Printing puts colour on the surface of cloth in a pattern. India has some of the world’s great printing traditions: hand block printing, ajrakh and kalamkari. Screen and digital printing bring speed and detail. Special finishes then change the surface: distressing, laser finishing, coatings, burnout, foil, flock and embossing. This lesson explains each, gives it an honesty label (studio-safe, studio with care, factory only, short-lived), and shows how to place prints and finishes on a trouser.

Teacher to check: follow each product’s instructions and safety sheet; these notes are general.

Front and back pattern pieces of the Part IV block laid on a fabric panel printed to their shape: a 4 inch border print placed along each hem, a 2 inch side stripe along the outseam, and a single 6 inch motif placed on the left front thigh, with the pattern outlines dotted inside the printed areas
Engineered print: border, side stripe and a placed motif printed to the pattern.
Four panels of hand block printing: a carved wooden block 6 by 6 inches beside a dye tray; the block pressed on cloth laid over a padded table; repeats placed using a registration mark at the block’s corner; and a second colour block printed over the first
Illustration: hand block printing in four steps.

What you’ll learn

  • Block, screen and digital printing, and when to use each.
  • Ajrakh and kalamkari: what they are and where they come from.
  • Seven special finishes, honestly labelled.
  • How to place prints on a trouser (engineered prints).

Printing

Method How Best for Label
Hand block Carved wooden blocks pressed by hand Cotton, silk; small runs Studio with care (pigment); craft units for traditional dyes
Screen Ink pushed through a mesh stencil Bold motifs, repeats Studio with care (water-based inks)
Digital Inkjet printing on cloth Photographic detail, placed prints, small runs Factory only (order from a print unit)
Stencil and hand-painting Fabric paint by brush or sponge One-offs, children’s wear Studio-safe

Ajrakh

Ajrakh is a hand block-printed textile of Kutch (Gujarat), Barmer (Rajasthan) and Sindh, made with resist and mordant printing and dyed traditionally in indigo and madder red. It is known for its geometric patterns, deep colours, and the many stages of printing, dyeing and washing it takes. Ajrakh trousers, salwars and kurta pyjamas are popular in contemporary Indian wear.

Kalamkari

Kalamkari means “pen work”. Two main styles are linked to Andhra Pradesh: the Srikalahasti style, drawn freehand with a bamboo pen (kalam) and often showing epic stories; and the Machilipatnam (Pedana) style, printed with blocks and often showing floral and Persian-influenced designs. Both use natural dyes traditionally.

Special finishes

  • Distressing (rips, sanding, fraying): studio with care with sandpaper and a seam ripper; shortens the trouser’s life.
  • Laser finishing: a laser fades or patterns denim without chemicals or sand; factory only.
  • Coating: wax coating for water resistance (studio with care, with heat); polyurethane and resin coatings (factory only).
  • Burnout (devoré): a chemical paste dissolves one fibre in a blend, leaving a sheer pattern; factory only for production; hobby pastes exist but need training and full safety care.
  • Foil: metallic foil fixed to glue by heat; studio with care with a heat press; often short-lived.
  • Flock: short fibres glued in a pattern for a velvet feel; heat-transfer flock is studio-safe with a heat press; industrial flocking is factory only.
  • Embossing: engraved hot rollers press a raised pattern; factory only; lasts on polyester, short-lived on cotton.

