Phototiles
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Phototiles · Melbourne · Since 1980

Memorial photographs that outlast the photograph.

Portraits fired into porcelain, bronze and crystal — for funeral homes and monument makers across Australia. Family-run since 1980.

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Practice

A Carlton family business making memorial photographs in porcelain, bronze and crystal — for funeral homes and monument makers across Australia and New Zealand. Founded 1980.

Origin

European partners — Biondan (Treviso), Caggiati (Modena), Pilla (Verona), Mahieu (Antwerp), Vrohidis (Athens), Kosmolux (Munich).

01 Offerings

Ten product lines, hand-finished.

Made in Carlton, shipped to the funeral and monument trade across Australia and New Zealand.

01 / 10

Ceramic photo tiles

Vitrified porcelain, glaze-fired at 850 °C. Holds detail at print resolution.

Vitrified · Lifetime warranty
02 / 10

Frames

Bronze and classic frames, hand-finished. Italian foundries.

Bronze · Italian foundries
03 / 10

Crystal photo products

Optical glass, sub-surface laser engraving. Modern and clean.

Optical glass · Sub-surface laser
04 / 10

Vases

Wall-mounted and standing. Bronze, ceramic and stone.

Wall · Standing · Bronze
05 / 10

Urns

Bronze and ceramic. Sealed, engraved, hand-finished.

Bronze · Ceramic · Sealed
06 / 10

Crosses

Cast bronze and stone. Standing, wall and graveside.

Bronze · Stone · Graveside
07 / 10

Candleholders

Hand-cast bronze with weather-stable patina.

Hand-cast · Patina-stable
08 / 10

Memorial chapels

Custom-built memorial structures in stone, bronze and glass.

Stone · Bronze · Glass
09 / 10

Emblems

Bronze cast emblems and laurels for monumental work.

Bronze cast · Laurels
10 / 10

Embellishments

Decorative finishes, mounts and small castings.

Ornaments · Mounts · Custom

02 Material

Three surfaces. One photograph.

Each surface holds the same portrait differently. Choose the one that fits the family — and the stone it sits in.

Material 01

Porcelain

Vitrified ceramic, glaze-fired at 850 °C.

Thickness
6 mm
Formats
Oval · Rectangle · Custom-cut
Finish
Glaze 850 °C · UV-stable · Frost-stable
Source
Pilla (Verona) · Carlton fabrication
Warranty
Lifetime
See in catalogue

Material 02

Bronze

Hand-cast Italian bronze with stable patina.

Thickness
12–18 mm
Formats
Frame · Vase · Oval portrait · Candleholder
Finish
Sand-cast · Polished · Patina
Source
Biondan · Caggiati · Mahieu
Warranty
30 years
See in catalogue

Material 03

Crystal

Optical-grade glass with sub-surface laser engraving.

Thickness
15–25 mm
Formats
Block · Plaque · Slim · Backlit
Finish
Sub-surface laser · Optical-grade
Source
Kosmolux (Munich) · Vrohidis (Athens)
Warranty
Lifetime
See in catalogue

03 Catalogue

Ten product lines. Trade-only access.

Pricing is account-managed and samples ship before bulk orders. We open accounts to verified funeral homes, monument makers and memorial businesses.

Line Product Formats Lead Pricing
01 Ceramic photo tiles Oval · Rectangle · Custom-cut 10–15 d █████
02 Frames — bronze & classic Frame · Vase · Oval portrait 10–15 d █████
03 Crystal photo products Block · Plaque · Slim · Backlit 12–20 d █████
04 Vases — wall & standing Wall-mount · Standing · Bronze 10–15 d █████
05 Urns Bronze · Ceramic · Sealed 12–18 d █████
06 Crosses Standing · Wall · Graveside 14–21 d █████
07 Candleholders Hand-cast bronze · Patina 10 d █████
08 Memorial chapels Stone · Bronze · Glass · Custom 30–60 d █████
09 Emblems Bronze cast · Laurels 12 d █████
10 Embellishments Decorative · Mounts · Custom 10–14 d █████

Hidden behind this wall

Price band · Supplier-specific cost · Stock level · Per-unit weight · Discount tier

Visible only to verified trade accounts.

Sign in Request trade access

04 Origin

Six houses. Six cities.

Family-run foundries and ceramicists across Northern Italy, Belgium, Greece and Germany. We import directly so the trade chain stays short.

European partners → Carlton · Melbourne Direct import · 21-day avg sea transit
  1. Antwerp Porcelain · 14d
  2. Munich Crystal · 16d
  3. Treviso Bronze · 18d
  4. Verona Bronze · 18d
  5. Modena Bronze · 18d
  6. Athens Crystal · 22d
  7. Carlton Studio · Melbourne
  1. 6European houses
  2. 4Countries
  3. 21dAvg sea transit
  4. 0Middlemen
  1. 01

    Biondan

    Treviso · IT

    Bronze frames, vases and oval portrait holders.

    Founded 1956 · Partner since 1989

    Bronze
  2. 02

    Caggiati

    Modena · IT

    Hand-finished bronze ovals and emblems. Three-generation foundry.

