Isopressing a PbZr0.3Ti0.7O3 sol-gel coating prior to thermally induced crystallisation leads to increased remanent polarisation (P-r) values for optimum compaction pressures of similar to 125MPa. The value of P-r increases from 25 mu C cm(-2) for a single layer 0.3 mu m porous film prepared in the normal manner, to 34 mu C cm(-2) for an equivalent 0.2 mu m dense film. Compaction pressures >135 MPa lead to little further increase in film density, but Pr decreases to values below those of non-pressed porous samples. The trends in polarisation are attributed to the balance between the beneficial effects of decreased porosity and the detrimental effects of increased strain levels in the films. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.