TEXTILE PRINTING

(BLOCK & ROLLER)

Lecture# 7-12

Mujahid Mehdi Abro

Indus University Karachi.

PRINTING:
Localized coloration is known as printing.

Printing Methods
Block Printing
Transfer printing
Roller printing
Screen Printing
Flat Screen Printing
Rotary Screen Printing
Digital Printing

BLOCK PRINTING:
Woodblock printing is a technique for
printing text, images or patterns used
widely
throughout
East Asia
and
probably originating in China in antiquity
as a method of printing on textiles and
later paper.

Introduction
Block printing is a special form of printing first
developed in China. The earliest known example with
an actual date is a copy of the Diamond Sutra from 868
A.D (currently in the British Museum), though the
practice of block printing is probably about two
thousand years old.

Introduction
It is the oldest and simplest way of printing.
In this method a wooden block with a raised pattern
on the surface was dipped into the printing colorant
and then pressed face down on to fabric.
The desired pattern was obtained by repeating the
process using different colors.
Generally the wooden block is carved out of hand.
Printing is done manually in this method.

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2.
3.
4.

ADVANTAGES
Simple method of
printing
No expensive
equipment required
No limitation in repeat
of size of style
Prints produced have
great decorative value
and stamp of
craftsmanship

1.
2.
3.

4.

DISADVANTAGES
Involves much
manual work
Method is slow and
therefore low output
Good skilled labors
needed for multi color
design
Fine and delicate
designs hard to
produce

The Block Printing Process

The first step is to sketch the
design. It is important to reverse
the image if you are using text,
as the printed image will be the
reverse of what is on the block.
Once you have the image ready,
and then transfer the design on to
the linoleum to give an outline
of where to carve.

The Block Printing Process

The next step is to carve the design. Carve away the parts
that you dont want to print, as the ink will be applied to the
raised surfaces to print the design. Whatever surface is
untouched will be what prints onto the paper. Carving a
block can take anywhere from an hour for a small piece, to
several weeks or even months depending on the size and
detail of the image.

The Block Printing Process

Use a range of knives, with very small-tipped knives for
carving outlines and details, and much larger ones for cutting
away the background. Carving the blocks takes a lot of
patience, because if your hand slips it can damage the whole
piece. With practice, you can learn the amount of pressure it
takes to carve the material.

The Block Printing Process

Once the block is carved, trim the excess off with scissors to
give it a straight edge, and then it is ready for printing. There
are many different types of ink on the market, and its
important to test them out to find the best one. Use oil-based
inks because they give the best even coverage and print well
on both fabric and paper, but there are lots of options out
there.

The Block Printing Process

The most important part is applying the pressure evenly, since
the color will be stronger in some areas of the print than
others if uneven pressure is applied. This is also a step that
takes some practice and perfecting.

The Block Printing Process

The ink then takes several days to dry, so unlike other
printing processes, there is a long wait time before the prints
are ready to use. The oil based inks can take from two days
to a week to fully dry, whereas water-based inks will dry
slightly faster.

Examples of some block printed

designs:

Block Printing in India

Roller Printing

Roller Printing
Print (printed) roll is one of the direct printing methods , it involves
the application of a color pattern and the fabric was invented by
Thomas Bell of Scotland in 1783 .
A paste dye for each color separately applied to the fabric from a
roll of metal that is etched according to the design to be printed.
Improvements in technology led to more elaborate roller prints in
bright colors , rich in the 1820s .

Roller Printing
At first this could not be done with certainty , the process
was finally confined to complete patterns in repetition ,
such as handkerchiefs, or compounds of very distant
objects , such as the compounds patterns of small
sprays , spots , stripes, etc. .
It is from the eighteenth century while the mechanized
textile industry .
There must be a gravure roll for each color that takes the
design .
Because of the high quality that can be achieved, the
impression roller is the most attractive method for
printing designer fabrics and fashionable clothes

BELLs PATENT
Bell's first patent was for a machine to print six colours at once, but, owing
probably to its incomplete development, this was not immediately
successful, although the principle of the method was shown to be practical
by the printing of one colour with perfectly satisfactory results.
The difficulty was to keep the six rollers, each carrying a portion of the
pattern, in perfect register with each other. This defect was soon overcome
by Adam Parkinson of Manchester, and in 1785, the year of its invention,
Bell's machine with Parkinson's improvement was successfully employed
by Messrs Livesey, Hargreaves, Hall & Co., of Bamber Bridge, Preston, for
the printing of calico in from two to six colours at a single operation.

BELLs PATENT
Main parts of a roller printing machine:

Color doctor
Lint doctor
Blankets
Back grey
Furnishers
Color box / tray
Color unit

Working
In its simplest form the roller-printing machine consists of a strong cast
iron cylinder mounted in adjustable bearings capable of sliding up and
down slots in the sides of the rigid iron framework. Below this cylinder the
engraved copper roller rests in stationary bearings and is supplied with
colour from a wooden roller that revolves in a colour-box below it.
The copper roller is mounted on a stout steel axle, at one end of which a
cogwheel is fixed to gear with the driving wheel of the machine, and at the
other end a smaller cogwheel to drive the colour-furnishing roller.
The cast iron pressure cylinder is wrapped with several thicknesses of a
special material made of wool and cotton lapping the object of which is to
provide the elasticity necessary to enable it to properly force the cloth to

Faults in roller printing

Scratches
Lifts
Streaks (line)
Scrumming
Lobbing

Engraving of Roller Printing

Cylinder Material:
Steel tube as the base
material , a layer of
copper on the surface of
the steel pipe , graphics
recorded on the copper
layer , covered in the
outer layer as chromium
protective , durable and
corrosion .

Characteristics:
fine ink layer glowing , light
colors
Capable of printing large
numbers in a row
Ensure the same printing
effect from start to finish .

sequence pattern
In this case , a series of
rollers (usually as many
colors like) drilled in areas
previously designed ,
allow the passage of color
and thus the deposited
with the base affixed to
run under the rollers .

Principle Method

Principle Method
The advantages that the impression roller on other
contemporary processes are:
It has high productivity, up 12,000 yards can be printed
in 10 hours on a single machine of one color.
It has the ability to be applied to each playback style
design , ranging from delicate fine lines engraved in
copper and small repetitions .
The wonderful accuracy with which each part of an
elaborate multicolored pattern can fit into place without
defective seals at their points of repetition.

Advantages of roller printing

Requires long production runs of same pattern (10000 yds)
Best method for fine line patterns and paisley prints.
Can print woven fabrics, knitted fabrics require special handling.
In the roller printing process, print paste is applied to an engraved roller,
and the fabric is guided between it and a central cylinder.
The pressure of the roller and central cylinder forces the print paste into
the fabric.
Because of the high quality it can achieve, roller printing is the most
appealing method for printing designer and fashion apparel fabrics.

Disadvantages of roller printing

Large design is not possible.
Generally, shedding fault is found.
Higher coloring effect is not possible as like block printing.
Lower production by using more than one color.
Changing time is high.
Engraving the printing roller is expensive operation.

COMPARISON