By 'tile' we mean that the graphic is repeated over and over as many times as required to fill the space in question.
If we use a background that tiles well (we call this seemless tiling) then it will look as though the whole page (or background) is made up of a single graphic. The white brick background on this page tiles seemlessly. Look at it near the top of the page around the ad banner and before the main page text area starts.
Notice also the faded number background behind this text. It also tiles seemlessly. Here are copies of both of these background graphics outlined with a single line border so you can see the size they are:
Below are four graphics. Click on each one to see it used as a tiled background. See if you can see the individual graphics or 'tiles' in each example. You will see that some are better than others. Using a well constructed background graphic can produce seamless backgrounds and make a much better looking web site or auction listing.
Background Tile Examples
When we use the BACKGROUND="http://uri.to.pix.jpg" attribute in the BODY, TABLE, TD (cell), or other tag, we are telling the browser to use the indicated graphic file and tile it over the space defined by the tag.
