HDP High Definition Porcelain

Created to signify a revolutionary new product category, HDP utilizes the most technically advanced glazing system in the industry today, digital printing. Like the technology that changed the television industry, High Definition Porcelain brings you the most realistic image possible, except it is on a tile.

Much like the picture on your television screen, the graphics on tiles are made up of millions of small dots of color. The smaller the dots, the higher the definition. In the 80s, most manufacturers used silk screens to apply glazes. The resolution was low and each set of silk screens produced only a single color pattern. Tile had to be rotated during installation or it was immediately obvious that every piece looked the same. The Roto-color process was a huge step forward in the 1990s and allowed for a pattern that wouldn’t be repeated for 20-30 tiles.

Digital technology uses 500 injectors to print with greater variety and less repetition in the overall pattern. This process allows for a production pattern that is not repeated for 180' or more. This is 8 times the variation of a conventional Roto-color machine and a far better resolution. Today, with the advances in glazing technology, High Definition Porcelain utilizes digital printing technology pioneered in inkjet printers. This is a huge leap forward in both resolution and pattern variation, creating a porcelain tile that is virtually undistinguishable from natural stone.

Digital printing is done without direct contact with the surface of the tile, the glaze is sprayed on. This removes the unprinted edges known as framing and the unglazed valleys that are often created with the Roto-color process. Digital printing technology also allows for the creation low relief patterns, hand made effects, fabric looks and mosaics. Trim shapes like Cove Base and Chair Rails can be made with the same process as the floor and wall tile, matching far better than with traditional methods. The Digital process can also reproduce the look of wood, rustic stones, marble and slate without the cost and complexity of filling, honing or double pressing.

While this concept is simple in theory, it has taken decades of painstaking work to bring the technology from the research and development laboratories to the production line. Continuing to be an innovator in the industry, Florida Tile is the first manufacturer to bring this technology to the United States.

Another benefit that Florida Tile always strives for is the continual reduction of waste and reducing the environmental impact of its manufacturing process. Digital Printing is extremely low maintenance and incorporates an automated self cleaning system. The machine also recycles its own ink and produces no waste, creates a more efficient production line.

While the look is what draws your eye, High Definition Porcelain products from Florida Tile combine the best of both worlds, a rugged and low maintenance tile that looks just like a natural product. One look and you’ll know immediately you’ve never seen anything so real in a manufactured product. High Definition Porcelain from Florida Tile.

HDP High Definition Porcelain

HDP - HIGH DEFINITION PORCELAIN