The invention provides a method of forming a thick film dielectric layer in an EL laminate of the type including one or more phosphor layers sandwiched between a front and a rear electrode with the phosphor layer being separated from the rear electrode by a thick film dielectric layer. The method includes depositing a ceramic material in one or more layers by a thick film technique to form a dielectric layer having a thickness of 10 to 300 .mu.m; pressing the dielectric layer to form a densified layer with reduced porosity and surface roughness; and sintering the dielectric layer to form a pressed, sintered dielectric layer which, in an EL laminate, has an improved uniform luminosity over an unpressed, sintered dielectric layer of the same composition.