls |
We also print on rustic handmade ceramic tiles, which offer a softer, more traditional look: 10x10cm £6.24, 13x13cm £9.78 and 15x15cm £13.92, all inc VAT (£5.20, £8.15 and £11.60 + VAT). Other sizes are quoted on request.
For indoor walls, we also print on 7mm ceramic tiles: 15x15cm £9.57 and 20x20cm £15.23 inc VAT (£7.97 and £12.69 + VAT). Large format tiles are available too: 60x60cm porcelain at £133.92 inc VAT (£111.60 + VAT) and 30x60cm ceramic at £62.64 inc VAT (£52.20 + VAT) a tile, with a lead time of about 6 weeks.
There is no minimum order and no artwork fee for print ready images. Orders under £120 inc VAT (£100 + VAT) incur a £36 inc VAT (£30 + VAT) setup charge. A sample tile is £12 inc VAT (£10 + VAT), refunded against your order, on all sizes except 30x60cm and 60x60cm. The full price list is on our order tiles page.
Printed tiles are fitted like any other tile, with normal adhesive and grout by you or your own tiler. Each tile is numbered on the front to match the fitting map.
You will see them called photo tiles, picture tiles, decal tiles, transfer printed tiles or digitally printed tiles. When one image runs across many tiles, it is a tile mural.
Yes. For a permanent finish, the design needs to be printed with ceramic pigments and kiln fired so it becomes part of the glaze. Ink and UV printing remain on the surface, where they can scratch, wear and fade over time. For that reason, we only offer kiln-fired printing.
Yes. Send us the photo and the tile size, and we check the resolution before we quote. Most phone photos print well on 10x10cm and 15x15cm tiles.
Not when they are kiln fired. The pigments are fused into the glaze, and the colour carries our 50 year UV guarantee, indoors and out.
Yes. Fired printed tiles are waterproof. Outside and in swimming pools, we use porcelain which is frost proof. See our swimming pool tiles.
From £4.64 inc VAT (£3.87 + VAT) for a 10x10cm porcelain tile, printing included.
Ready to start? Send us your image for a free quote, or call us on 01460 77172. Or browse finished projects in our gallery.
I have now used Unique Tiles for a couple of projects and I am thrilled with my decision, the results far exceeded my expectations. The tiles supplied were of the highest quality and the images on the tiles are very clear. 5 stars and I fully recommend.
Paul Skivington
UK
We want to thank all those at Unique Tiles for their help in creating a positive experience working with the community here in Tepoztlan, Morelos. We look forward to doing this again in an even larger space and with a larger community of people. It has been a pleasure working together.
Judith Wray
Mexico
Absolutely thrilled with the results of my bathroom tile mural. Highly recommended using Unique Tiles, their expertise, advice and support was much appreciated and is reflected in the finished project.
Dionne Mathews
UK
We also make kitchen tile murals, bathroom tile murals, Delft kitchen tiles and swimming pool tiles.
Send us your image and the size of your wall for a free quote, or call us on 01460 77172.
