UPMSP Hand Block Printing flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Hand block printing

A manual direct-printing method where a carved wooden block is coated with dye paste and struck onto fabric, producing one repeat unit per impression.

Sanganeri printing

A Rajasthan tradition from Sanganer known for delicate floral butis and butas printed in fine outlines on pale or white grounds.

Dabu resist printing

A mud-resist technique associated with Bagru in which a paste of clay, lime, and gum is printed and dried before dyeing, then washed out to leave a pattern.

Buti and buta

Buti is a small single motif scattered across the cloth; buta is a larger single motif, often used as a focal or pallu design.

Printing table padding

A wooden top covered with layers of jute felt or blanket and a taut waterproof canvas or hessian cover, giving a firm, slightly resilient printing surface.

Rekh and datta blocks

Rekh is a fine outline block used for detail and registration; datta is a background or ground-filling block that covers a large area.

Dye tray and pad

A shallow tray holding layered fabric over a false bottom, saturated with paste; the block is pressed onto the pad to pick up an even coating.

Chemical storage rule

Acids and alkalis are stored separately, containers are labelled, and concentrated chemical is always added to water, never water to concentrated chemical.

Desizing

Removal of loom sizing from grey fabric using amylase enzyme or dilute acid so that dye can penetrate evenly.

Scouring

Boiling fabric with soda ash and detergent to remove natural oils, waxes, and pectin, making cotton fully absorbent before bleaching or printing.

Mercerisation

Treating cotton with strong caustic soda under tension to increase lustre, strength, dye affinity, and dimensional stability.

Printing starch coat

A thin starch or gum coating applied to prepared fabric so the surface is smooth and absorbent, limiting paste bleed and improving impression sharpness.

Reactive dyes

Cotton dyes that form a covalent bond with the fibre in the presence of alkali, giving bright shades with good wash fastness.

Pigment printing

Printing with insoluble colour particles held to the fabric by a binder film, so fastness depends on the binder and curing rather than fibre penetration.

Sodium alginate thickener

A non-ionic seaweed-derived thickener used with reactive dyes because it gives sharp prints and washes out easily without reacting with the dye.

Mordants

Metal salts such as alum for reds and iron for blacks that bind natural dye to fibre; without mordant the dye does not fix.

Block wood selection

Seasoned hardwood such as teak, sheesham, or pear wood is used because it carves cleanly, resists warping, and holds fine relief detail.

Block registration mark

A small notch, dot, or line carved on each block of a set so successive colours align to the same grid during printing.

Half-drop repeat

A layout in which alternate rows of motifs are offset by half the repeat length, breaking straight lines and hiding join marks.

Block care and storage

Wash blocks with water and a soft brush, dry them face-down away from sun, and store with camphor or neem to prevent cracking and insect damage.

Printing sequence rule

Print the outline or lightest ground first to establish the grid, then fill larger areas, then add dark accents last.

Strike technique

Place the inked block heel-first and roll to the toe with even pressure; rocking or double-striking smudges edges and gives uneven paste.

Repeat advance

Moving the block exactly one repeat length along the table, using the previous impression edge as the guide, with each row referenced to the last.

Batik wax resist

A resist method where hot wax is applied to cloth before dyeing; the waxed areas resist dye and the wax is removed later by boiling or scraping.

Reactive print fixation

After printing and drying, reactive dyes are steamed or cured so the alkali-promoted reaction bonds dye to fibre before washing.

Soaping after print

A hot detergent wash after fixation that removes hydrolysed unfixed dye, preventing bleeding and improving wash and rub fastness.

Pigment curing

Heating pigment-printed fabric to roughly 140-160 C so the binder crosslinks; under-curing causes colour to crock and rub off.

Crocking defect

Colour rubbing off the printed surface, caused by unfixed dye, inadequate soaping, excess surface pigment, or under-cured binder.

Bleeding defect

Dye spreading beyond motif edges, caused by paste too thin, too much paste on the block, insufficiently prepared fabric, or excessive pressure.

Misregistration defect

Gaps or overlaps between colours caused by worn or missing guide marks, uneven fabric stretch, or a block placed off the grid.

Cost per good metre

Total material, labour, and overhead cost divided by saleable metres; rejects and wastage raise the effective cost of each good metre.

Break-even quantity

Fixed costs divided by the difference between selling price per metre and variable cost per metre; the volume at which the unit makes no loss.

Dye-house effluent load

Printing wastewater carries high colour, chemical oxygen demand, and dissolved solids, so it must be treated before discharge rather than released to drains.