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A hand block pigment-printed tote bag made in Bagru — the kind of piece you’ll take home from a one-day workshop. If you’ve ever wanted to try block printing but worried it looked too complicated for a first-timer — mud pastes, dye baths, waiting days for a pattern to reveal itself — there’s good news. There’s one technique in Bagru that skips almost all of that, and it’s exactly where most beginners start: pigment printing. At Anaprinta, our studio in Bagru, Jaipur, this is the very first technique most of our visitors learn, and for good reason. It’s direct, it’s quick to understand, and you can see your design appear on fabric within minutes, not days. In this blog, we’re breaking down what pigment printing is, how it fits among the many textile printing techniques practiced in India, how it’s different from other Bagru techniques like dabu and indigo, and why it’s the perfect block printing technique for beginners — whether you’re a curious traveler, a design student, or someone just looking for a hands-on day out near Jaipur. Table of Contents What Is Pigment Printing? Pigment printing is the most straightforward form of hand block printing practiced in Bagru. Instead of dipping fabric into a dye bath or using a mud-resist paste like in dabu printing, artisans mix pigment color paste directly and print it straight onto the fabric using hand-carved wooden blocks. What you print is what you get — no waiting for a chemical reaction, no washing away layers to reveal a hidden pattern. In simple words, if someone asks you “what is a pigment printing” technique, the easiest answer is this: it’s block printing without dye — color goes on top of the fabric surface and sets there, rather than soaking into the fibers through a dyeing process. Among the many textile printing techniques used across India — screen printing, digital printing, dyeing, and hand block printing — pigment printing remains one of the oldest and most hands-on, which is exactly why it still thrives in a craft town like Bagru. This is also the technique used in Bagru’s famous “Fields of Color” — the open stretches where freshly pigment-printed fabric is laid out to dry under the sun, one of the most photographed sights for anyone visiting Bagru. What Is a Pigment Print, Exactly? Pigment vs Dye Explained To really understand pigment printing on fabric, it helps to know the difference between a pigment and a dye: Because pigment sits on the surface rather than penetrating the fabric, the process is faster and far easier to control — which is exactly why it’s the first technique taught to beginners at almost every Bagru workshop, including ours. Pigment Printing vs Dabu vs Indigo — Where It Fits in Bagru’s Craft Tradition Bagru is home to several block printing techniques, and it’s easy to mix them up if you’re new to the craft: If you’re planning your first hand block printing workshop and wondering where to start, pigment printing is almost always the right entry point. It teaches you the fundamentals — block handling, pressure, alignment, color mixing — without the added complexity of resists or dye chemistry. Once you’re comfortable with pigment work, techniques like dabu and indigo make a lot more sense. The Pigment Printing Process, Step by Step Here’s what actually happens when a piece of fabric goes from plain cotton to a finished, pigment-printed piece. Step 1: Preparing the Fabric Just like every other Bagru technique, the raw cotton fabric is first washed to remove starch and impurities, then left to dry fully in the sun. Clean, dry fabric absorbs the pigment paste evenly. Step 2: Choosing the Block Artisans select a hand-carved wooden block based on the motif — florals, borders, geometric patterns, or traditional Bagru designs. For beginners, simpler single-block designs are usually recommended to start. Step 3: Mixing the Pigment Paste The pigment color is mixed with a binder and a thickening agent to create a smooth, printable paste — this is the pigment-based ink that gives the technique its name. Getting the right consistency matters: too thin and the print smudges, too thick and it won’t transfer cleanly from the block. Step 4: Printing the Design The block is dipped into the pigment paste and pressed firmly onto the fabric by hand, repeated across the length of the cloth. Because there’s no resist or dye step afterward, you can literally see your finished design appearing in real time — which is what makes this technique so satisfying for someone printing for the very first time. Step 5: Drying and Curing Once printed, the fabric is dried, usually under the sun in Bagru’s open “Fields of Color,” and then heat-cured (traditionally with ironing) to help the pigment bind to the fibers. Unlike dye-based techniques, pigment printing doesn’t need an afterwash to fix the color — curing alone locks it in place. Step 6: Final Finishing A final quality check and light trimming complete the process, leaving you with a fabric piece that’s ready to use, wear, or display — all done within a single day. Why Pigment Printing Is the Perfect Craft for Beginners If you’re searching for block printing techniques for beginners, pigment printing checks almost every box: This is exactly why pigment printing forms the core of introductory workshops across Bagru, including our own. Learning Pigment Printing at Anaprinta At Anaprinta, our One-Day Workshop (₹3,000 per person) is built specifically around hand block pigment printing — it’s designed as a true beginner’s introduction to Bagru’s craft, with no experience required. Through the session, you’ll: If you’d like to go a step further, our One-Day Workshop 2.0 (₹5,000) combines pigment printing with eco-printing in the same session, and our Four-Day Workshop (₹15,000) takes you through all four Bagru printing methods — pigment, natural, resist, and Jahota/Shibori — for anyone who wants to master the craft in depth. You can see the full breakdown on our workshops page. Unlike