Wood block printing vs stamping

Wood block printing has been around for over 2000 years in the Indian textile Industry. What are the benefits of wood blocks in crafting? Let’s look at a comparison of the pros and cons, especially compared to rubber and acrylic stamps.

Pros

Traditional wood blocks are carved by hand so they are imperfect. These quirks make them unique and give a handmade look, rather than the look of standardized stamps.

Wood block printing continues traditional hand skills which would otherwise be lost. Both  wood blocks and rubber stamps can be made to bespoke designs as one-offs or small batches.

Wood block printing economically supports the livelihoods of artisans and their communities in India.

Wood blocks are made from sustainable timber called sheesham wood and will last many years without becoming damaged. Rubber stamps have a limited amount of use before they start to loose definition.

Wood blocks can be used on both textiles and paper. The scale of wood block motifs and designs tends to be larger compared to rubber stamps. This makes wood blocks better suited to pattern designs.

Wood blocks can be used with a variety of different paint types, whereas stamps need specific ink pads.

Cons

Wood blocks take longer to make and cost more than machine-made mass-produced stamps.

Stamps are made all over the world, whereas very skilled wood block carving is largely confined to India.

Rubber and acrylic stamps can include very fine details which wood blocks cannot necessarily achieve.

It takes a little longer to learn the skills of wood block printing as opposed to stamping.

As you can see from the above points, both wood blocks and stamps have their best uses. It is definitely possible to combine the two types of printing. So before you start a project, have a think about the following:

·       Are you working with textiles or paper?

·       What is the size of your work area and scale of design?

·       Do you need the paint/ink to be permanent and washable in a machine?

·       Will you buy from existing stock or order bespoke motifs?

If you’d like to know more about wood block printing, you can download our FREE Beginner’s guide to Indian wood block printing. There are 22 pages of everything you need to know to get started!