Printed tiles are ceramic or porcelain tiles with a photo, pattern, logo 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.
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 onto the tile with ink. We print your design onto a ceramic decal (a transfer sheet), made with ceramic pigments and then apply it to the tile by hand. In the kiln the pigments melt into the glaze, so the picture becomes part of the tile rather than a layer on top of it.
That is where the durability comes from, setting kiln-fired tile printing apart from cheaper methods. With UV printing and sublimation, the image sits as a coating on the surface of the tile, 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, with the measurements of the area and where the tiles are going.
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A photo that looks sharp on a phone can look soft on a 20x20cm tile, so we check the resolution against the tile size before we quote and tell you honestly if it will not print well.
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We send a layout and a quote. Our free tiles visualisation service can also show the printed tiles in a photo of your room.
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Each decal is applied by hand and fired in our electric kiln at 900°C.
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Every tile is numbered on the front and comes with a fitting map, so your tiler knows where each one goes.
Most of our printed tiles end up on walls. Some customers want a row of photo tiles among plain ones, others want a feature wall, a pattern across a whole room or a logo behind a reception desk. We work with homeowners, interior designers, architects and developers, as well as businesses that want their brand on the wall. A fired design is as hard wearing as the glaze, so printed wall tiles suit busy commercial spaces as well as homes. Greenfield High School, Ted Baker London and Zurich City Council all have walls with our printed tiles.
In the kitchen, printed tiles often go on a splashback behind a hob or an Aga as they can take the heat, and the glazed surface does not stain, so grease and splashes wipe off like any other tile.
Printed tiles are waterproof once fired, so they are ideal for shower walls, wet rooms and bath panels. Steam, hot water and normal cleaning do not affect the design. In a shower we suggest porcelain for durability.
Picture tiles in a bathroom work best as a feature: the wall behind the bath, the back wall of the shower or a panel above the basin. Keep the tiles around them plain, so they complement the design rather than competing with it, and choose a background colour that suits the rest of your decor. For layouts and ideas see our bathroom tiles page.
For floors we print onto porcelain thick enough for foot traffic: 8mm for 30x30cm tiles and 10mm for 30x60cm and 60x60cm tiles. A printed border in a hallway, a logo at a shop entrance or a pattern across a bathroom floor are all possible. Our custom floor tiles page has more on floor projects.
Anything you can send us as an image file. Customers send us:
Fine detail and intricate designs print well, and so do bold, vibrant colours. It is the simplest way to personalise a kitchen or bathroom with decorative tiles nobody else has.
You need the rights to the image. Your own photos and artwork are fine. For anything else, please check the copyright before you send it.
We make tiles to be fitted on walls and floors. Photo gift tiles with a stand or a frame are a different 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 three designs.
Most patterned tiles you see in tile shops are printed too. A factory prints one design onto thousands of tiles in a long run, and you choose from what is in stock. Custom printed tiles work the other way round: the design is yours, and we print only what your wall needs.
Patterned tiles are often sold as encaustic effect or Victorian style tiles. Real Victorian encaustic tiles were not printed at all. The pattern was inlaid in coloured clay. Most of today’s encaustic effect tiles are printed porcelain.
The history of custom printed ceramic tiles goes back to before the Industrial Revolution. Before printing, every decorated tile was painted by hand, and the price matched the hours. In 1756 John Sadler and Guy Green of Liverpool claimed they could decorate more than 1,200 tiles in six hours by transfer printing, work that would have taken a hundred decorators. Transfer printed tiles went on to fill Victorian homes, fireplaces and pubs.
Our ceramic decals are the modern version of the same idea. The difference is that a computer file has replaced the engraved copper plate, so every order can carry a different design.
Printed tiles are priced per tile, with the printing included. Porcelain prices:
| Size | Price per tile | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 10x10cm | £3.87 + VAT | Photo tiles, borders, small splashbacks |
| 10x20cm | £7.45 + VAT | Brick bond walls and borders |
| 15x15cm | £8.86 + VAT | Feature tiles and patterns |
| 20x20cm | £14.10 + VAT | Splashbacks and shower walls |
| 30x30cm | £36.86 + VAT | Floors and large wall designs |
| 30x60cm | £99.00 + VAT | Floors and shower walls |
| 60x60cm | £240.00 + VAT | Floors and statement walls |
We also print on handmade ceramic tiles which offers a softer, more traditional look: 10x10cm £5.20, 13x13cm £8.15 and 15x15cm £11.20, all + VAT. Other sizes are quoted on request.
There is no minimum order and no artwork fee for print ready images. Orders under £120 + VAT include a £30 + VAT setup charge. A sample tile is £10 including 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 design that lasts, it has to be printed with ceramic pigments and fired, so it becomes part of the glaze. Ink or UV printing sits on the surface and wears off.
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 £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 tiles, bathroom tiles, splashback 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.
