Legend has it that block printing has origins in ancient times when women used bracelets dipped in dye to print designs on their plain clothes. Whatever the initial inspiration, block prints are one of the oldest textile crafts in India. Archaeological evidence of Indian block printed fabric goes back to the 15th century B.C. Block prints have most often been used to decorate clothing.

The craft is simple in theory, but the printing process involves many steps and can take several weeks to complete.

First, a woodcarver chisels a pattern onto a teak block. It can take up 80 hours to carve a single block. Designs tend to be geometric or nature-themed.

The fabric to be printed is stretched across a large wooden table, about 15 feet long. The printmaker applies dye to the carved block, and then stamps it onto the fabric, repeating this process across the entire cloth. Patterns generally feature several colors, which are applied one at a time using a different block for each color. Khadi prints feature gold or silver patterns that are made by block printing adhesive onto the fabric and sprinkling it with metallic pigment.

Block printing requires precision. A printer must know exactly where to place the block on the fabric so that there's no break in the design. Register marks may be incorporated in a print block's carved design to help printmakers align the pattern and place the next color. Still, because the prints are handcrafted, no two pieces will be exactly alike.

Fabrics used in block printing include cotton, wool, and silks. Dyes are natural, derived from roots and flowers. It can take four to six weeks to prepare the dye alone.

Because the process of block printing is so time-consuming, mills that could more efficiently and cheaply produce printed fabrics began to erode demand for India's block prints during in the 19th century. However, the craft survived in small, localized areas, where it continues to be passed down as a family trade.