History of Blue Printed Earthenware

Still Made The Same Way It Always Has Been Made

Even now, over 200 years later, Spode blue is still produced in the same way, by hand.

Since the perfection of the process, most blue and white ware has been transfer printed onto white earthenware. The Spode earthenware body, made with the 1820 ingredients of calcined flint, china stone, china clay and ball clay, to the 'biscuit'stage, dried and given its first firing.

The design, created initially on paper, is hand engraved on copper plates, a process requiring the utmost skill. The engraved plate is heated, then filled with inorganic metallic oxides, mixed with oils, wiped clean of excess pigment and after wetting with a solution of soap and water, a special tissue paper is laid on top.

After passing through rollers to impress the paper onto the engraving, the tissue is peeled away to reveal the pattern in reverse. Cut out by hand, the tissue is carefully positioned before being rubbed down on to the ware with a stiff-bristled brush. The whole piece is the immersed in running water and the tissue floats away, leaving the design on the ware.

Finally, it is 'hardened on'in a kiln to remove the 'oils'before being glazed and fired to produce the rich, charismatic Spode blue, protected permanently under the glaze.

All exactly as Josiah Spode's decorators would have done it.


1. The copper plate which is the start of the printing process and the engraver's tools.	2. Dot punching which is used for softer shading and providing tone over a large area.

3. A "graver" or "burin", is used to engrave v-section lines.	4. The colour is spread over the engraving, which rests on a hot stove. Colour is then rubbed well into the engraving with a wooden "dabber".

5. The excess colour is carefully scraped off.	6. After the excess colour has been removed, the copper is bossed to eliminate the thin film left by the scraper.

7. Tissue paper, "sized" with soft soap and water is placed on the copper engraving.	8.The paper and the copper plate go through the press. The upper roller is covered with felt to force the paper into contact with every line and dot of the pattern.

9. The print is pulled away from the engraving, which again is resting on the hot stove.	10. The parts of the print required for each individual object are cut-out of the sheet of paper.

11. The Transferrer places the pieces of print carefully into position, where they are held by the tackiness of the colour.	12. The print is rubbed down with a stiff-bristled brush lubricated with soft soap.

13. The paper is washed off with cold water, without damaging the colour.	14. Each item is carefully inspected to ensure that the item is perfect. Note, that when the ware enters the hardening-on kiln, the transfer ink is not yet blue.

15. To fix the colour, the print is fired at between 680C and 750C. After hardening-on the ware is glazed and re-fired at 1050C which is when the design turns blue.	16. The Blue ware is now ready for final inspection.