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Printed sarees give an attractive look to anyone who wears it. Printed sarees are suitable for all kinds of occasions. One of the most prominent methods to decorate any fabric is to get them printed. Printed Sarees have won lot of appreciation in the fashion market. Available in various styles, patterns and colors, the printed saree is soft and classy in looks.

One of the most prominent methods to decorate any fabric is to get them printed. Printed Sarees have won lot of appreciation in the fashion market. Available in various styles, patterns and colors, the printed saree is soft and classy in looks. Printed sarees give an attractive look to anyone who wears it. Printed sarees are suitable for all kinds of occasions.
 

The discovery of a dyed cotton fabric dating back to the Indus Valley civilization  shows that the art  of dyeing  with the  use of mordants was  well known to the Indian dyers 5,000 years ago. This form of dyeing was responsible for making India famous all over the world for its dyed and printed fabrics. Printed fabrics have also been found in Fostat, the old Cairo City. Recent excavations of Red Sea ports have also brought out a greater range of printed textile. These date back to 800 A.D. There technique and design point to western Indian origin. Indian dyers had mastered the art of dyeing with fast colors from ancient times whereas in Europe this was unknown. Indian dyers were considered magicians by travelers, who saw them putting a white cloth into a pale liquid of indigo dye and when the cloth appeared from the dye bath it was still white. It was only when it came into contact with oxygen and it became blue. Multiple immersions and exposure to the air enriched the color. People felt this was a magical transformation. Printed fabrics were in common use throughout North India, as well as for home use. They also became important export items.

A number of printing technique have been developed in different centers. They are direct printing, resist printing, and screen printing. In certain cases, the cloth is painted by using by using a pen with dyes and mordants. This method is known as kalamkari, a pen work. In others, the techniques of printing and kalamkari are combined by printing the outline of the design and filling in the details with a kalam, a pen.

Direct printing is practised all over India where a bleached cotton or silk fabric is printed with the help of carved wooden blocks.

The batik technique is a development from this form of resist printing. Here the fabric is painted with molten wax and then dye in cold dyes after which the cloth is washed inhot water. This results in the melting of the wax and emergence of the patterns cloth. The effect of the resist technique in printing is soft and subdued and the outlines are not so clearly defined in the case of the painted batik.

The important centers for hand printing in Rajasthan are Jaipur, Sanganer, Bagroo, Pali and Barmer and many others. In Gujarat state, Mandvi, Dhamadka, Mundra, Anjar, Jamanagar and Surendernagar, Jaitpur, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and deesa are important centers of printing. In Kuch, printing on silk and cotton was perfected a long time ago. The local handloom satin, known as gajji, was used for printing ordhnis, chaddars and yardage material for skirts. Farrukhabad, in Uttar Pradesh is an important printing centre. Nearly 15 different tree-of-life patterns have been evolved here and even today large wooden blocks for printing a five-foot long tree-of-life with foliage, flowers, birds and animals are available with the printer.

Printed sarees can also have these popular and classic designs with an array of detail work like embroidery, patti, mirror, zori and sequins work. Some states have developed its own motifs for printed saris, based on the folk tradition of the area as well as its textile weaves. Delicate prints on a printed sari, gives a delicate look. Kolkata has developed its own motifs for printed saris, based on the folk tradition of the area as well as its textile weaves. Alpana design done on the floor and Daccai design have been adapted for printing.