Custom Full Color Digital Ceramic Decal — Magenta Palette
Cyan · Magenta · Yellow · Black — the widest color gamut available in ceramic digital printing. Ideal for photographs, skin tones, gradients, watercolor art, and full-color illustrations.
A thin glass flux layer is applied over the covercoat for a glossy, durable finish and confirmed food safety. Recommended for all dinnerware and outdoor applications. The flux burns clear during firing with no visible residue.
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Order Custom Decals →Everything you need to know
Why We Print Exclusively in Magenta Palette
We've made a deliberate decision to offer only the Magenta Palette — and it's not a limitation, it's a quality choice. Here's the honest breakdown.
Magenta Palette = Widest Color Gamut
The Magenta Palette (Cyan + Magenta + Yellow + Black) reproduces the full visible spectrum, including pink, purple, lavender, and soft warm tones. These are impossible with the Red Palette, which replaces Magenta with a hard Bright Red — eliminating all pink and purple from the printable range.
Superior for Photographs & Skin Tones
Photographic images — especially those featuring people, pets, or organic subjects — rely heavily on the pink-to-warm-neutral range. Magenta's broader gamut renders these with far more accuracy and nuance than the Red Palette, which skews warm and saturated.
Best for Gradients & Watercolor Art
Soft gradients, watercolor washes, botanical illustrations, and any design with subtle tonal shifts are best served by Magenta. The Red Palette's clipped gamut tends to produce abrupt color transitions where smooth gradients should appear.
One Great Choice, Not Two Confusing Ones
Other printers offer both palettes and make you figure out which to choose — usually without enough information. We've removed that friction. Unless you specifically need fire-truck red or warm yellow logos (for which silkscreen is the right tool anyway), Magenta Palette is the correct choice.
The honest trade-off:
Magenta Palette reds print as a rich burgundy-red rather than a fire-engine red. If you need a very hot, saturated red or warm yellow — think commercial logo work or brand colors — that's a case where silkscreen overglaze is the better tool. For everything else: photographs, illustrations, fine art, and custom designs, Magenta Palette is the right call.
| Characteristic | Magenta Palette ← We Use This | Red Palette |
|---|---|---|
| Pink & Purple tones | ✓ Full range | ✗ Not printable |
| Skin tones & portraits | ✓ Excellent | ~ Skews warm/orange |
| Soft gradients | ✓ Smooth transitions | ~ Can appear abrupt |
| Bright fire-engine red | ~ Prints as rich burgundy | ✓ Vivid bright red |
| Warm yellow | ~ Slightly muted | ✓ Bright warm yellow |
| Photographic images | ✓ Best choice | ✗ Not recommended |
| Botanical & floral art | ✓ Full spectrum | ~ Limited |
Prepare Your File for the Best Results
The quality of your decal starts with the quality of your file. Here's exactly what we need — and what to avoid.
White does not print. There is no white mineral toner in digital decal printing. Any white or transparent areas in your design will show the glaze beneath. If you need white, use a white-glazed surface underneath.
Pack your sheet strategically. You can place multiple designs on one Letter sheet — cut them apart after delivery. Many artists include a small test strip and a full design on the same sheet to check color accuracy before committing to a larger run.
Not sure if your file will work? Upload it and add a note in the order. We'll review and contact you before printing if there are quality concerns.
How to Apply and Fire Your Decal
These decals fire to 1555°F (846°C) as a third firing over an already-fired glaze. The process is the same for all overglaze decals.
Start with a clean, already-glazed surface
Your piece must have been bisque fired and glaze fired. The glaze surface must be clean, dry, and free of dust or oils. These are overglaze decals — they go on top of fired glaze, not raw clay.
Clean the ceramic surface
Clean the glazed surface with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Wipe down the entire area where the decal will be applied to remove fingerprint oils, dust, and residue that can prevent the decal from adhering evenly. Allow to dry completely before applying the decal.
Cut out the decal
Use scissors or a craft knife to trim as close to your design as you like. The clear covercoat surrounding the image is invisible after firing, but keeping margins minimal reduces the risk of air bubbles and visible flux edges.
Soak in warm water for at least 30 seconds
The image will begin to uncurl from the backing paper — this is your signal it is ready. Don't over-soak; you want the decal sliding freely but still on the paper when you lift it out.
Slide onto the ceramic surface, face up
Hold the backing paper against the ceramic and slide the decal off onto the surface. The image should face you (not be reversed). Position while wet — you have a short window to reposition before it adheres.
Squeegee out all air bubbles
Use a soft squeegee, a damp makeup sponge, or your fingertip to press firmly from center outward. Avoid anything abrasive. Trapped air will cause the decal to lift or blister during firing. Take your time here.
Dry completely before loading the kiln
Allow at least 1–2 hours air drying. The decal should appear completely flat with no visible water beneath it. Firing a wet decal causes steam blistering.
Fire using the recommended 2-step schedule
Recommended schedule: Ramp at 200°F/hr (95°C/hr) to 788°F with kiln vented, 0 hold. Then 285°F/hr (140°C/hr) to 1555°F (846°C), hold 15 minutes, cool naturally.
Shipping, Processing & Returns
Processing Time: Once your file is approved for printing, your decals ship within 5–7 business days. We review all files before printing to flag any quality concerns — if we have questions we'll contact you first. Orders process Monday–Friday.
US Shipping: Fully-tracked ground shipping service. Estimated 2–7 business days after dispatch. Please allow 24 hours for tracking to update after your shipment notification.
Shipping: We currently ship custom ceramic decals within the United States only. International shipping is not available for this product at this time.
If you're outside the US and interested in ordering, contact us — we're working on expanding shipping in the future.
Returns & Reprints: Because each decal is custom-printed to your specifications, we cannot accept returns on correctly printed orders. If there is a printing error or quality defect on our end, we will reprint at no charge. Please contact us within 7 days of receiving your order with photos of the issue.
File Issues: If your file has a quality issue we believe will affect the result (low resolution, color profile problem, etc.), we will contact you before printing. We will not print a file we expect to produce a poor result without notifying you first.
Learn the full technique, start to finish.
Julia's book, The Beginner's Guide to Wheel Throwing, covers everything from centering clay to decorating finished ware with decals. Library Journal Starred Review. Signed copies $35, shipped directly from the studio.