What Photoshop is to Digital, Block Printing is to Analog
Think Photoshop layers, but make it 400 years old & carved from wood. Welcome to the world of block printing—where every design element you see on fabric is a separate, hand-carved block. And every color is a deliberate choice made by an artisan who's probably been doing this since they could hold a hammer.
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The Classic Block Print: One Color on White
Walk into any block print workshop in Jaipur, and you'll see mountains of white fabric waiting for their transformation. There's a reason for this. The most common—and arguably most striking—form of block printing is single-color printing on white cloth.
Why white? Because it's the perfect canvas. It lets the design sing. It's also the least time consuming, requiring only one block.
The process is deceptively simple: carve your design into a wooden block, dip it in dye, and press it onto white fabric with precision that would make a surgeon jealous. Repeat. Again. And again. Each block print must align perfectly with the last, creating seamless patterns that flow across meters of cloth.
Like the Minimalist Look? Explore Our Classic Block Print Collection
Fun Fact
→ Artisans don't use measuring tapes for block print. They align blocks by eye and touch, using tiny registration marks called tiklis.
Layers on Layers: Block Print The Original Photoshop
Here's where it gets really cool. You know how graphic designers work with layers in Photoshop or Illustrator? One layer for the background, another for shapes, another for text, and so on? Block printing is literally the analog version of that—and it's been around since before electricity.
Each design element or color requires its own carved wooden block. But there's an order to the madness:
Step 1: The Rekh (Outline Block)
First comes the rekh—the outline block. This is the foundation. The rekh block prints the black or dark-colored outlines of the entire design onto white fabric. Think of it like an adult coloring book: the rekh draws all the lines, and everything else fills them in.
This block is usually the most intricately carved because it defines every edge, every curve, every detail of the pattern. If the rekh is off, everything that follows will be off. No pressure.
Step 2: The Datta (Fill Blocks)
Once the outlines are dry, the datta blocks come into play. These are the "fill" blocks—each one adds a specific color to specific areas within those outlines. One block for red flower petals. Another for green leaves. Another for yellow centers.
It's like paint-by-numbers, except done on a commercial scale with customers a lot less forgiving of errors!
Fun Fact
→ The wooden blocks themselves are usually made from teak wood, which is dense enough to hold fine details but soft enough to carve.
→ A single intricate block can take a master carver 3-5 days to complete. But if done well, they can last for decades, printing thousands of meters of fabric over their lifetime.
"Extra-fun fact, during our last sourcing trip, we found that there is a growing trend of re-purposing used blocks as wall art. Definitely intrigued! Though logistics will be a nightmare, teak is heavy!!"
If you want to buy block-printed linens, you can check out more on our store
