Inkjet digital printing on Marazzi ceramic and stoneware tiles

During the last few years, the world of wall coverings has undergone a real technological revolution, which has transformed ceramics and porcelain stoneware into two very competitive materials, very popular with architects and interior designers because they are able to satisfy the most widely varying requirements in terms of appearance and design. Specifically, this revolution relates to the method used for decorating and colouring the tile's surface: the idea that the inkjet technology used for printing paper could also be applied to ceramics used to be inconceivable, yet today this is actually happening, thanks to the digital printing of ceramic tiles using the inkjet technology.

But what does this really mean and what are the benefits?

The main difference between the traditional method and digital printing is that the latter method works not by contact transfer but by inkjet printing, in which the ink is sprayed directly onto the surface to build up the image. This provides digital control of the printed design, which is reproduced with excellent resolution and perfect realism.

This production process has impressive benefits also with regard to the level of flexibility and customisation, since this printing method can reproduce any subject with photo-realistic resolution, even on structured surfaces.This also generates tangible benefits in terms of energy efficiency: thanks to the high degree of rationalisation of the production process, scrap and waste are reduced to a minimum, as are the printing times themselves.

Thanks to digital printing, ceramic tiles therefore become part of the design of indoor and outdoor areas, as well as a functional and covering feature. Accurate reproduction of any natural effect to meet any kind of demand in terms of appearance: the inkjet technique can create the natural knots of all wood-effect collections, the tactile contaminations of stone-effect collections, the realistic vein patterning of marble-effect materials and, last but not least, the "flawed" shades of the concrete-effect.

Marazzi collections with inkjet decoration include, to name just a few, the highly realistic wood-effect of all the Treverk collections, the structured concrete-effect of Materika, winner of the Ceramics Design Award, the stone-effect of the Stone_Art slimline thickness wall tiles and all the Mystone collections.