§1What this business is

A design is carved into a hardwood block, the block is soaked in dye or ink and pressed by hand onto cotton or silk. The report covers pigment printing for light fabrics, reactive dyeing for dark fabrics and Dabu, a mud-resist method. The unit makes hand-block printed suits in a 1,200 sq ft workshop with hand tools only.

Capacity: 160 suits a day on a 10-hour shift; 50% capacity in year 1.

§2Is it right for you?

Who it is for

Someone from a printing cluster (Sanganer, Bagru, Farrukhabad and similar) or with a design eye and boutique buyers.

Who it is not for

Someone wanting a fast, machine-run volume business.

Advantages

  • Hardly any machinery; hand tools cost ₹50,000
  • Very low power need (2 KW)
  • Hand-made prints sell at a premium in cities and abroad
  • Each design can be reused many times

Drawbacks

  • Thin net margin (3.9–6.1% in the report)
  • Fabric is the main cost and ties up money
  • Screen and digital prints copy designs cheaply
  • Dye effluent must be handled properly

Skills you need

  • Block carving and printing
  • Dye mixing and colour fastness
  • Design and colour sense
  • Selling to boutiques and online

Why difficulty 2/5: Small cost and simple tools, but good printing and design take skill.

§3Market

Who buys

  • Women buying suits and dress material
  • Boutiques and ethnic-wear shops
  • Exporters and buying houses

How it sells

  • Wholesale cloth markets
  • Craft fairs and exhibitions
  • Online marketplaces and social media

Good to know

  • The report quotes the world printed-textile market at USD 146.5 billion in 2018.
  • The report plans selling prices to rise 3% a year and raw material costs 2% a year.

§4Raw material & machinery

ItemQtyCost
Knives—₹1,500
Chisels—₹4,500
Small hammers—₹20,000
Drills—₹24,000

From: PMEGP sample project report — Block Printing (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

  • Fabric (cotton or silk)the main cost; raw material ₹36.00 lakh in year 1 of the report
  • Block woodhardwood such as teak, carved by hand
  • Block printing ink and dyespigment for light fabrics, reactive dyes for dark fabrics
  • Brayer (roller), mustard oil and pencilsoil softens the blocks before printing

From: PMEGP sample project report — Block Printing (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

In our raw material database

Natural dyes →

§5Licences & registration

  1. Udyam registration
  2. GST
  3. State Pollution Control Board consent (dyeing effluent)
  4. Artisan card (Development Commissioner Handicrafts), helpful for fairs
  5. IEC for exports

We can do this registration for you

§6Schemes & subsidies

The report is a PMEGP sample. MUDRA and CGTMSE can back the loan.

§7Money

How the investment is worked out: Civil work ₹5.40 lakh + furniture ₹1.50 lakh + working capital ₹4.14 lakh = ₹11.04 lakh. Carving tools (₹50,000) are listed separately in the report.

Working capital: Working capital ₹4.14 lakh, of which a bank loan of ₹3.72 lakh; 10 days of stock, 10 days' credit to buyers.

Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.

How to prepare a loan file

§8Export potential

Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export

5208Woven fabrics of cotton, 85% or more cotton, weighing not more than 200 g/m²6204Women's or girls' suits, ensembles, dresses and similar, not knitted

Export council / board: EPCH (hand-printed textiles) or AEPC (garments)

  • Register with the matching council for an RCMC and hold an IEC.
  • Buyers abroad often ask for azo-free dye test reports.

§9Risks — where people fail

  • Design copying
  • Colour bleeding and rejected lots
  • Fashion changes leaving unsold stock
  • Effluent rules for dyeing

§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan

A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.

  1. Days 1–30: Visit a working hand block printing unit (printed suits) unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
  2. Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam registration, GST), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
  3. Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.

§11Who to connect with

Not verified yet

Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect

§12Watch

There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.

Want to start Hand Block Printing Unit (Printed Suits)?

DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.

Get a DPR / loan file made

Sources

  1. PMEGP sample project report — Block Printing (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)

Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.