Engineered prints: placing a print on a trouser

  1. Draw the trouser’s pattern pieces at full size.
  2. Decide where the print goes: a border at the hem, a stripe at the side, a motif on one thigh.
  3. Print or order the fabric with the motifs positioned on each piece.
  4. Cut exactly to the printed outlines; add seam allowances outside them.
Step by step: a block-printed hem border (studio with care)
  1. Pre-wash and iron a cotton trouser or the cut leg pieces.
  2. Pin the cloth flat on a padded table (a blanket under a sheet).
  3. Mark a straight guideline 4 in (10 cm) above the hem line.
  4. Load the block evenly from a pad soaked with fabric printing paste.
  5. Print along the line, matching each repeat to the last with the block’s registration mark.
  6. Let it dry; heat-set as the paste maker says (usually ironing from the back).
  7. Sew the trouser; check the border meets at the inseam.
Where you see these in Indian fashion
  • Block print from Sanganer and Bagru (Rajasthan), Bagh (Madhya Pradesh) and many other centres on palazzos, pyjamas and co-ords.
  • Ajrakh on men’s kurta pyjamas and women’s salwars and trousers.
  • Kalamkari panels on palazzos and festive pants.
  • Digital prints across ready-to-wear, from office trousers to children’s wear.
  • Foil and flock on festive children’s and party wear.
Real and imitation
  • Hand block prints show small irregularities at repeats; screen-printed imitations are perfectly even.
  • True ajrakh is printed on both sides traditionally and has deep, natural colour; printed imitations are often one-sided.
  • Several of these crafts have Geographical Indication (GI) registrations; using a GI name for an imitation may be misleading. Check the GI registry before labelling a product.
Women, men and children
  • Women: block-printed and ajrakh palazzos, kalamkari panels.
  • Men: ajrakh and block-printed pyjamas; laser-finished denim.
  • Children: stencilled and hand-painted designs are fun to make together; avoid foil and rough coatings that scratch or peel.
Tips, tricks and hacks
  1. Print pieces before sewing for borders that meet.
  2. Test print on a scrap of the same cloth.
  3. Pad the table well for crisp block prints.
  4. Use a ruler on the block’s edge for straight repeats.
  5. Scale prints to the trouser: big motifs suit wide legs, small motifs narrow ones.
  6. Order digital prints with a test strip first.
  7. Distress after hemming, then stop the fray with a stitch line.
  8. Professionals heat-set every print before washing.
  9. Buy from craftspeople where you can, and name the craft and region on labels.
  10. Keep foil and flock away from seams that flex.
Problems and how to fix them

1 · Block print is patchy

  1. Re-print lightly over gaps.
  2. Add a second colour to hide gaps.
  3. Prevention: load the block evenly and press firmly.

2 · Repeats do not line up

  1. Make it a deliberate offset.
  2. Cover the join with a trim.
  3. Prevention: mark registration points.

3 · Border does not meet at the inseam

  1. Add a small matching patch.
  2. Move the seam slightly.
  3. Prevention: print after cutting, before sewing.

4 · Print washes out

  1. Re-print and heat-set.
  2. Overdye to hide fading.
  3. Prevention: heat-set as instructed.

5 · Foil peels

  1. Re-press with heat.
  2. Replace with embroidery.
  3. Prevention: label foil as short-lived.

6 · Distressing makes a hole too big

  1. Back it with a patch.
  2. Darn it as a feature.
  3. Prevention: distress a little at a time.

7 · Digital colours differ from the screen

  1. Ask for a colour-matched reprint.
  2. Adjust the design.
  3. Prevention: always order a test strip.
Beginner mistakes and myths
  • Mistake: printing on unwashed cloth.
  • Mistake: placing a big motif across the crotch seam.
  • Myth: “All block print is hand-made.” Many “block print” fabrics are screen-printed.
  • Myth: “Distressed means old.” Factory distressing is new damage.
Practice drills
  1. Beginner: stencil a motif on a child’s trouser pocket.
  2. Intermediate: block-print a hem border.
  3. Advanced: plan an engineered digital print for a full trouser.
As a hobby, for earning, for teaching

As a hobby: a small set of blocks lets you print endless trousers.

For earning: engineered prints and craft collaborations give a range its identity.

For teaching: potato or eraser blocks teach repeats safely to children.

Care and finishing
  • Wash printed trousers inside out, cold, in shade.
  • Iron foil and flock from the back only, or not at all.
Sources and uncertain points
  • D&D ebook ch. 25 (jeans) and ch. 64 (environment); general textile knowledge.
  • Kalamkari (Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam) and other prints have GI registrations; Kutch ajrakh is reported to have received GI status. Check the GI registry before quoting.
  • Numbers of steps in ajrakh vary by workshop; described generally.
Check yourself
  1. Can you compare block, screen and digital printing?
  2. Can you describe ajrakh and the two kalamkari styles?
  3. Can you give an honesty label for each special finish?
  4. Can you plan an engineered print?
Key terms
  • Mordant: a substance that fixes dye to fibre.
  • Registration: lining up repeats or colours.
  • Engineered print: a print placed to fit pattern pieces.
  • Devoré: burnout printing.
  • Kalam: pen, as in kalamkari.
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