Frequently Asked Questions

Ceramic decorating processes, except ours, are messy. If you want to screen print or spray the ceramic cover coat that is an option, but our system was designed to be hazard free to the environment and to the user. It is the cleanest and safest ceramic decorating system in the world, all dry, using no liquid solvents or sprays. Of course, all processes can be safe if done correctly, so we do offer liquid cover coats to those able to use them safely.

Spraying aerosol cover coat is inefficient, much of the material ends up in the air, not on your decal, so it is wasteful and hazardous (highly efficient at putting material into your lungs unless you wear a respirator, and the solvents are highly flammable). A uniform thickness is also hard to achieve with aerosol. If you are determined to use an aerosol for its ease, you can purchase them from us.

My advice is to buy the pure liquid ceramic cover coat, which is very inexpensive, and have your local paint store put it in a spray can when you want some (our local Sherwin Williams does it for around $9 per can). We can do it for you but it will cost more, and you can easily do it yourself.

We have food-safe toners that meet the food-safety standards of the FDA and of California Proposition 65.

Yes. We can provide a certificate of analysis documenting the extractable levels of the toners and demonstrating they meet all required safety standards.

Red is the most difficult of all ceramic colors to achieve. It took a number of years, but our red toner sets deliver a brilliant red that is also lead-free and food-safe.

We have been manufacturing products with digital ceramic printing systems for more than 20 years, and selling and supporting those systems for nearly as long. No supplier in North America has as much experience.

Commercial memorial portrait suppliers will try to scare you away from making your own, their profits depend on you paying them. The real answer: if you know Photoshop, it really is easy. Don’t just take our word for it, we’re happy to give you customer references (monument builders who produce their own portraits) so you can decide based on their experience. Yes, you really can do it yourself.

Only if it happens to be a 2-component LASER printer (which it probably is not) and only if it is one of the few that can be converted to print ceramic toners. Let us know what you have and we’ll tell you if it can print ceramic toners.

The new toner formulations are not much more expensive than the standard toner that comes with a LASER printer. The most important cost metric is the finished decal: around 6 cents per square inch, so a 3 × 5 inch decoration costs about $1, including toner, decal paper, and cover coat.

A lot of people are, but North America is a very large market and the opportunity is still very attractive. Adoption of new technology can be a long process, much like it took years for many people to buy their first digital camera. Part of it is simply "emotional inertia."

Yes. Our printing materials are imported, and the price on the order form already includes import shipping and customs clearance. Nothing further is billed to you when the shipment arrives.

Compare the delivered cost rather than the price per sheet. A lower quote often excludes import shipping and customs, which are billed to you separately when the goods clear. We import in bulk, so our customs is assessed at the wholesale value, and we include those costs in the price we quote you.

Cost depends on how you intend to use it, a dinnerware manufacturer’s needs differ from a monument builder’s. Each system is configured to the buyer. For pricing, call us for a quote. Training is individualized, one customer at a time, a half to full day. We recommend visiting our facility in Golden, Colorado; we also offer on-site and online training. In the end it’s 80% Photoshop.

We are happy to give you references. Just give us a call!