Printed wallpaper

• Wallpaper - the buyer's guide
• Printed wallpaper
• Handcrafted wallpaper
• Digitally printed wallpaper
• Modern ways to hang wallpaper
• Buying and hanging wallpaper

If you like your wallpaper traditional, you're in luck. Many long-established wallpaper companies have revived their archive prints, and updated them for the 21st century, but still make their wallpapers using traditional techniques.

If you've got your eye on strikingly printed paper, and want to know why some papers cost more than others, it might come down to the way that the wallpaper is produced. 

Surface printing - the most widely used technique which produces a thick, flat appearance that looks like block printing and is well suited to multicoloured florals.

Screen printing - either hand- or machine-printed, it allows vibrant opaque colours with crisp edges to be laid on top of each other.

Flexographic printing - an updated version of surface printing, using less ink to provide a more exact image.

Gravure - uses a hard, engraved cylinder to produce fine lines and precise designs.

Traditional block printing - uses carved wood blocks that are aligned by hand to produce exceptionally beautiful papers with big repeats. The process is labour-intensive and unique, which is why these papers cost twice the price of other wallpapers.

These varied techniques mean there are a wealth of innovative and exciting modern patterns and finishes to choose from - from bold damasks (which have made a big comeback) to smaller-scale, prettier prints.

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