The History Of Enduring Images: Innovators In Digital Ceramic Printing
Enduring Images was formed in 2003 with a simple mission, to produce affordable, durable, personalized products (such as dishes and tile), using the new digital ceramic decal printing technology. We were determined to produce the highest quality imaging on ceramic and also to help entrepreneurs in the United States and across North America start and grow successful ceramic printing businesses of their own.
The Influence Of Cromalin Art On Digital Ceramic Printing
While Enduring Images was founded in 2003, the seeds for the company were actually planted in the mid-1990s, based on the commercialization of a DuPont product, known as Cromalin Art. Cromalin Art was the first product in history to cost effectively produce a single, photographic quality, ceramic decal that could be applied to ceramic products, such as dinnerware and tile and then kiln fired for permanence. The product was based on the Cromalin photo-sensitive film technology, and it gave rise to what has now become a thriving ceramic printing industry.
The DuPont team, which included one of the founders of Enduring Images, had great expectations for the impact of Cromalin Art. They saw it being used across a range of industries and products, from porcelain memorial portraits to outdoor signage, plumbing fixtures to tile and tableware. The breakthrough was truly remarkable: high resolution images, produced one at a time for a reasonable cost, transferred onto almost any type of ceramic surface!
From Expensive Analog to Inexpensive Digital …
In 1999, the DuPont team saw a process that would ultimately revolutionize ceramic printing and was very much like the transition from film cameras to digital cameras.
The digital decal printing system could produce a ceramic decal using a digital laser copier with the click of a mouse, whereas the Cromalin Art technique took the skill of a typesetter and the precision of surgeon. Even more striking, digital ceramic printing was about 10% of the cost of the Cromalin Art system.
The Early Days Of Ceramic Printing At Enduring Images
At Enduring Images, we started producing digital images on ceramic by using Canon CLC copiers, which were quite difficult to operate. In the early days, we spent as much time maintaining the printing equipment as we did producing ceramic products. Through trial and error and rapid advances in digital LASER printers, the process improved rapidly. Transitioning from Canon copiers to Konica-Minolta copiers and then to Ricoh printers, Enduring Images began creating business opportunities for companies and individuals across many parts of the world.
More Improvements In Ceramic Digital Printing
Today, Enduring Images’ digital ceramic printers use state-of-the-art LASER print technology and vastly improved ceramic toner formulations to produce high-quality decals that can be applied to almost any type of ceramic surface. We remain the only trusted and authorized Ricoh re-seller, with the full complement of Ricoh nationwide support resources available to our customers. No other suppliers of digital ceramic decal printers can make that claim.
Having been a part of the incredible advancements in digital ceramic printing processes and equipment, we’re proud to help advance the industry, support our customers with exceptional care, and produce the highest quality printed ceramic products.
For more information on Enduring Images, our products, or our equipment, please call (800) 905-3295, or e-mail info@enduring-images.com.
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