    Founded 1948 · Partner since 1992

    Bronze
  3. 03

    Pilla

    Verona · IT

    Bronze candleholders, crosses and chapel hardware.

    Founded 1962 · Partner since 1990

    Bronze
  4. 04

    Mahieu

    Antwerp · BE

    Ceramic photo tile substrates. Frost-stable porcelain blanks.

    Founded 1939 · Partner since 2001

    Ceramic
  5. 05

    Vrohidis

    Athens · GR

    Marble and crystal mounting hardware for monumental work.

    Founded 1958 · Partner since 1998

    Crystal
  6. 06

    Kosmolux

    Munich · DE

    Optical glass and crystal blocks, sub-surface engraving.

    Founded 1971 · Partner since 2004

    Crystal

05 Practice

How an order moves.

From accepted brief to AU/NZ doorstep — six measured steps, one accountable contact.

  1. 01

    Brief

    Account-managed. Direct trade contact, scoped quote, sample plan agreed.

    ~ 1 business day
  2. 02

    Sample

    Reference fire on chosen substrate. Hand-finish check before any bulk run.

    3–5 days
  3. 03

    Sign-off

    Photo and proof approved by the funeral director or monument mason.

    Same day
  4. 04

    Production

    Vitrified ceramic, glaze-fired at 850 °C. Bronze and crystal flow direct from the European houses.

    6–8 days
  5. 05

    QC

    Hand-checked under daylight. Edge-packed, padded, palletised for trade dispatch.

    1 day
  6. 06

    Ship

    Tracked freight to AU and NZ trade accounts. Customs handled at our end.

    5–10 days
Inside Carlton Bench → fire → ship · 90 sec · TBC

07 Trade

Set up an account. One business day.

We open accounts to verified funeral homes, monument makers and memorial retailers. Verification takes about a business day.

  1. 01

    Business name + ABN

    Verifies trade entity. Sole traders, partnerships and companies all welcome.

  2. 02

    Trade reference

    Existing supplier or industry body. Helps us match you to the right product manager.

  3. 03

    Typical order profile

    Rough volume and product lines you handle. We tailor lead times accordingly.

  4. 04

    Delivery address

    Warehouse or showroom in AU or NZ. Customs handled at our end.

Apply

Phone
+61 (3) 9822 0000
Email
hello@phototiles.au
Studio
Carlton, Melbourne · Mon–Fri

Verification ~ 1 business day. No bulk run committed without sample sign-off.

Verified by 250+ Funeral homes & monument makers Across AU + NZ Carlton, since 1980

08 FAQ

Common questions. Plain answers.

Trade buyers usually ask the same nine questions. Here they are, in plain English.

  1. 01 What materials do you work with?

    FCM porcelain (vitrified, glaze-fired at 850 °C — colour-stable, frost- and UV-stable, lifetime warranty). Hand-cast Italian bronze for frames, vases, ovals and chapel hardware. Optical-grade crystal with sub-surface laser engraving where light passes through the portrait.

  2. 02 Do you send samples before a bulk order?

    Always. Sample-first ordering is standard for every bulk run — we send a reference fire on your chosen substrate so you can sign off on tone, finish and sizing before any production. No bulk fired without sign-off.

  3. 03 How does shipping work?

    Tailored to the trade account. AusPost Express Post for smaller items; DHL or FedEx for bulk freight. Customs handled at our end for both Australia and New Zealand trade accounts.

  4. 04 Are there discounts for repeat orders?

    Yes — 5%, 10% or 15% repeat-order discount, scaled to annual order volume and frequency. Your tier is visible in your trade profile after sign-in and applied automatically at checkout.

  5. 05 Can we get product catalogues?

    Catalogues from each of our six European partners (Biondan, Caggiati, Pilla, Mahieu, Vrohidis, Kosmolux) are published in the trade-only Catalogue section. Sign in to download or browse online.

  6. 06 What warranties apply?

    Lifetime warranty on porcelain photo tiles, with free re-fire if a surface fault appears. Bronze, ceramic and crystal items carry their respective vendor warranties (typically 12–30 years). We handle warranty enquiries on your behalf.

  7. 07 How is quality controlled?

    Material selection upstream with the European houses, hand-checked inspection at our QC stage in Carlton, edge-packing for trade dispatch, and a continuous feedback loop with each vendor on rejected pieces. Every bulk run is sampled before fire.

  8. 08 What payment methods do you accept?

    Bank transfer for B2B trade accounts. Net-30 by default; longer terms available on request after the third order.

  9. 09 How long does an order take?

    Standard porcelain tiles ship within 10 days from sign-off. Add ~2 days for AU domestic delivery, or 5–10 days for NZ trade. Memorial chapels and custom work run 30–60 days. See section 05 for the full process.

09 Contact

Phototiles

184 Lygon Street
Carlton, VIC 3053
Australia
Phone
+61 (3) 9877 0000
Trade
trade@phototiles.au
General
hello@phototiles.au
Hours
Mon–Fri · 09:00–17:00 AEST

Ready when you are.

Verification ~ 1 business day. Sample-first on every bulk run.

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