Traditional block printing techniques are used across India with regional variations. The document outlines the printing processes which involve preparing blocks, fabric, and printing pastes as well as auxiliary components like thickeners, dyes, and resists. Specific techniques are described for regions like Sanganer with floral designs, Bagru with resist patterns, Andhra Pradesh known for vegetable dyes, and Uttar Pradesh featuring motifs like paisley and butis in classical styles.

1. TRADITIONAL BLOCK
PRINTING OF INDIA

4. Preparation of blocks
Preparation of fabric
Preparation of printing paste
Printing process
After treatment (Drying &
Steaming)

5. Dyes
there are various classes of dyes depend upon kind
of fabrics used.
For instance- reactive and wet dye for cellulosic
fiber or acid for wool & nylon, disperse for
synthetic.
Pigment colors are extensively used by printers
compare to dyes.
Pigments are insoluble colorants with very little
attractions or affinity for textile fibers so applied to
fabric with resin or binder
COLOURANTS

6. 1.Wetting agent: added to provide adequate water medium to
dissolve the dye. e.g. TRO, urea, and glycerine
2. Thickeners:
 thickening agent are mixed in printing paste to hold the
dye particles in the
design on the fabric until the fixation is take place.
 gives viscosity, stickiness and plasticity to print paste.
 should not turn into brittle flakes when cured by
steaming;
 easily washable.
 not react or get precipated by the action of chemicals,
dyes and pigments
PRINTING AUXILLARIES

7. a) Tragacanth
• it is extracted from ligneous plant and is a natural
gum.
• The gum when removed leaves the cloth soft.
• For printing paste, 4-5% gum is required.
• stable under mild alkaline but unstable in strong
alkaline condition
b) Gum Senegal or gum arabic
•it is extracted from acacia plant.
•For printing paste, 30- 50 % is required.
• stable in strongly alkaline and strongly acidic
conditions.

8. Modified starches as thickeners:
Dextrin or British gum.
degradation product of starch made by heating it with mineral
acid or roasting at 160 degree temperature till it become soluble
in water completely.
For 100 parts of printing paste, 20-50 parts of dextrin is used.
Sodium alginate
•extracted from seaweed.
•sodium salt of aliginic acid.
•solubilises in cold as well as hot water.
• has good wet ability, so absorption of dyes by fibre is
excellent.
•washed easily from the fabric and leaves the fabric soft.

9. 5) Oxidising and reducing agents:
used to avoid facing or scumming of the ground.
For wet dye, reducing agents are added.
6)Mild oxygen carriers:
• to accelerate development of colours, catalyst, such as, acid or
alkalies are used
• Acids are used for discharge style of printing
• Alkalies are used for fixation of reactive colours
7) Swelling agent:
• these are used to swell the fibres so that the dye molecules diffuse
inside them to help in fixing the point.
• For polyester fibres, however certain hydrocarbons and their
derivatives are used.

12. •The resist substances used are gach (a mud resist) and
kariyana, which is a mixture of gum of the babul tree and
chuna or lime.
•The lime provides a smooth texture and prevents the resist
from cracking.
•After the final dyeing the cloth is sun-dried.
•It is dipped every night in a cow-dung solution and kept under
a stone all night.
• Washing is done the next morning and the drying is done on
the sand.
•When half-dry, water is sprinkled on the cloth continuously.
•On the third day, the cloth is finally washed and dried.

13. DABU
SANGANERI
BAGRU

15. Fi
•Finesse in flowers-petal designs, curves and delicacy are
the prime specialties of Sanganer prints.
•Different types of flowers and plants are displayed in the
form of bel (a border) and boota very naturally and in a
really attractive manner.
•Some of the flowers used in the prints are roses, rosettes,
lotuses, lotus bud, sunflower, lily, champa ,canna ,nergis,
marigold, sosan, gainda, gulmehendi, javakusum, guldaudi,
kachnar, jatadari lily, kaner, kanna, gullalla, etc.
•Doo Rookhi Printing is also famous here. In this technique,
artists print on both sides of the cloth.

16. Hand Block Printing of Bagru

19. Resist/Dabu Printing of Kala Dera
•The resist process , Dabu , use wax , gum or clay mixed with
resin.
•With the help of brush, block or hand it is applied to the
portions of the cloth.
•The colour is then applied to it.
•The wax is then washed off in hot or flowing water and colour
moves into the area to give a diffused effect.
•Then block printing is done on the portion of the cloth.
•The fabric is highlighted by printing specific outlines and
patterns.
•The designs get a broken appearance due to the use of wax.
•The small Chaubundi print in indigo is famous in Bagru.

20. KALAMKARI
OF
ANDHRA-PRADESH

21. • Earliest and more complex techniques of block-printing,
using vegetable dyes
• Flourished at machilipatnam, andhra pradesh.
• Origin of the word is from kalam or pen and kari or work.
•Cloth used generally is cotton , first bleached with cow dung
and placed in the sun.
•Then soaking the cloth in a mixture of myrobalan and milk.
•The myrobalan contains tannic acid ,helping the dye stuffs to
bond with the fibre.
• The buffalo milk helps prevent the dye from running.

23. •Uttar Pradesh is an important centre for hand-block printing with
the classical butis, paisley
•Tree of life used as the main traditional motifs used in a range of
shapes and has floral designs and bouquets in panels in many
colours
•Paisley motifs can be seen in the hand block printed fabrics of
Lucknow, while the chikan embroidery motifs are more popular.
• Jehangirabad, another printing centre, is known toned down
colours and bold lines in the Indo-Persian tradition.
•Tanda in Uttar Pradesh is famous for its detailed printing. The
main colours used are red and a dark blue blended with red against
an indigo background.
UTTAR PRADESH