This craft of block printing on fabric has existed for many years and is practiced all over the world, although India is well known for the exquisite work it does in this line. When printing the fabric, the process used involves etching a pattern or an image on a piece of wood or linoleum and then ink the surface and imprinting it on the fabric. This technique reduces the density of bracketing and allows for detailed designs to be replicated; it is still admired for its hand-made attribute to date. Due to its durability and the expressive beauty which gives block print fabric its characteristic appearance it can be often used in home textile products, clothes, and even in artwork.
Another visually stimulating technology in printed fabric with block and paint is the multicolored block in which two or more blocks are used to create a density of the design. Even in the simplest pattern, each block has a different design and when placed one over another, artists can develop an interesting and multiple-colored pattern that has dimension. Using this method is a little time-consuming, especially when joining the various blocks to achieve the best appearance. In layered block printing the layers have to be painstakingly aligned to merge seamlessly, and this aspect is usually well captured in the finished piece to give the fabric richness and give the technique its acceptance to be used to produce detailed fabrics.
Apart from the normal wood block printing one gets on the cloth, it has been replaced with others like the linocut prints. Linoleum block printing is an art technique in which artists carve their designs directly into soft and easier-to-manage linoleum. This technique is useful for better refining the pattern and is thus suitable for more complex print-blocking work. Linocut printing has recently become very popular among modern artists who work hard to unite old techniques of block printing with a postmodern vision. Despite the practice of making prints on wood or linoleum today being interesting and inspiring, the creation of a block and the process of transferring the pattern on the fabric still inspires artists and remains the relevant art and craft along with new materials and technologies.
Printing on fabric and using blocks to do so is a form of art and is also an environmentally friendly practice. Given its organic approach to the manufacturing of block-painted cloths, ecological consumerism has made it popular for the use of natural dyes, Most of the artisans who create block print fabrics also utilize natural fibers such as cotton or linen, so the finished products are eco-friendly. From producing block print cloth for home furnishings or a local fashion outfit, the beauty of block prints cannot be overemphasized; the amalgam of tradition, art, and sustainability.