National Institute Of Fashion Technology, Hydrerabad

Direct Methods Of Printing Block And Roller

Compiled By : Amar Kumar Amar Nath Prasad Md. Jawed Akhtar

Direct Printing
Printing, in which colorants containing dyes, thickeners, and the mordents or substances necessary for fixing the color on the cloth are printed in the desired pattern by the direct application on the textile

Direct Printing Methods

Block Printing
Block printing is a technique for printing text, images or patterns using carved blocks

Roller Printing
Roller printing is similar to block printing except that the pattern is engraved on a cylinder to allow for a more efficient means of printing large quantities of fabric

Jet Printing
Jet printing is a non-contact application system originally developed for printing carpets, but now increasingly used in the textile sector

Digital Printing
Digital textile printing is a process of printing on textiles and garments using specialized or modified inkjet technology

Block Printing
A technique for printing text, images or patterns used widely

throughout East Asia and believed to have originated in China towards early

3rd century

The process is painstaking and demanding and the results are startlingly

beautiful. This method, though laborious is actually quite simple and merely calls for precision

Apart from wood, blocks were made of metals and porcelain also. But

wooden block remains the most sought after apart from metal ones which has gained popularity in recent times

Steps involved in Block Printing

1. Carving of Blocks

2. Color Paste Preparation

3. Preparing the table and fabric

4. Printing

1. Carving of Blocks
Before the printing can begin, wood crafters have to carve the wooden blocks

The designs are intricate and the printers need a different block for each color in the design

Requires high precision in making the blocks for any multi-color design

Cont
When the carving is finished, the carvers soak the blocks in oil to soften the wood and prepare it to absorb the dyes

Click To Watch Video :

2. Color Paste Preparation

Dyes or pigments
Thickeners Binders, cross-linking agents

Ingredients Used:

Sequestrants Dispersing agents surfactants Water-retaining agents (humectants) Adhesion promoters Defoamers

Catalysts
Hand modifiers

3.Preparation of Table And Fabric

When the intricate work of preparing the wooden blocks is complete, the printers start on the table and fabric
The printers first pad a long rectangular table with wool felt to cushion the printing process. To protect it from dye passed through the fabric, it is covered by a waterproof rubber Neoprene sheeting. Then the printers pin the fabric to be printed onto padding. Cotton is the most common type of fabric for block printing, although silk is sometimes used. Now the printers are ready to use one of three printing methods direct, discharge and resist methods to print the fabric

4. Printing
Of the three methods of block printing, the most straightforward is the direct method

A printer first dyes the entire cloth a single color that becomes the background color of the design

Then the printers apply the dye from the wood blocks on top of the background color

One printer will work along the length of the fabric printing the fabric with one color. Then another printer will come along behind her, using a different block to print the fabric with another color

Cont..
A printer dips the wood block into the dye then applies the block to the fabric, holding the block by a handle on its back. The printer uses the points carved into the wooden blocks as guidelines for placement. Once the block is in place, the printer slams the top of it hard with her fist or mallet to make a clear impression on the fabric with the dye.

Block Printing
Advantage
Availability of large repeat sizes

Disadvantage
Multiple colour designs are labour

up to 183 cm/ 72 inches

Available in custom color and

intensive and require a lot of skill to register the prints exactly.

Colour variation is hard to avoid

backgrounds

with this method as print ink can vary in quality of depth or colour.
Low production rate up to 100

Yard per hour

Roller Printing
Roller printing is similar to block printing except that the pattern is engraved on a cylinder to allow for a more efficient means of printing large quantities of fabric The cylinder picks up dye and selectively transfers it onto the fabric. Like with block prints, different cylinders are used for each color applied in the pattern

Working Method
An engraved printing roller is covered with the dye paste by furnishing roller from the first color box and the fabric is guided between it and a central cylinder

While the printing roller is revolving, extra dye is removed by a color doctor blade. It is done, in order to keep certain and appropriate amount of color in the printing roller. While the printing roller revolves it applies dye paste in the surface of the fabric.

Cont...
A lint doctor is present there to prevent the dye from the roller surface to be mixed up with the printed fabric

Continuously, the printing roller once again is covered by the furnishing roller and prints the fabrics in succession.

Different color box, furnishing roller, doctor blade remain well arranged in a large pressure bowl so that the fabric can printed out as much dye as it needs.

Cont
For effectively drive the roller printing machine, there are some mechanical adjustment method by which the extent of printing can be controlled.

At the end of each batch the paste reservoirs are manually emptied into appropriate printing paste batch containers and squeezed out. The belt and the printing gear (roller brushes or doctor blades, squeegees and ladles) are cleaned up with water.

Roller Printing
Advantage
6 to 8 types of color to draw

Disadvantage
Copper cylinders very

flower, design, reflection and different thing on the fabric surface can be used High Production Rate and hence cheaper roller printing machine even use to create complex woven design or printing Very fine details of design can be achieved

expensive Not economical for short runs Requires highly skilled workers Engraving the printing roller is very expensive Changing time is high Higher coloring effect is not possible as like block printing