When it comes to technological advances in flooring, few developments can tout the same level of disruption as digital printing. First embraced by the tile category many years ago, digital printing is now being utilized across a variety of flooring types, bringing unparalleled realism, design flexibility and operational efficiency.
“Digital printing has revolutionized the flooring industry,” said Céline Quervel, managing director of sales for the Classen Group. “It allows for greater flexibility in product development, enabling quicker design changes and small-batch production without compromising quality.”
Eric Ruppert, senior director of product marketing and category management, Engineered Floors, agreed, noting, “Digital printing has fundamentally changed how we approach design, allowing for greater creativity and the ability to meet evolving consumer preferences.”
The tile category was the first on the scene—utilizing digital printing technologies over a decade ago—and only continues to reap the rewards. “Digital printing has helped tile achieve a realistic look while mimicking the tactile feel of natural wood or stone designs,” explained Paulo Pereira, vice president, MSI. “These advancements have helped fuel demand in both residential and commercial applications, leading to market growth for porcelain and ceramic tiles.”
Laura Grilli, director of product design, Dal-Tile, agreed, noting, that, for tile, the tactile development makes digital technology the most important innovation in recent years. “It opens the door to perfect synchronization of texture, color and print,” she said. “For any wood, marble or stone look created prior to the advancement of this process, transferring the same definition and detail that exists freely in nature into the tile production was not as widely accessible. The industry has been transformed by the option of hyper-realism reflected in both the visual design and the realistic-to-touch surfaces of the products made with these machines.”
For some, digital printing has become the cost of entry. “Digital has become our base design language,” said Derek Welbourn, CEO, Inhaus. “We have created our own design department, scan and develop all of our own designs. Even if they will eventually be made into cylinders and printed conventionally, we still develop all the designs ourselves digitally. Meaning the design can be digitally printed or printed with rotogravure paper or film. This process gives us the ultimate flexibility and speed of development.”
But digital printing wasn’t always the boon it is today, the technology has had to evolve over the years. “We’ve seen improvements in print resolution, ink durability and the ability to integrate digital printing with digital embossing and other manufacturing processes,” said Ben Wood, hard surface product category manager, EF. “This evolution has allowed us to push the boundaries of realism and create flooring that truly transforms spaces.”
Floris Koopmans, sales and marketing director IP, Unilin Technologies, explained that direct-to-board digital structuring is transforming flooring manufacturing by eliminating the need for traditional décor papers and foils. “Beyond enhancing design realism, eliminating décor papers and foils provides a crucial advantage: it reduces reliance on imported materials, which often create supply chain bottlenecks,” he explained.
A growing customer base
With this new technology allowing for advanced visuals, categories like vinyl, laminate and tile have seen the expansion of its typical customer. “Digital printing has attracted new customers and markets by providing greater design flexibility and customization,” Classen’s Quervel said. “Architects and interior designers, in particular, appreciate the ability to create bespoke designs that were previously impossible with conventional printing.”
EF’s Wood agreed, noting, “The enhanced realism and design flexibility offered by digital printing have attracted a new segment of consumers to the resilient flooring category. These are customers who previously favored natural materials but are now drawn to the performance, durability and aesthetic advantages of digitally printed resilient flooring. Our PureGrain HighDef line is a prime example of this trend, where we’ve seen significant interest from consumers seeking high-end visuals with practical benefits.”
The tile category has also experienced this growth. “Digital printing, along with innovation, has not only enhanced the product, but also redefined who buys the tiles and why,” MSI’s Pereira said. “By offering customization, affordability and realistic aesthetics, it’s drawn homeowners, designers, businesses and eco-conscious buyers to the market. It has effectively repositioned porcelain and ceramic tiles as a dynamic, modern solution, expanding the market’s footprint and pulling in fresh faces.”
United Surfaces has also expanded its partner pool. “With our go-to-market strategy, we have been able to partner with the best customers that fit with our culture in each of our market channels,” said Nick Brown, vice president of sales.
Investment abounds
For all of this to be possible, it’s taken significant investment from flooring manufacturers looking to move design into the future. Classen, for example, has been a pioneer in digital printing for over 15 years, making it one of the industry’s early adopters. “Today, we operate five digital printing lines—two in our laminate production facility and three in our Ceramin factory,” Quervel said. “Our investments in digital printing are continuous and future focused. We don’t just invest in new equipment but also regularly upgrade our existing technology to stay ahead of industry trends.”
Engineered Floors has also made a significant and ongoing investment in digital printing technology in North Georgia to elevate the realism and design flexibility of its flooring products. “We view it as a crucial component of our innovation strategy,” Wood said. “Our investments are substantial and reflect our commitment to leading the industry. Our latest focus has been on enhancing the capabilities of our PureGrain High-Def line. This involves deploying advanced digital printing systems capable of extremely high-resolution imaging and precise color reproduction directly to the core.”
Inhaus has invested more than $100 million in its facilities. “Digital printing is not new to us as we are one of the early pioneers of digital printing in our industry,” Inhaus’ Welbourn said. “We currently operate four high-speed digital printers.”
Over the past three years, United Surfaces has invested heavily in its digital print technology. “Along with the printing machinery, we have additional investments in extrusion, milling/packaging and warehousing to support our additional capacity and our growth we are seeing with our go to market strategy,” Brown explained. “Digital print technology strengthens our overall market position as a domestic manufacturer. Our investment into additional capacity both on film and digital production allows our customers to invest in both film and digital print collections while capitalizing on our service model, carrying less inventory allowing more turns on their inventory with confidence of zero out of stock inventory.”
MSI, too, has been on the frontend of the digital printing revolution, introducing collections with realism and next generation feel. “From MSI’s award winning collections, namely Cordova and Malahari that introduced customers to 3D technology, to the Exotika collection that offers a wide plethora of colors and looks to choose from, MSI has embraced the evolution while keeping the products affordable and accessible to the customers,” Pereira said.
MSI also utilizes digital printing to enhance its quartz offerings like its Q+ Collection.
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