The beautiful art of block Printing employs wooden or metal blocks to print designs and patterns on

fabric, by hand. What makes block Printing unique is that the design has to be created by the artist
before the Printing begins. It is carved onto the block by hand. The colors used are normally
vegetable dyes. Mineral and non-toxic chemical dyes are also used. The carved block is dipped into
the required color, and then it is used to design the fabric. 

The Origin of Block Printing 

Excavations of dyed and printed fabric, have traced the origin of block Printing to 

seventeenth century Gujarat. Today, block Printing is practiced in numerous centers all around
India. Techniques of Block Printing 

There are a number of processes of block Printing: 

Direct Block Printing 

In this technique, the cotton or silk cloth is first bleached. Then the fabric is dyed, unless a light
background is desired. Thereafter, the fabric is printed using carved blocks, first the outline blocks,
then the ones to fill color. 

In the resist technique, areas that are to be protected from the dye are covered with a mixture of clay
and resin. The dyed fabric is then washed. The dye spreads into the protected areas through cracks,
producing a rippled effect. Block prints are then used to create further designs. 

Discharge Printing 

In this technique, the fabric is dyed. Then, a chemical is used to remove the dye from the portions that
are to have designs in a different color. These portions are then treated, so they may be re-colored. 

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Block Printing in Gujarat 

In Gujarat, this form of hand Printing has been practiced and perpetuated by the Paithapur families.
They make intricate blocks, and print their textiles using the mud resist-Printing method. These prints
are called Sodagiri (trader) prints. 

In Kutch, the popular patterns are black and red designs of birds, animals, and dancing girls. The
saris of Ahmedabad and Baroda have large mango patterns against a red or blue background. 

The other well known centers for block Printing in Gujarat are Bhavnagar, Vasna, Rajkot, Jamnagar,
Jetpur and Porbandar. 

Block Printing in Rajasthan 

From Gujarat, the art of block Printing spread to Rajasthan. Here colorful prints of birds, animals,
human figures, gods and goddesses are popular. The important centers for this form of hand Printing
are Jaipur, Bangru, Sanganer, Pali and Barmer. 

Sanganer is famous for its Calico printed bed covers, quilts and saris. In Calico Printing, the outlines
are first printed, and then the color is filled in. Bold patterns and colors are popular. They are printed
repeatedly in diagonal rows. Doo Rookhi Printing is also famous here. In this technique, artists print
on both sides of the cloth. 

Bagru is famous for its Syahi-Begar prints and Dabu  prints. The former are designs in a combination
of black and yellow ochre or cream. The latter are prints in which portions are hidden from the dye by
applying a resist paste. 

Barmer is known for its prints of red chilies with blue-black outlines, surrounded by flower-laden trees.
The other famous prints are of horses, camels, peacocks and lions,
called Sikar and Shekahawat  prints. 

Block Printing in Punjab 

The block Printing from Punjab is not as famous as its Rajasthani counterpart, but is still merit worthy.
It was the art of a group of textile workers called Chhimba  . The designs were usually floral and
geometrical. Today, traditional designs have been displaced, and vegetable dyes have been replaced
by chemical ones. The colors are light and pastel. The motifs are usually mangoes, peacocks and
nets. 

Block Printings of Andhra Pradesh 

In Andhra Pradesh, the block Printing method is applied in the creation of the exquisite Kalamkari
Printing . The two major centers of Kalamkari art are Sri Kalahasti and Masulipatnam. 

Block Printing is also practiced in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

Block printing is a form of dying and coloring a fabric using wooden blocks. India is one of the
largest manufacturers and exporters of block printed fabric in the world. Block printing craftsmen
use wooden or metal blocks to create beautiful designs; sometimes, linoleumblocks are also
used.

Techniques of Block Printing in India

•  Direct Printing : In this technique, the cotton or silk cloth is first bleached. Then the fabric is
dyed, unless a light background is desired. Thereafter, the fabric is printed using carved blocks,
first the outline blocks, then the ones to fill color.

•  Resist Printing : In the resist technique, areas that are to be protected from the dye are
covered with a mixture of clay and resin. The dyed fabric is then washed. The dye spreads into the
protected areas through cracks, producing a rippled effect. Block prints are then used to create
further designs.

•  Discharge Printing : In this technique, the fabric is dyed. Then, a chemical is used to remove
the dye from the portions that are to have designs in a different color. These portions are then
treated, so they may be re-colored.

A Close Look at the Process of Block Printing in India

•  The fabric to be printed is first washed free of starch.

