Printing puts a pattern on the surface of the cloth. India’s hand-printing traditions are among the world’s finest, and modern screen and digital printing fill every shop. This lesson shows how each is done and how to tell them apart by looking.
What you’ll learn
- Block, screen and digital printing, and how to recognise each.
- Ajrakh, kalamkari, Bagru, Sanganer, Bagh and Dabu.
- Pigment, discharge and sublimation prints.
- How prints wear and wash.
Three ways to print
- Block print – carved wooden blocks dipped in dye and stamped by hand, one colour per block. Small irregularities and joins show. Slow and beautiful.
- Screen print – dye forced through a fine mesh screen, one screen per colour; flat or rotary. Crisp, even, repeatable.
- Digital print – an inkjet printer prints the design directly. Any number of colours, photographic detail. On polyester, sublimation turns dye into gas that enters the fibre.
India’s great printing traditions
| Where | Known for | |
|---|---|---|
| Ajrakh | Kutch (Gujarat), Barmer (Rajasthan), Sindh | Geometric patterns in indigo and madder red; many stages of resist and mordant |
| Kalamkari | Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam (Andhra Pradesh) | Pen-drawn (Srikalahasti) or block-printed (Machilipatnam) natural-dye designs |
| Bagru | Rajasthan | Earthy colours, mud resist, natural dyes |
| Sanganer | Near Jaipur | Fine florals on white grounds |
| Bagh | Madhya Pradesh | Red and black geometric and floral prints |
| Dabu | Rajasthan | Mud-resist printing, often with indigo |
Kalamkari means “pen work” (from kalam, pen). Srikalahasti work is drawn freehand, often with stories from the epics; Machilipatnam (Pedana) work is block-printed with Persian-influenced motifs.
What it means for you: hand block prints are softer and slightly irregular and need cool, separate washing at first; screen prints are crisp and durable; digital prints offer any design, and on polyester (sublimation) they are very fast. Check the back to see how deep the colour goes.
Many traditional designs are now copied by screen and digital printing. That is fine when it is named honestly; a “block print” label on a screen print is not.
In more depth: telling prints apart
- Block: look along a repeat. Tiny gaps, overlaps, slightly different pressure, and colour that goes through to the back on light fabrics.
- Screen: perfectly even repeats; edges of colour are crisp; repeat joins are invisible on rotary screens.
- Digital: any number of colours, fine gradients, photographic effects; usually paler on the back.
- Hand-painted: brush strokes, uneven edges, each motif different.
Other print types
- Pigment print: colour sits on the surface with a binder; can feel stiff and crack over time.
- Discharge print: a chemical removes colour from dyed cloth to make the pattern; soft feel.
- Foil and khadi print: metallic or glittery surface prints, often on festive wear; gentle washing needed. (“Khadi print” here is a market name for a raised surface print, unrelated to khadi cloth.)
Ajrakh in more depth
True ajrakh goes through many stages – washing, resist printing, mordant printing, indigo and madder dyeing, washing in river water – over days or weeks. It was traditionally printed on both sides. Ajrakh has a GI for Kutch, as reported. Many fabrics sold as “ajrakh” today are screen or digital prints of ajrakh designs.
Tips, tricks and hacks
- Wash block prints separately the first few times, in cold water.
- Dry prints inside out in shade.
- Iron pigment and foil prints on the reverse only.
- Centre large motifs on the body when cutting.
- Check direction: many prints have an up and a down (Module 8).
- Buy one lot for a whole garment; block prints vary between batches.
- Pair busy prints with plain linings and facings.
Common misunderstandings
“Irregular means a factory fault.”
In block print, small variations are the mark of the hand.
“All kalamkari is hand-drawn.”
Machilipatnam kalamkari is block-printed, and many “kalamkari” fabrics are screen prints.
“Digital prints fade fast.”
Good digital and sublimation prints are durable; poor ones fade. Quality varies.
For earning and teaching
For earning: hand-block printed cotton kurtas and blouses are popular; telling customers the craft and region adds value. Small-batch digital printing lets designers print their own designs.
For teaching: a potato or foam block print class shows the principles in an hour.
Problems and how to fix them
Block print colour runs in the first wash
- Rinse repeatedly in cold water.
- Wash separately until it runs clear.
- Prevention: bleed-test and pre-wash before cutting.
Pigment print cracks
- Wash inside out in cool water.
- Iron on the reverse only.
- Prevention: choose dye prints for garments washed often.
A digital print looks pale on the inside of the hem
- Use a narrow or faced hem.
- Line the garment.
- Prevention: check the back of the fabric before planning hems.
Prints by garment
- Everyday kurtas and blouses: hand block prints on cotton (Bagru, Sanganer, Dabu).
- Festive cotton sarees and blouses: kalamkari, ajrakh.
- Party wear: digital prints on georgette and crepe.
- Uniforms and bulk: screen or digital prints for consistency.
- Kidswear: soft dye prints rather than stiff pigment prints.
Sources and uncertain points
- General craft knowledge. GI status of ajrakh, Machilipatnam and Srikalahasti kalamkari, Bagru, Sanganer and Bagh prints is as reported; check the Registry.
- Persian influence on Machilipatnam designs is as commonly described.
Check yourself
- Can you tell a block print from a screen print?
- Can you name the two kinds of kalamkari?
- Do you know what colours ajrakh traditionally uses?
- Do you know how sublimation printing works?
Key terms
- Repeat: the unit a print pattern repeats in.
- Registration: how well colours line up.
- Sublimation: dye turned to gas and fixed in polyester.
- Kalam: pen.