Technical terms
Batik: a resist method in which wax is applied to the cloth to prevent dye, paint, or other chemicals from striking a portion of the cloth. I use soy wax because it has a low melting point, is easily removed from the cloth, and is environmentally safe.
Bound resist: a resist created by clamping, stitching, folding, or binding cloth prior to low water or full water immersion dyeing. While I generally refrain from using the term "tie dye", it is an example of one type of bound resist.
Discharge: to remove dye from cloth through a chemical bleaching process. Different bleaching agents produce different effects on the cloth. All chlorine bleach products must be neutralized in the cloth to prevent damage to the fiber.
Fiber reactive dye (aka MX dye): a class of dyes that act by forming a strong covalent bond with the fiber. This class of dye works on both protein and cellulose fibers and has good washfast and lightfast properties.
Full water immersion: a liquid dyeing technique generally used to dye solid colored cloth, but which can also produce subtly mottled effects. This technique requires a larger volume of water than low water immersion and requires almost continuous agitation to produce a level, solid color.
Low water immersion: a liquid dyeing technique similar to full water immersion, but using a minimum amount of liquid and no agitation. The result is a very mottled dyed surface.
Monoprint (Monotype): a printing process in which a design is drawn onto a nonabsorbent surface that has been coated with dye, paint, or ink. The object to be printed is pressed into the wet dye and pulled off, taking the dye with it.
Relief print (aka Block print): a printing process in which dye, paint, or ink is applied to a carved block, which is subsequently pressed into contact with the surface to be printed.
Resist: any process that blocks dye, paint, or other chemicals from striking a portion of the cloth, e.g. batik wax, flour paste, torn paper.
Silk screen: a printing process in which dye, paint, or ink is forced using a squeegee through a screen stretched in a frame. The screen contains a temporary or permanent design that blocks the dye from passing through the screen in some areas, creating a design on the printed surface.
Thickened dye: dye that has been thickened, typically using a material derived from seaweed. Once thick, the dye solution can be used like paint or printing ink.