Piece 500 has to match piece one
You have seen the sample, so that is not the question. The question is what controls the rest of the run.
Every order is controlled against an approved sample. The sample is made first, you approve it, and it becomes the reference the run is checked against — colour, relief and finish. Pieces are inspected before packing for chipping, colour out of register with the design, incomplete relief or texture, and frame defects. Anything that fails is remade rather than shipped.
The approved sample is the reference
Nothing enters a run until you have a physical piece in hand and have said yes to it. From that point the sample is not a courtesy — it is the standard the batch is measured against, and it stays in the workshop for the duration of the order.
Colour drift, relief or texture that differs from the sample, a finish nobody agreed to
Registration checked per piece
Colour is printed onto a panel that has already been masked and blasted, so the panel has to be located correctly on the bed every time. If registration slips, colour lands off the design — the single most visible fault this process can produce.
Colour creeping past an outline, ghosting, misplaced detail
Visual inspection before packing
Each piece is looked at under good light before it goes into packaging. Ceramic chips at edges and corners, relief can come through incomplete in fine areas, and colour can vary between the first and last pieces of a long run.
Chipping, incomplete relief or texture, colour variation across the batch
Frame and assembly check
On framed pieces: mitres closed, no adhesive showing at the front, no sharp edges, no twist in the frame, backing seated, fixings present and tight. The back is where assembly quality shows, which is why it gets looked at rather than assumed.
Open mitres, visible glue, loose backing, missing fixings
What is measured against what
Where a figure would need a test behind it, this page says so instead of inventing one.
| Colour | Matched to the approved physical sample, not to a screen. A numerical ΔE target can be agreed for an order, but it needs a measurement condition agreed with it — we do not publish one as a blanket claim. |
|---|---|
| Relief and texture | Height and detail matched to the approved sample. We do not publish a height figure, because it varies with the design and a number out of context would tell you nothing. |
| Dimensions | Cut to the approved drawing. A tolerance can be agreed per order; we do not publish a single ± figure across every size and format, because one would not be honest. |
| Surface adhesion | No published grade. Cross-hatch testing does not apply above 250 µm or to textured coatings, so it is the wrong method for relief and built-up texture — a pull-off test would be the right route and it has not been run. |
| Batch consistency | Controlled by producing a run against one approved sample in one production window rather than by a sampling standard. For a large or phased order, say so early so the run can be planned as one. |
No number without a method
You will not find an adhesion grade, a ΔE figure, a fire class or a colour-life figure anywhere on this site. Not because the work is untested in practice, but because those tests have not been run on the finished artwork — and a figure inherited from a bare tile datasheet does not survive being blasted, printed and assembled.
If your programme needs one, it can be arranged for the specific material combination in your order. Raise it before quoting: a required standard can change the specification, and that is much cheaper to discover at the start.
In the meantime, what you can check is the sample in your hand against the pieces that arrive. That is the comparison this whole page exists to make reliable.
Contract quality questions
How do you keep 500 pieces consistent?
By running them against one approved sample, in one production window where the schedule allows. Each stage is set up once for the design and repeated, and the sample stays in the workshop as the reference. The risk in a long run is drift between the first and last pieces, which is why splitting a single design across widely separated runs is worth avoiding where you can.
What tolerances do you work to?
Tolerances are agreed per order rather than published as a blanket figure. Dimensions are cut to the approved drawing, and colour and relief are matched to the approved sample. If your programme needs a stated numerical tolerance, raise it before quoting — it can be agreed, but it needs a measurement condition agreed alongside it, and that is a conversation rather than a number on a web page.
Do you have test reports or certifications?
Nothing is published on this site as a certification or a test result, because none has been run on the finished artwork. Figures inherited from a bare tile datasheet do not carry over to a piece that has been blasted, printed and assembled. If your market requires a specific standard met, tell us before quoting — it may change the specification, and that is far cheaper to know early.
Can we inspect before shipment?
Yes. If you need photos at specific production stages, please let us know before placing your order so we can confirm availability and arrangements. Third-party inspection at the workshop is possible if you arrange it — tell us early so it fits the schedule rather than delaying dispatch.
What happens if there is a quality issue?
If you notice a quality issue, please contact us with your order details and clear photos of the affected items. We will review the issue with you. The resolution will depend on the findings and the terms confirmed for your order.
What is the most common defect in this process?
Colour out of register with the design, caused by the panel being located imprecisely before printing. It is worth knowing about because it is obvious once you know to look — check that colour stops cleanly at each outline rather than creeping over it.
Need a standard met? Say so before we quote.
It can change the specification, and that is far cheaper to know at the start. Sampling takes 5–7 days.