Situated 6 km south of the state capital Jaipur, a 16th Century town called Sanganer is known as the birthplace of the Sanganeri print. The town was established by Rana Sanga, a Mewar Rajput, who then turned it into one of the busiest art printing centres in all of India. It was particularly well-known for its exceptionally fine block printing on white and off-white fabrics by the local Chippa community. 

For various special occasions, people sent their clothes to Sanganer for printing. During the British rule, the town became especially popular after Sir George Watt, in 1902, wrote, “As far as the technique is concerned, Sanganer can be easily observed as the capital of Hand Block Printing.” Sanganeri print fabrics also became one of the East India Company’s major exports.

Since 2010, the town’s identity has been protected by the Geographical Indication of Goods Act of 1999, allowing it to take legal action against infringement of their unique product name. This tag has also benefited the Chippas who are still working there, along with those who trade and export the Sanganeri printing.

There are five major steps involved in the process of making the Sanganeri print. It starts with the cloth being washed in water and bleach prior to printing. This is done in order to remove the impurities present in the cloth. After being boiled and washed in plain water, the cloth is stretched and left out to dry. Depending upon the weather conditions, this can take up to 3-4 days.

Once it has dried, the cloth is sent to the printer for marking where it is spread out on the printing table with pins, and a scale and chalk help mark areas for printing. This assists in leaving enough space for cutting and stitching later on.

Then, it's time to proceed with the main step - printing. Wooden blocks made out of Teak or Sheesham are carved with beautiful flora, fauna and geometric designs to make patterns on the prepared cloth. The block is first dipped into the colour, and then stamped on the cloth starting from the left. This process of printing is also known as chapaai. After printing, the cloth is left to dry in the sun for the colours to become more permanent, the process becoming known as sukhaai. Subsequently, the cloth is steamed and washed thoroughly in water, termed as dhulaai, following which the fabric is dried and ironed, ready to be sent out of town for trading and exporting.