•  If tie-dyeing is required, this is done before the printing process. Incase fabric is dyed, it is
washed thereafter, to remove excess color. It is dried in the sun.

•  The fabric is then stretched over the printing table and secured with pins.

•  Color is mixed separately and kept ready. So are the blocks. The blocks are made of teak wood
and hand-carved. They are soaked in oil for 10-15 days to soften the timber.

•  The color is kept in a tray which rests on another tray that contains a liquid made of glue and
pigment binder. This gives the color a soft base and permits even spreading of color on the block.
•  When printing begins, the color is first evened out in the tray. Then the block is dipped in the
outline color.

•  The block is pressed down hard on the fabric, to make a clear impression. Thereafter, other
blocks are used to fill in color.

•  Once the fabric is printed, it is dried in the sun. It is then rolled in newspaper to prevent the
fabric layers from sticking to each other.

•  The fabric is then steamed.

•  Thereafter, it is washed in water and dried in the sun.

•  Ironing is the last stage.

A block print is a piece of printed material made using the block printing technique. In block printing,

the printer carves the design to be printed into a solid block, much like a stamp. The design can
include text or be purely visual, and theblock can be applied to paper or textiles. Block printing is an
ancient printing technique, and numerous examples of historical block prints can be found in the
historical records of Europe and Asia.

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The origins of the block print can be found in the round cylinder seals used by the Mesopotamians.
These seals are the first known examples of a fixed design on an element which is designed to be
rolled over another element, thus transferring the design. Cylinder seals were made from carved
stone or clay, but printers started to switch to wood because it was easy to handle and carve.
Woodblock prints, also called woodcuts, dominated the nascent publishing industry for hundreds of
years. The engraving is a descendant of the block print, although the technique for creating
theblock with which to print is different.

Many famous artists, such as Hiroshige, worked in the block print medium. Block prints were also
used to produce books and other printed material. Printers quickly learned how to create multi-
colored block prints, using blocks with different designs on them which could be used to overlay color.
A complex block for printing could take weeks to carve to perfection, and if there was an error, the
entire block would need to be scrapped. Carvers needed to have an excellent design sense, as
the block prints in reverse, meaning that the image needs to be carved in reserve so that it will print
the right way. A well-made block print is a stunning work of art, representing hours of labor and a
superb visual sense.

Several techniques can be used to create a block print. First, the block is inked with the assistance of
a roller. The carved areas will show up as white in the final product, while the raised portions left
behind will print. The block can be used to stamp paper, the printer can place paper on the block and
rub it, or the block can be mounted in a printing press. Each technique will produce a block print of a
slightly different style, and if the block is well cared for, it can be used again and again.

Screen-printing
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Part of the series on the
History of printing

Woodblock printing 200

Movable type 1040

Printing press 1454

Lithography 1796

Laser printing 1969

Thermal printing circa 1990

A silk screen design.

Screen printing is a printing technique that uses a woven mesh to support an ink-blocking stencil. The
attached stencil forms open areas of mesh that transfer ink as a sharp-edged image onto a substrate.
A roller or squeegee is moved across the screen stencil, forcing or pumping ink past the threads of the
woven mesh in the open areas.

Screen printing is also a stencil method of print making in which a design is imposed on a screen of silk or
other fine mesh, with blank areas coated with an impermeable substance, and ink is forced through the
mesh onto the printing surface. It is also known as Screen Printing, silkscreen, seriography,
andserigraph.

Printing technique
A screen is made of a piece of porous, finely woven fabric called mesh stretched over a frame of
aluminium or wood. Originally human hair then silk was woven into screen mesh; currently most mesh
is made of man-made materials such as steel, nylon, and polyester. Areas of the screen are blocked
off with a non-permeable material to form a stencil, which is a negative of the image to be printed; that
is, the open spaces are where the ink will appear.

The screen is placed atop a substrate such as paper or fabric. Ink is placed on top of the screen, and
a fill bar (also known as a floodbar) is used to fill the mesh openings with ink. The operator begins
with the fill bar at the rear of the screen and behind a reservoir of ink. The operator lifts the screen to
prevent contact with the substrate and then using a slight amount of downward force pulls the fill bar
to the front of the screen. This effectively fills the mesh openings with ink and moves the ink reservoir
to the front of the screen. The operator then uses a  squeegee (rubber blade) to move the mesh down
to the substrate and pushes the squeegee to the rear of the screen. The ink that is in the mesh
opening is pumped or squeezed by capillary action to the substrate in a controlled and prescribed
amount, i.e. the wet ink deposit is proportional to the thickness of the mesh and or stencil. As the
squeegee moves toward the rear of the screen the tension of the mesh pulls the mesh up away from
the substrate (called snap-off) leaving the ink upon the substrate surface.

