Block printing

The Chinese Diamond Sutra from 868 AD during the Tang Dynasty

Block printing is a special form of printing first developed in China. The earliest known example with an actual date is a copy of the Diamond Sutra from 868 A.D. (currently in the British Museum), though the practice of block printing is probably about two thousand years old.

The first step in block printing is the production of the original document. This is laid on a large, smooth wooden block and fixed into place, reversed. Next, craftsmen of various skill levels, ranging from master carvers for the fine work to less talented artisans for cheaper blocks or less important sections, carve the original painted, drawn or written image into the block of wood. The block can now be covered with ink and used in a press to create duplicates of the original.

In some ways block printing is superior to cast type or moveable type -- for a language such as Chinese which has a very broad character set, block prints are much cheaper to produce for the initial run.The process also allows greater artistic freedom, such as the easy inclusion of pictures and diagrams.However, printing blocks are not very durable, and deteriorate very rapidly with use, requiring constant replacement which limits the possibility of large-scale print runs. Printing blocks can, however, be made from a variety of materials such as wood, linoleum, rubber, or even potatoes.

Block printing has also been extensively used for decorative purposes such as fabrics and wallpaper. This works best with repetitive patterns composed of one or a small number of motifs that are small to medium in size (due to the difficulty of carving and handling larger blocks). For a multicolor pattern, each color element is carved as a separate block and individually inked and applied.