Josiah Spode I is credited with the introduction of underglaze blue
transfer printing on earthenware in 1783-84.Designs in a range of colors
including black, red, and lilac were produced.
To adapt the process from the production of small porcelain teawares to
larger earthen dinnerwares required the creation of more flexible paper to
transmit the designs from the engraved copper plate to the biscuit earthenware
body, and the development of a glaze recipe that brought the color of the
black-blue cobalt print to a brilliant perfection. Spode was recently acquired
by Portmerion and have recommenced the production of classical English blue and
white porcelain.