Answers, or an honest no
Where something is decided per order, this page says so rather than inventing a figure.
The short answers: artwork is built up in UV ink on 3, 6 or 9 mm ceramic tile, as relief or 3D texture; pieces are framed and hung or, at 9 mm, also fixed with tile adhesive; custom orders start at 100 pieces of one design; sampling takes 5–7 days and production 20–30 days; and the work is made for normal indoor dry areas.
Ordering
What is the minimum order?
For anything made to order, 100 pieces of one design — your own artwork, a design we develop, or an existing Thangka design re-made. Finished pieces we hold in stock can be bought singly. A paid sample of one piece comes before any run.
How long does it take?
Sampling is 5–7 days. Custom production is 20–30 days, depending on order quantity. Those are the sampling and production windows themselves — approval time and freight are separate, and delivery dates are confirmed with the order.
Can you do it faster?
There is no standard rush policy to quote you. If you are working to a fixed date, say so at enquiry — it is far more useful to know at the start than to ask for it later.
How is it priced?
Per project: sampling, artwork development where the ODM route applies, materials and processing, the framing and rear support you choose, packing, and freight with any agreed duties. Each is stated as its own line. Planning is not charged. We do not publish a price list or a cost multiplier per effect.
What do you need from me to quote?
Reference artwork or style, target dimensions, quantity, the installation environment, framing preference, delivery location and any fixed timing. None of it is mandatory to start a conversation, but each one makes the first answer closer to right.
The work itself
What is it made on?
Ceramic tile in 3 mm, 6 mm, 9 mm. Colour is applied at the end with imported Toyo ink from Japan, by UV flatbed inkjet rather than spray, with the panel located on the bed so colour follows the design. Naming the ink brand does not by itself establish where the finished piece is made, any weathering performance or any emissions rating — those are separate questions with separate answers.
How is the relief made?
It is built up, not carved. Tile is cut to size, a resist film is laminated on, laser cut to the design and weeded, and the panel is sandblasted so the ink holds. A UV flatbed printer then builds the ink up in layers — crisply stepped planes for relief, free-flowing brushstrokes for 3D texture.
How deep is the relief?
We do not publish a depth figure. It varies with the effect, the image and the piece, and a single number quoted out of context would tell you nothing useful. What we do confirm is the finished total thickness and weight of the configuration you order.
What finishes are available?
Two surfaces, both built up in UV ink: ceramic relief in crisp, stepped planes, and 3D texture in free-flowing brushstrokes. A gloss clear finish or gold-tone accents can be added over either. The traditional names for relief effects are explained on the relief terms page, as background rather than as a menu.
Can you make it on wood?
Yes, as an optional material — mostly for 3D textured pieces. Ceramic tile is the main substrate, and the thicknesses, weights and installation guidance on this site all refer to tile.
Size, weight and fixing
How much does a piece weigh?
A bare panel is roughly 7.2, 14.4 or 21.6 kg per square metre at 3, 6 and 9 mm — so a 1200 × 2400 mm piece is about 20.7, 41.5 or 62.2 kg before coating, frame, backing or fixings. Calculated estimates; finished pieces are weighed.
What is the largest size you can make?
Tell us the size you need and we will confirm what is available for that image, effect and installation. We do not publish a maximum, because usable image area depends on the artwork and the process chain rather than on a raw sheet dimension.
How is it fixed to the wall?
Every thickness can be framed and hung. 9 mm panels can also be fixed with tile adhesive as murals and feature walls. The method is chosen per project. A hung piece follows a load path from the artwork through the rear structure, hanger and fixing into the wall itself; adhesive fixing follows tiling practice.
What weight can the hanging system take?
We do not publish a figure, because a single number would mislead. A hanger rating says nothing about your wall, and the wall is usually the limiting link. With an order you get the measured net weight and the back structure, so your installer can size the fixings to what is actually there.
Can I drill the panel on site?
No. Drilling fired ceramic on site risks cracking the piece. Fixing provisions are made as part of manufacture, which is why the configuration is settled before production.
Where it can go, and looking after it
Can it go in a bathroom?
A dry zone is a conditional enquiry — tell us the position and we will assess it. Direct shower spray and persistently wet areas are outside the current range, because the finished assembly of image, ink layers, finishes and bonding has not been verified for those conditions.
Can it go outdoors?
Not as a general offer. A ceramic substrate on its own is not a reason to recommend an outdoor position, since everything added on top of it has its own exposure behaviour. Outdoor positions are assessed individually.
How do I clean it?
Dust with a soft dry cloth. When wiping is needed, test an inconspicuous area first, use a barely damp soft cloth and dry it promptly. Whether a neutral cleaner may be used depends on the surface finish of the piece. Avoid abrasives, stiff brushes, strong solvents and prolonged wetting.
Will it fade?
We do not publish a colour-life figure. That test has not been run on the finished artwork, and a number without a test behind it would be worth nothing to you. What we do say is where the work belongs — normal indoor dry areas, out of prolonged direct sun.
Delivery and the company
What happens if it arrives damaged?
Check the piece promptly on arrival, keep the outer packaging and labels, and photograph the packaging and the damage. Contact us with those images. The resolution will depend on the findings and the terms confirmed for your order.
How is it packed?
Packing is designed around the piece: an interlayer compatible with the surface, cushioning that does not press on raised areas, corner protection, restrained movement inside the case, and a case and base matched to the weight. The build is confirmed per size and route rather than by one standing rule.
Who are you?
Crafted By Idea is the trading name of PACT (Guangzhou) Industry Co., Ltd., registered in Nansha District, Guangzhou. The workshop is in Nanhai District, Foshan, and we operate it ourselves. Both addresses are published in full on the About page.
Do you have certifications or test reports?
Nothing is published on this site as a certification or a test result, because none has been run on the finished artwork. If your project needs a specific standard met, raise it before quoting — it may change the specification, and that is much cheaper to know early than late.
Not answered here? Just ask.
A named person replies. If we do not know something, we will tell you that instead of guessing.