If you run a boutique, fashion label, resort brand or design studio, sourcing hand block print cotton well comes down to a few decisions: who you buy from, which production model you need, and what to check before you commit. Here's how to do it.
Buy from the maker, not a middleman
Buying direct from the workshop that carves the blocks and prints the cloth means better pricing, consistent quality, the ability to reorder the same design, and the option to customise. We print and sew in our own unit in Jaipur — see our manufacturing.
Know your production model
- Wholesale — buy our existing fabric or finished pieces at trade pricing. See fabric wholesale and wholesale kaftans & sarongs.
- CMT (cut-make-trim) — you supply the tech pack/design; we cut, make and trim. Good when you have your own patterns. See CMT.
- Private label / full package — we produce to your designs and label end to end. See private label.
- Custom fabric — your artwork carved into new blocks, your colourway. See custom fabric.
Minimum orders & lead times
MOQs and lead times vary by product, fabric, finish and whether the work is custom — there's no one number. Share your designs, quantities and timeline and we'll confirm minimums, lead times and pricing. Because everything is made to order and hand-printed, build realistic time into your buying calendar.
Samples & strike-offs
Before a bulk run, review a sample or a colour strike-off so you can sign off on the print, colour and cloth. Approving a physical sample is the single best way to avoid surprises at scale.
Custom prints & colourways
Hand block printing is unusually flexible for small brands: we can carve blocks from your artwork and mix custom colours, so you can build a distinctive, ownable print story without industrial minimums.
Checking quality before you commit
- Print registration & penetration — even motifs, colour showing through on the reverse (a sign of genuine block print vs surface screen — see block print vs screen print).
- Colourfastness — confirm wash behaviour; we use azo-free, water-based dyes.
- Base cloth — consistent 100% cotton; organic/GOTS on request.
- Consistency across the run — expect gentle hand variation, but no major colour drift between pieces.
Shipping, export & duties
We ship worldwide from Jaipur with tracked couriers. Import duties and taxes are set by the destination country and are the buyer's responsibility; we provide the shipping documentation. We export to the US, UK, UAE, Europe and Australia — see cotton fabric exporter.
Questions to ask any supplier
- Do you print in-house, or resell? (Direct = better control.)
- What are the MOQ and lead time for my product and quantity?
- Can I get a sample / strike-off before bulk?
- Can you do custom prints and colourways, and reorder them later?
- What dyes and cotton do you use? (Azo-free? Organic/GOTS available?)
- How do you ship, and who handles export documentation?
Work with us
Tell us what you're building and we'll point you to the right model and confirm the details. Apply for a trade account or email textileyashodhara@gmail.com.