Phototiles
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Phototiles · Melbourne · Since 1980

Memorial photographs that outlast the photograph.

Trade-only memorial portraits and accessories for funeral homes, monument makers and memorial professionals across Australia and New Zealand. Established in Carlton in 1980.

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Practice

A Carlton studio supplying memorial photographs in porcelain, bronze and crystal to verified trade businesses across Australia and New Zealand. Founded 1980.

Origin

European partners — Biondan (Treviso), Caggiati (Modena), Pilla (Verona), Mahieu (Antwerp), Vrohidis (Athens), Elle.Pi (Florence).

Trade order workflow

From your photograph to porcelain.

Approved trade accounts upload a photograph, choose restoration and finishing options, then approve a proof before production in porcelain, bronze or crystal.

  1. 01

    Upload your photograph

    JPG, PNG, TIFF or HEIC up to 50 MB. We check the resolution and tell you if it's print-quality before you go on.

    ~ 30 seconds
  2. 02

    Restore & enhance

    Auto-sharpen and colour balance are included. Colourise a black-and-white photo, remove scratches or restore a damaged print — each as an option.

    AI · enhance included
  3. 03

    Approve your proof

    We email a PDF proof within one business day. Approve it — or request changes, up to three revisions free — before anything is made.

    ~ 1 business day
  4. 04

    Fired & shipped

    Glaze-fired into porcelain, bronze or crystal at our Carlton studio, then shipped across Australia and New Zealand.

    10–15 days dispatch
Sign in to start an order Approved trade accounts · Account pricing · Proof before production

01 Offerings

Ten product lines, hand-finished.

Made in Carlton for funeral homes, monument makers and memorial professionals 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
Vrohidis (Athens)
Warranty
Lifetime
See in catalogue

03 Catalogue

Ten product lines. Made to order.

Browse the public product range. Pricing, account discounts and ordering are available after approval and sign-in.

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

Trade accounts unlock

5–15% volume discount · Net 30 terms · Sample-first policy · Per-account price lists · Bulk CSV ordering

Verification takes about a business day.

Browse catalogue Trade access

04 Origin

Six houses. Six cities.

Specialist foundries and ceramicists across Northern Italy, Belgium and Greece. We import directly so the supply chain for our trade partners stays short.

European partners → Carlton · Melbourne Direct import · 21-day avg sea transit
  1. Antwerp Porcelain · 14d
  2. Florence Bronze · 18d
  3. Treviso Bronze · 18d
  4. Verona Bronze · 18d
  5. Modena Bronze · 18d
  6. Athens Crystal · 22d
  7. Carlton Studio · Melbourne
  1. 6European houses
  2. 3Countries
  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 1947 · 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 1880 · Partner since 2001

    Ceramic
  5. 05

    Vrohidis

    Athens · GR

    Marble and crystal mounting hardware for monumental work.

    Founded 1968 · Partner since 1998

    Crystal
  6. 06

    Elle.Pi

    Florence · IT

    Decorative bronze — lettering, emblems and chapel fittings.

    Founded 1972 · Partner since 2004

    Bronze

Visit each house in depth

05 Practice

How an order moves.

From trade order to delivery — every personalised piece is proofed and approved before production.

  1. 01

    Order placed

    Approved trade customers start online or with our studio, upload the photograph and choose the piece.

    Day 0
  2. 02

    Proof prepared

    We restore and enhance the photo, then lay out a PDF proof of the exact piece — crop, finish and inscription.

    ~ 1 business day
  3. 03

    You approve

    Approve the proof, or request changes — up to three revisions free. Nothing is fired until you sign off.

    Your call
  4. 04

    In production

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

    6–8 days
  5. 05

    Finished & checked

    Hand-checked under daylight, then edge-packed, padded and boxed for safe transit.

    1 day
  6. 06

    Shipped

    Tracked freight across Australia and New Zealand, to a home or a trade address. 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.

Phototiles is trade-only. We open accounts for verified funeral homes, monument makers, cemeteries and memorial retailers, usually within one 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?

    AusPost Express Post for smaller trade consignments; DHL or FedEx for bulk freight. Customs are handled at our end for approved accounts across Australia and New Zealand.

  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, Elle.Pi) are available in the online Catalogue section. Approved accounts can sign in for pricing, account price lists and partner PDFs.

  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 safe 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?

    Approved trade accounts can pay by bank transfer on Net-30 by default. Other account terms are 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.

All 28 trade questions

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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