There are three common types of screenprinting presses. The 'flat-bed', 'cylinder', and the most
widely used type, the 'rotary'.[11]

Textile items printed with multi-colour designs often use a wet on wet technique, or colors dried while
on the press, while graphic items are allowed to dry between colours that are then printed with
another screen and often in a different color after the product is re-aligned on the press.

The screen can be re-used after cleaning. However if the design is no longer needed, then the screen
can be "reclaimed", that is cleared of all emulsion and used again. The reclaiming process involves
removing the ink from the screen then spraying on stencil remover to remove all emulsion. Stencil
removers come in the form of liquids, gels, or powders. The powdered types have to be mixed with
water before use, and so can be considered to belong to the liquid category. After applying the stencil
remover the emulsion must be washed out using a pressure washer.

Most screens are ready for recoating at this stage, but sometimes screens will have to undergo a
further step in the reclaiming process called dehazing. This additional step removes haze or "ghost
images" left behind in the screen once the emulsion has been removed. Ghost images tend to faintly
outline the open areas of previous stencils, hence the name. They are the result of ink residue
trapped in the mesh, often in the knuckles of the mesh, those points where threads cross. [16]

While the public thinks of garments in conjunction with screenprinting, the technique is used on tens
of thousands of items, decals, clock and watch faces, balloons and many more products. The
technique has even been adapted for more advanced uses, such as laying down conductors and
resistors in multi-layer circuits using thin ceramic layers as the substrate.

[edit]Stenciling techniques

A macro photo of a screenprint with a photographically produced stencil. The ink will be printed where the stencil does
not cover the substrate.

There are several ways to create a stencil for screenprinting. An early method was to create it by
hand in the desired shape, either by cutting the design from a non-porous material and attaching it to
the bottom of the screen, or by painting a negative image directly on the screen with a filler material
which became impermeable when it dried. For a more painterly technique, the artist would choose to
paint the image with drawing fluid, wait for the image to dry, and then  coat the entire screen with
screen filler. After the filler had dried, water was used to spray out the screen, and only the areas that
were painted by the drawing fluid would wash away, leaving a stencil around it. This process enabled
the artist to incorporate their hand into the process, to stay true to their drawing.

A method that has increased in popularity over the past 70 years is the  photo emulsion technique:
 1. The original image is created on a transparent overlay such as acetate or tracing paper. The
image may be drawn or painted directly on the overlay,  photocopied, or printed with an inkjet
or laser printer, as long as the areas to be inked are opaque. A black-and-white positive may
also be used (projected on to the screen). However, unlike traditional platemaking, these
screens are normally exposed by using film positives.
2. A screen must then be selected. There are several different mesh counts that can be used
depending on the detail of the design being printed. Once a screen is selected, the screen
must be coated with emulsion and let to dry in the dark. Once dry, the screen is ready to be
burned/exposed.
3. The overlay is placed over the emulsion-coated screen, and then exposed with a light source
containing ultraviolet light in the 350-420 nanometer spectrum. The UV light passes through
the clear areas and create a polymerization (hardening) of the emulsion.
4. The screen is washed off thoroughly. The areas of emulsion that were not exposed to light
dissolve and wash away, leaving a negative stencil of the image on the mesh.

Photographic screens can reproduce images with a high level of detail, and can be reused for tens of
thousands of copies. The ease of producing transparent overlays from any black-and-white image
makes this the most convenient method for artists who are not familiar with other printmaking
techniques. Artists can obtain screens, frames, emulsion, and lights separately; there are also
preassembled kits, which are especially popular for printing small items such as greeting cards.

Another advantage of screenprinting is that large quantities can be produced rapidly with new
automatic presses, up to 1800 shirts in 1 hour.[17] The current speed loading record is 1805 shirts
printed in one hour, documented on 18 February 2005. Maddie Sikorski of the New Buffalo Shirt
Factory in Clarence, New York (USA) set this record at the Image Wear Expo in Orlando, Florida,
USA, using a 12-colour M&R Formula Press and an M&R Passport Automatic Textile Unloader. The
world speed record represents a speed that is over four times the typical average speed for manual
loading of shirts for automated screen printing.[15]
A flatbed screen printer is a type of printing press. 

"Flatbed" because the pice that presses on to the paper is flat, as opposed to a "rotary" press
which is a revolving cylinder where the paper passes over at high speed.