The art of fabric printing is as old as the Indian
Civilization itself. Printing on fabrics is an
art. The process of printing has evolved with
the passage of time and has its own importance.
It is a process that involves lot of creativity
with hard labor. The floral and faunal motifs
printed, enhance the beauty of the fabrics and
at the same time define the purpose it has been
designed for.
Fabric printing is done by the using the following
printing techniques: Hand screen printing, Flatbed
screen printing, Rotary (Roller) printing, Tie
& Dye (Bandhana), Brush painting, Pigment
dyes, Rapid fast Discharge process, Napthol /
Reactive dyes Vegetable / Natural dyes Bagru black,
Bagru Red, Indigo Blue. The type of printing technique
to be used depends on many factors including the
material of the fabrics and the desired style
of designing.
Screen Printing
Screen printing technique refers to the printing
process wherein hand-made screens are used to
get the desired prints on flat surfaces. Screen-printing
is a very old printing technique and variations
of it have been in existence for many past centuries.
Screen-printing process
In screen-printing technique, a fine mesh or
screen is stretched on a rigid frame. The parts
that are not to be printed are masked out. The
screen is positioned over the printing substrate
material, and a thick layer of ink is spread on
the screen’s surface. The ink is then pressed
with the help of rubber or vinyl rollers, forcing
it through the tiny holes of the screen. This
prints the design on the surface of the printing
substrate. The excess ink is wiped out and collected
for future prints. The final print is passed through
a heat tunnel with the help of a conveyor belt.
This is known as the curing process, and is carried
out to dry the liquid ink on the surface of the
printed material, and increase the life of the
printed substrate even in harsh conditions. The
curing process is essential for protecting the
final print from damaging conditions such as heat,
abrasion, friction, light, and moisture.
Screen-printing technique is used for getting
both single-colored and multi-colored prints.
To get single-colored prints, a single screen
is used, whereas for multi-colored prints, multiple
screens are used. For example, a design that has
five colors will require five different screens,
and designs that have seven will require seven
different screens.
