From Bureau to Micro-Industry
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Keywords

enamels
laser printing
transfer printing
colour
ceramics

How to Cite

Royston Brown, S. (2024). From Bureau to Micro-Industry: A New Studio Model for Digitally Printed Ceramic Enamels. IMPACT Printmaking Journal, 3, 12. https://doi.org/10.54632/1305.IMPJ5

Abstract

This paper aims to provide a critical and contextual analysis of research conducted together with Martin Smith at the Royal College of Art in the field of ceramic printmaking during 2015–2018, and the subsequent reflections upon the four years since as we have continued to implement the research as a commercial print studio. Over these seven years, I was a senior research associate on the two AHRC-funded research projects: Extending the Potential for the Digitally Printed Ceramic Surface and Improved Laser Printing Equipment for Ceramics, and design director for the spin-out ceramic design project, the print company Smith&Brown.

Digital design, combined with electrophotographic laser printing technology, has the potential to open up new market models and extend the visual language of ceramic tableware design but it has hit several barriers causing it to be dismissed by the ceramic industry, weak deposits and poor colour saturation being the most significant of these. Our research has contributed to resolving these issues by developing several technical innovations. These improvements have convinced key players within the industry; however, other barriers to the acceptance/implementation of the technology remain. This has led us to question this context and revise our original aims for industrial uptake, and identify new models more appropriate to the exploration of the market for the uptake of our research findings.

https://doi.org/10.54632/1305.IMPJ5
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References

Brown, S. Digitally Printed Tableware Prototypes – Including the GroundMerge collections of blend designs -https://researchonline. rca.ac.uk/3129/

Brown, S. Digitally Printed Tableware Prototypes - https:// researchonline.rca.ac.uk/2742/

Brown, S. Film documenting results from the research projects - https://youtu.be/eU4G_6DfhqM

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Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright (c) 2024 Steve Royston Brown

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