Make: Volume 82

Textile printing — the application of colored

patterns to fabric — is not a new phenomenon.

Woodblock-printed fabric dates back hundreds,

perhaps thousands of years, and has been widely

available in forms such as chintz and calico

since before the Industrial Revolution. New

printing techniques developed during that period,

however, brought elaborately decorated fabrics to

the hands — and bodies — of the masses.

But not everyone wants to look like the masses.

Modern direct-to-fabric printers can produce

ultra-short runs of custom, colorfast, washable

designs on a variety of fabrics, and websites

such as Spoonflower (Figure

A

), Contrado, and ...