Hand-block printing uses carved wooden blocks, pressed onto the fabric one repeat at a time by hand, while screen printing pushes colour paste through a mesh screen on a flat-bed table or a rotary machine. The practical difference for a buyer is that block printing gives slight irregularity in registration and colour density, which is the point of the product, whereas screen printing gives uniform repeats and much faster output. Neither is better. They suit different ranges, price points and customers, and the specification needs to be written differently for each.
How hand-block printing works
A printer dips a block into a tray of dye or pigment and presses it onto the stretched fabric, moving along the length and lining up each repeat by eye. Multi-colour designs need one block per colour and several passes, with the fabric often dried between them. Natural dyes such as indigo and madder are used in some traditions, while pigment colours are more common for export orders because they are easier to match and usually more wash-fast.
Output per table per day is small, so lead times are longer and capacity is limited. Blocks wear and are recut, so a reorder a year later may not match the first lot exactly. These are features of the craft rather than faults, but they need to be explained to whoever signs off quality at your end.
How screen printing works
Flat-bed screen printing uses a stencil on a stretched mesh for each colour, with the paste squeegeed through onto fabric laid on long tables or fed through an automatic flat-bed machine. Rotary screen printing uses cylindrical screens on a continuous machine and is the usual route for high-volume bed linen and curtain fabric. Registration is precise, repeats are identical and the cost per metre falls sharply once the screens are made.
Screen engraving is a set-up cost, so the method rewards larger runs and fewer design changes. Digital printing is a third option for short runs and photographic designs, but it sits outside this comparison.
What to specify for each method
- For block prints: agree an acceptable range of irregularity using approved reference pieces, because a strict pass or fail on registration will reject most of the output.
- For block prints: confirm whether the dyes are natural or pigment, and test colour fastness to washing and rubbing, since natural dyes can be weaker.
- For screen prints: approve a strike-off for each colourway, keep a sealed copy and check bulk against it under a standard light source.
- For both: state the base fabric, the print coverage, the repeat size and whether the design must match at seams on larger pieces such as quilts and tablecloths.
- For both: ask for wash-fastness and rub-fastness results from a lab, not just the printer's assurance.
How we work with printers
We visit printing units and stitching workshops, agree reference pieces for block prints and sealed strike-offs for screen prints, and send bulk samples to an NABL-accredited lab for fastness testing. We send weekly updates with photographs from the print tables so you can see the work as it happens. A free 20-minute sourcing review is a sensible place to decide which method suits your range.