Compositions providing frost appearance for printing on glass or ceramic substrates and methods for the use thereof

A method of producing a substrate having a frosted appearance, an article having a frosted appearance and frost-imparting compositions are disclosed. The method includes applying a frost-imparting composition onto a ceramic substrate and firing the coated substrate above 400°C, usually in the range of 400°C-750°C to impart the frost appearance. The frost-imparting composition may comprises a liquid vehicle, 20% to 90% by weight of glass frit particles and less than 10% by weight of at least one gas-releasing material, inactive below an activation temperature of at least 400°C, the gas releasing material may include carbonate, nitrate, iodate, bromate, chlorate, fluoride, manganate, dimanganate, sulfate compound and other gas releasing compounds or combination thereof. The firing temperature is chosen to be above the activation temperature of the gas-releasing material, above which the gas-releasing material yields gas bubbles and above a temperature that causes the glass frit particles to behave as a viscous liquid.