Wooden Printing Blocks

Carved Indian Wood Blocks For Printing.

These hand carved wooden printing blocks are made in a small workshop in Rajasthan in northern India. 

The woodblocks are ideal for applying dye, paint or printing inks to fabrics, paper, walls, and more or less any surface you can think of. They can be used to press designs into unfired clay and you can even use them to apply hot wax to paper or fabric for batik. If you do use them for this, make sure you keep them just for wax.

How to print with wooden printing blocks?

It’s as simple as dipping the wood block into dye or hot batik wax, and applying it to the fabric. It’s always wise to practise before printing on your final piece, as you’ll need to experiment with how much dye or wax to apply, and how much pressure is needed to transfer the design to the fabric.

Do I need a roller for block printing?

If you’re using printing ink, then a roller is the best way to transfer the ink to the wood block. With dye or wax, we find that carefully dipping the surface of the wood block works best; be careful not to overload the woodblock though, otherwise you’ll find that your design doesn’t print clearly.

What paint can I use for block printing on paper?

Acrylic paint works really well when printing on paper. You can even mix it with textile medium to make it suitable for printing on fabric.