Here's a quick primer to explain the difference between pin firing and foot firing of dinnerware.

	Steelite employs traditional pin firing where the ware is suspended on metal pins during the glaze firing. This method ensures maximum glaze coverage to the back of the ware. It also enables a lower profile which greatly enhances low stack ability, a feature that restaurants love. Maximum glazing is also a very desirable feature for the health care industry since it helps keep out contaminants. A completely glazed bottom reduces friction and resultant abrasions to the glaze.
	To the left is a plate that has been foot fired. The foot is the unglazed platform that the plate rests on. This unglazed area is subject to moisture and or absorption of contaminants.
	Here's a comparison of stack ability. The plates on the left are foot fired and Steelite's Taste plates on the right are pin fired. It's an enormous difference!
	With pin fired dinnerware, you will see at least 6 small "pin marks" on the bottom of the plates. The first 3 occur when the plate is glazed. It is help up by 3 pins and where the point were, there is a small absence of glaze. During the glaze firing, the plate is also suspended by 3 pins. Glaze forms a small point which the manufacturer subsequently grinds off. These marks are a normal characteristic of pin firing and are not considered defects.