MAKING wallpaper has been a tradition since printing presses were invented in the Middle Ages (Dürer was an early adopter) and over subsequent centuries it has swung in and out of favour. In the 1990s, the unstoppable rise of Farrow & Ball created a fashion for the nuances of paint. Recently, however, a new generation drawn to a more layered look and the transformative possibilities of wallpapers has precipitated a revival of interest, coinciding with the arrival of digital technology and its exciting new possibilities.
Although digital printing is less labour intensive than traditional block, screen or surface printing, the quality was initially variable. Now, the technology has come on leaps and bounds and digital printing can mimic the subtle nuances of traditional techniques. It has created opportunities for smaller design firms to establish their own print-on-demand collections, offering consumers an almost infinite choice of pattern and prints.
'Digital printing can now mimic the subtle nuances of traditional techniques'
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