TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS FOR FILE PREPARATION
Decal printing
For porcelain, ceramics and glass specialists we screen print decals using professional high temperature burn porcelain and glass inks. The decal print page dimensions are 245mm x 340mm.
You can send us either the original photo or graphics file or a fully prepared film with colour seperations (please contact us to request the tecnical specifications beforehand).
File preparation
You can use any type of graphic (logo, photo, text etc.) to create a decal as long as it is available digitally.
For any graphics please provide a vector graphics file (.ai, .eps, .pdf) and convert any text to outlines.
To ensure a good reproduction of your graphic on the printable item, please:
- Use lines wider than 0.2mm for positive graphics and 0.4mm for negative graphics
- Use at least 7pt size for positive and 10pt size for negative printable text
If you are planning to use a photo or similar graphic, please ensure that it has a resolution of at least 300dpi at the actual size (so if the printable area is 5cm x 5cm, then 5cm @ 300dpi = a graphic of at least 591px by 591px). The file should be provided as .psd, jpeg, .png or .tif.
You can send your files by email to birojs@ornandum.lv or if the file is larger than 10MB you should use a file transfer service like wetransfer.com or similar or alternatively your Dropbox or similar service. You can also deliver the files to us on physical media – CD, DVD, Flash drive or an external HDD. Please ensure that these are formatted for PC use.
Every order is unique. We will recommend the best solution and calculate your quote based on your request sent to birojs@ornandum.lv or phone enquiry to +371 67629766.
The final price of the order is dependant on:
- The amount of colours in the graphic
- The film printing costs
- The screen preparation costs
- The number of decal pages
FAQ
Services offered
Do you offer decal printing as a standalone service too?
Yes. We offer decal printing using professional high temperature burn inks for porcelain, ceramics and glass in screen printing technology. The decal print page dimensions are 245mm x 340mm.
Do you offer decals covering the entire printable area with a single colour?
It is possible to order decal pages of a single solid colour. The exact shade needs to be agreed upon beforehand. Price: €2.50
What materials can decals be applied to? What can you print on?
We offer decal for printing on porcelain, other ceramics and glass.
Can the printed tableware be washed in a dishwasher?
The suppliers of the printing ink guarantee the durability of the decals for a certain amount of dishwashing cycles.
Is the printed tableware safe to use for food?
Decal printing on porcelain has been tested to be safe for use on tableware in contact with food.
What kind of images can be printed using decals?
You can use any type of graphic (logo, photo, text etc.) to create a decal as long as it is available digitally. However silk screen printing works well for monochrome or colour graphics of solid colour blocks – i.e. where each area has a distinct single tone rather than smooth gradients. Therefore simple graphics, line art and illustrations are the best fit. Artwork with smooth gradients like photos, paintings etc. are not a good fit for silk screen printing as it can’t achieve the quality of digital print. Any gradients will be reproduced using a halftone effect between the two shades – using only the two shades at the extremes of the gradient and creating the transition by using increasingly smaller/larger dots of the two shades.
How can I let you know what exact colour do I need the graphic to be? Will the colours of the final print look exactly like the ones on my website/letterheads etc.?
Not exactly. The inks used for printing decals are very different from any other type of colour reproduction technologies. To ensure the best possible match, we recommend using the official Pantone PMS Solid Coated colour catalogue to reference colours for printing. We will use the Pantone code to find the best match from the specialised decal inks. If you require an exact colour match, a prototype item will need to be printed and approved by you.
Please note that due to the nature of the inks, it is not possible to accurately determine the correct shade in digital materials, we always use a physical colour catalogue or proof and can’t provide one via email etc.
Do you offer decals using gold, silver etc. inks?
We offer printing using gold and platinum inks too. Prices start at €6 depending on the amount of the special ink used in the artwork.
If I want to order the same graphic at a later date again, will I have to pay for the film and screen again?
Screens are retained for a period of time agreed upon during the initial order. All films are retained permanently.
Preparing files for print
What kind of files do I need to send you?
You can send us either the original artwork or graphics file or a fully prepared film with colour separations (please contact us to request the technical specifications beforehand).
Any changes required to the artwork for it to be print ready besides creating the colour separations will incur an additional fee of €50 or more. If this is required you will be informed upon us reviewing the provided artwork file.
For any graphics please provide a vector graphics file (.ai,.pdf) and convert any text to outlines.To ensure a good reproduction of your graphic on the printable item, please:
- Use lines wider than 0.2mm for positive graphics (dark image on light background) and 0.4mm for negative graphics (white/light lines on dark background)
- Use at least 7pt size for positive and 10pt size for negative printable text
If you are planning to use a photo or similar graphic, please ensure that it has a resolution of at least 300dpi at the actual size (so if the printable area is 5cm x 5cm, then 5cm @ 300dpi = a graphic of at least 591px by 591px). The file should be provided as .psd, jpeg, .png or .tif.
How can I send the files to you?
You can send your files by email to birojs@ornandum.lv or, if the file is larger than 10MB, you should use a file transfer service like wetransfer.com or similar or alternatively provide a link to the file on your cloud storage provider – Dropbox etc.. You can also deliver the files to us on physical media – CD, DVD, Flash drive or an external HDD. Please ensure that these are formatted for PC use.
Can I group multiple artworks on a single decal page?
Yes, as long as they all use the same colours and fit on the printable area of a decal page – 245mm x 340mm. This means that if you need two different images printed, but they both fit on a single page and use the same colours, you only need to pay for a single film and screen.
Are shades of the same colour in the artwork considered a single or multiple colours?
It is not possible to have semi-transparent shades of the same colour while using screen printing, so strictly speaking these would have to be multiple colours. That being said it is possible to achieve a similar effect using halftone dots – where rather than the colour being a solid block it is made of small dots with white space in between which provides an optical illusion similar that to that of a shade of a single colour.
Technology
What temperature is used to burn the decal unto the printable object?
We use two different kiln modes depending of the material of the printable object, type of the ink used and the colours of the artwork:
- 570℃ to 650℃
- 780℃ to 900℃
Are special colour decals (like gold) burnt at a different temperature than normal colour decals?
The kiln temperature for gold and normal colour decals are the same.
Should decals be applied before, with or after glaze?
Glaze should be applied and burnt first. Then apply the decal and burn it on at a lower temperature.
Should decals be applied to gloss or matt glaze?
Decals can be applied both on gloss and matt glazes, however depending on the surface glazing the decal will also be more or less glossy.
How are decals applied to the printable object?
We offer professional printing on tableware using silk screened graphic wet transfer technology.
The process is as follows:
- The decal is printed on a special paper
- It is then submerged in water
- The image separates from the base paper while in the water. It is then transferred unto the surface of the printable object.
- When the dacal has been positioned in the correct place on the printable object, it’s surface is smoothed out evenly, to prevent any bubbles of air or water between the decal and the surface.
Pricing
What are the prices?
The production of a single screen costs €24. This is a one off cost as we will retain the screen for a period agreed upon during the ordering process.
The cost of printing the decal pages from said screen are as follows:
- Under 30 pages:
€1.80 (single colour) + €0.25 for each aditional colour per page - 30 pages and up:
€1.50 (single colour) + €0.20 for each aditional colour per page - Pages using special inks (like gold):
Starting at €6.00 per page (depending on the amount of gold used in the design)
If you are ordering on the behalf of a company abroad, you do not need to pay VAT. If you are ordering as an individual, the regular 21% VAT rate will be used. Additional shipping charges apply.
