BATIK DYEING/PRINTING

Batik refers to a technique of printing on cloth using molten wax. Batik is a process of
decorating cloth by covering a part of it with a coat of wax and then dyeing the cloth. The
waxed areas keep their original colour of fabric and when the wax is removed the contrast
between the dyed and undyed areas gives the pattern. One of the significant features of this
art is that it is very simple and can be done by anyone.
Colourful batik prints grace the home furnishings with elegance and style. Beautiful bags,
household linens, murals and wall paintings with striking batik works enjoy a great demand
in the domestic and international market. The batik wall hangings accentuate the walls with
their bright colors and motifs. Batik has also made its mark as impressive textile products.
Batik printed kurtis, saris and wrappers are the preferred choices of the fashion crazy
populace.
Technology
A special type of resist-dyeing technique is used for Batik printing. The art of batik is a threestage process of waxing, dyeing and dewaxing (removing the wax). There are also several
sub-processes like preparing the cloth, tracing the designs, stretching the cloth on the frame,
waxing the area of the cloth that does not need dyeing, preparing the dye, dipping the cloth in
dye, boiling the cloth to remove wax and washing the cloth in soap. The characteristic effects
of the batik are the fine cracks that appear in the wax, which allow small amounts of the dye
to seep in.
Batik wax exercises an important function in the process of batik printing. Proper usage of
wax results into an impeccable batik work. Generally, a combination of 70% paraffin wax
and 30% beeswax is used for application. This is done because beeswax holds to the fabric
and paraffin wax tends to crack, so that the dye can seep in.
Before applying wax on the cloth, the cloth is prepared by starching it. Then it is stretched on
a frame and designs are traced on it. During application wax over designed portion caution
needs to be exercised that the wax should not be overheated or it will catch fire.
Initially, manual labour was used to trace the design on the cloth, therefore is very timeconsuming. As the population increased and commercial demand rose, time-saving methods
evolved. Among the various methods of applying wax on the cloth, Splash method, screenprinting method and the Hand painting method are the most commonly used ones. In case of
the Splash method, wax is poured on to the cloth, while in case of the Hand-painting method,
a pen or brush is used to coat the cloth with wax and in block printing the wax is put onto
pre-carved wooden or copper block (called a cap) and stamping the fabric.

The invention of this copper block (cap) developed by the Javanese in the 20th century
revolutionized batik production. By block printing the wax onto the fabric, it became possible
to mass-produce designs and intricate patterns much faster than one could possibly do by pen
or brush.
After the wax resist has been applied to the material, it is left to dry and harden. The fabric is
then soaked in dye solution, to have an even colouring on all the wax free area. The areas
covered by wax retain their original colour, thus creating beautiful designs. Cracks are
developed in the wax by crumpling the cloth, leading to seepage of the dye into the area
covered by wax. This is one of the distinguishing features of batik printing. Sometimes
several colours are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.
After the last dyeing, the fabric is hung up to dry. Then it is dipped in a solvent to dissolve
the wax, or ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax. On silk it is
removed by dipping in a bath of benzine. Benzine dissolves paraffin, beeswax, and what-ever
remains can be pressed out of the silk with a moderately hot iron over paper. Boiling with hot
water and laundry soap will remove resist from linen and cotton. Then after washing and
drying of fabric reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its
character.
Traditionally, pure cotton cloth and natural dyes made from leaves, plants and other natural
substances were used for Batik printing. Usually, vibrant colors are preferred for Batik
printing. The colour blue was derived from indigo, while orange and red colors were made
using henna. Turmeric was used to make yellow colour, while black colour was made by
burning iron.
However, natural dyes are fast being replaced by chemical ones. A combination of two or
more colors can also be used to create different effects. Moreover, cotton, linen as well as
pure silk fabric are also nowadays being used for Batik printing.
Among the artificial dyes are the artificial indigos. These are not very satisfactory as they are
rather difficult and expensive. Their one advantage is that they can only produce a permanent
red dye on silk, linen, and wool. Other most satisfactory of all the artificial dyes are the
sulphur dyes. Of these the blacks, greys and yellows, are the most satisfactory but the blues
and browns are somewhat crude in tone.
For the care of batik prints the following rules apply:

Hand wash, or best just soak the cloth, Silk batik is best dry-cleaned
Use very little detergent.
Hang the batik directly, do not squeeze the cloth
Do not hang in direct sunlight
The iron should not directly touch the cloth, best to use a steam iron
Do not spray perfume onto the cloth directly.