Three methods

Same three letters. Three completely different objects a year later.

The choice of method decides how the mark looks, how it feels under a finger, how long it lasts in a dishwasher, and how long you wait for it. Nothing here is a matter of taste alone.

Under-glaze

from +DKK 95

Beneath the glaze layer

Applied to the raw body, then glazed and fired over. It is the method to choose when the piece will be washed daily for years.

Wear: The most durable of the three. The mark sits under the glaze, so dishwasher cycles wear the glaze, not the mark.
Texture: Smooth. The glaze runs unbroken over the mark, so it cannot be felt.
Min. glyph: 3 mm
Adds: 1 kiln cycle

Limits and wear in full

Laser etch

from +DKK 55

Cut into the fired glaze surface

Cut after the final firing, so it needs no extra kiln cycle and turns around fastest. The finest of the three — it holds detail down to 1.5 mm.

Wear: Durable — the mark is a physical groove, not a coating. The glaze is broken where it is cut, so the recess feels rougher than the surrounding surface and can hold traces of coffee or tea over time.
Texture: Noticeably rougher inside the mark. If you run a finger over it you will feel the edge.
Min. glyph: 1.5 mm
Adds: 3 working days

Limits and wear in full

On-glaze decal

from +DKK 75

On top of the glaze layer

Printed and fired onto the finished glaze at a lower temperature. Choose it when colour matters more than wear resistance.

Wear: The least durable of the three. It is a surface treatment: with repeated dishwasher use it will gradually wear and lose density. Hand washing extends its life considerably.
Texture: A very slight raised edge where the decal meets the glaze.
Min. glyph: 2 mm
Adds: 1 kiln cycle

Limits and wear in full

Which glaze carries which mark

Contrast is not a detail. An under-glaze mark on Charcoal is barely visible, and a laser groove on Chalk shows mainly as texture. The configurator warns you at the point of choosing; this is the whole table.

Legibility of each engraving method on each glaze
Glaze	Under-glaze	Laser etch	On-glaze decal
Chalk	Strong contrast	Weak contrast	Strong contrast
Oat	Strong contrast	Moderate contrast	Strong contrast
Sand	Moderate contrast	Strong contrast	Strong contrast
Stone	Weak contrast	Strong contrast	Strong contrast
Charcoal	Weak contrast	Strong contrast	Strong contrast

Chalk

The palest glaze in the range. Under-glaze marks read clearly against it; a laser groove has little tonal difference to work with, so the mark shows mostly as relief rather than contrast.

Oat

A warm neutral with a faint speckle. Keeps under-glaze lettering legible and gives an etched groove enough shadow to be picked up in normal light.

Sand

Mid-tone and slightly variegated. The most balanced base: etched marks gain contrast, under-glaze marks stay readable though softer than on Chalk.

Stone

A cool grey. Under-glaze lettering sits close in tone to the body and reads quietly; laser etching cuts to a paler layer and stands out sharply.

Charcoal

The darkest glaze. Under-glaze marks are only faintly visible on it — we say so before you choose. Laser etching gives the highest contrast of any combination in the range.

Two identical porcelain fragments carrying the same lettering: the left crisp and new, the right visibly worn after repeated washing

New · versus · 50 simulated dishwasher cycles

We photograph the wear rather than describing it away.

An on-glaze decal sits on top of the fired glaze, so a dishwasher works directly on the mark. Under-glaze sits beneath it, and the glaze takes the wear instead. This is a property of each method, so wear on an on-glaze mark is not treated as a fault — which is exactly why it belongs on the page before you buy, not in the terms afterwards.

Nothing on this site is described as permanent, and no mark is claimed never to fade.

Start a piece →What we will and will not engrave