Snapshot

Woodblock printing on textiles is the process of printing patterns on textiles, usually of linen, cotton or silk, by means of incised wooden blocks. It is the earliest, simplest and slowest of all methods of textile printing. Block printing by hand is a slow process. It is, however, capable of yielding highly artistic results. Woodblocks for textile printing may be made of box, lime, holly, sycamore, plane or pearwood. Block printed designs are enamoring. The imprints when impressed on the cloth add an amusing allure to the cloth. Be it bed linen, fabric for apparel or the curtains, hand block printing is the choicest style for innumerable years in the Indian handloom industry. Today, block-printing beats the demand for screen prints because of the eco-friendliness that the former has introduced in its practice. The colours and dyes that the industry utilizes are free from any synthetic substance making is an obvious choice of the consumer.

Block printing or hand block printing is popular on account of a number of contributing factors.

- It has simplicity and ease of execution.

- There is the sharpness, accuracy and fine detailing of prints made on the fabrics.

- The huge possibilities of the match and mix of different block designs in various colors on the same fabric as in large canvas fabrics like the saree and salwar kameez are stupendous. A large number of wooden blocks are always kept in readiness for use based on the intended patterns and designs.

- Creating a new block with a new design is fairly quick and easy.