A printed pattern should always run with the horizontal grain–the weft–as well as the vertical–the warp, though it reality it often doesn’t, so we say the pattern has ‘run off’. This is due to an imprecise alignment of the printing roller, blocks or screens, to careless stretching or an inappropriate heat or finishing process. An expensive fabric will be true to grain, whether it is hand or machine printed, as the time and care, the tools and the machinery will be of only the best quality.
