Fabric printing first emerged as a technique thousands of years ago in Asia and Africa. Some of the earliest samples come from China and Egypt circa 220 AD. Later, printing became popular in Europe and the Americas, where it evolved along with traditional Native American textile printing.
Woodblock Printing
Woodblock fabric printing is the earliest form of textile printing. Easily the slowest method, the artist designs a simple shape on a wood block, then pounds the back of the block with a mallet to create an impression on the fabric.
Roller Printing
Roller printing was invented in Scotland in 1783. Fabric is fed into the machine, where engraved cylinders pass over it and are continuously inked.
Screen Printing
Today, the most commonly used fabric printing technique is screen printing. Using a blade, ink in the form of paste is squeezed through small openings on a screen.
Stenciling
Fabric can be printed with stencils; the artist creates a design that is cut from heavy paper or very thin metal, and ink is applied through the cut-out openings.
Bleaching
After fabric is dyed, bleach can be applied to create a print design.
Prints Using Wax
A print can be applied to fabric using wax. After the fabric is dyed, the wax is removed, leaving a lighter design.
