Printing Techniques.

Various printing techniques have been developed including, direct printing, resist printing, screen-printing or hand brush painting. All the methods discussed are manual operations done without the assistance of automatic rotary presses.

Direct hand printing on bleached cotton or silk fabric is done with the help of wooden blocks carrying the image stamp. First an outline block defines the boundaries of the print, after which other blocks engraved with designs are used for printing in the design. Block printing has become popular because the simple process can create sensational prints in rich and vibrant colors. Originally natural dyes were used but now chemical and artificial colors alternatives are available.

Different dyes are used for silk and cotton. Rapid fast dyes, indigo sol and pigment dyes are commonly used dyes.

Rapid dyes are comparatively difficult to use - once mixed they have to be used the same day. Color variation is somewhat difficult to control and while printing, and it is not possible to gauge the quality or depth of color. It is only after the fabric is processed with an acid wash that the final color is established.

Beautiful greens and pinks are possible with indigo sol colors, but pigment colors are by far the more popular today because the mixed colors can be stored for a period of time, and subtle nuances of colors are selectable. Colors are visible as one prints and do not change after processing. Colors can be tested before printing by merely applying it onto the fabric. Pigment colors are mixed with kerosene and a binder.

Saris are dried out in the sun after pigment printing. This is part of the fixing process. They are rolled in wads of newspapers to prevent the dye form adhering to other layers and steamed in boilers After steaming, the material is washed thoroughly in large quantities of water and dried in the sun, after which it is finished by ironing out single layers, which fix the color permanently.

In the resist technique, a paste made up of different material is used over areas to be printed which are required to resist the dye. The fabric is then immersed in the dye bath. In some cases, clay mixed with resin is used for printing areas which have to be protected from the dye; in others hot wax is used. After dying, the fabric is washed in flowing water or in hot water to melt the wax. Some of the dark color of the background material flows on the protected area, thus creating a soft tonal effect. The batik technique is a development from this form of resist printing.

Hand Screen Printing came into vogue later for commercial and large-scale printing. Here the fabric is laid tensioned over a frame and a stencil with a part of the desin is placed over the fabric. Ink is screened through the stencil using a squgee and allowed to dry. The process is repeated with the next stencil and colour ink, until the final print emerges.This method allows printing of upto 18-24 color designs.

Hand Brush painting is done to create individualised motifs directly onto the fabric, that is stretched over a frame. Such production is seldom available on a commercial scale, as great artistic skills are required for its execution.. No two pieces are similar.