This printing system is mainly manifested in two different areas :– viz the manuscripts and the banner or prayer flags. Small diagrams and charms for rituals and as linear representation of thank a paintings are also printed but the focus is generally on these two. The theme of these printings are sutra, mantra, diagram symbol, mandala and icons. The sutras are written in Tibetan language where all mantras are written in Sanskrit. The symbols printed are stupa, Eight auspicious signs (Ashtamangala Lakshanani in Sanskrit, Tashi Taggye in Tibetan), twelve animals depicting twelve years of Tibetan lunar calendar etc. The eight auspicious symbols are (1) Jewel parasol, (2) Golden Fishes, (3) Treasure vase, (4) Sacred lotus, (5) Conch shell, (6) Knot of Eternity, (7)  Banner of victory, (6)  Wheel of law.
   The twelve animals of lunar calendar are (1) Rat, (2) Ox, (3) Tiger, (4) Rabbit, (5) Dragon, (6) Snake, (7) House, (8) Sheep, (9)  Monkey, (10) Rooster, (11)  Dog, (12) Boar. As Mahayana Buddhist symbol stupa or ‘chorten’ Vajra or ‘Dorje’ (Thunderbolt), Visva Vajra on ‘Dorjegyatam’ (double thunderbolt) is printed .
   From Mahayana iconography images of Buddha, Bodhisattva, Tara, Mystics and Monks like Padmasambhava, Milarepa and wrathful deities are printed. All these iconographies are manifested according to Tibetan Painting tradition, thus resembles a graphical representation of icons from Thankas and frescos.
   Here we can discuss something more about the Tibetan Art for clarification.
   Tibetan art developed under the influence of two distinct art heritage, one is Indian and the other is Chinese. Like the religious and philosophical thinking Tibetans had inherited their iconography from Indian art heritage. Indians had a rich treasure where the artist-craftsman devoted their effort for idealization of human and divine figuration. From China Tibetan artists got the decorative motifs of  secular nature. Chinese artists already developed a rich tradition of landscape which was influenced by the Taoist world view of appreciating nature. The styles of Tibetan art is mainly divided in to two types, one is the schools of southeast, which is thematically close to indo-Nepalese tradition (Notably at Shigyatse), the other is north eastern school which is influenced by Chinese tradition. Example of this school is Derge. The decorative motifs of Chinese influence did not arrive before the last decades of 17th century A. D. Such motifs are generally landscapes, flower, sky & cloud etc.
   To Tibetans the act of painting itself is primarily a religious act and the painting is a sacred thing so there was no need to explore new forms or compositions. Every detail, the whole composition and color is based on the sacred texts. The painter-monk is aware of it and he has to go through meditation and hard work to execute this visual act. The deities and mandalas represented in thankas and fresco are symbolically colored according to tantric texts.
   Despite the freedom of the artist being so restrained in case of printing the traditional print makers enjoyed much more liberty. In absence of such rigidity they made small pictures of great charms, invention and fantasy, though they borrowed all their icons from the printers.
   But on the other hand the painting tradition has also been benefited by the printmakers. In Tibet the largest monasteries, wooden matrix of linear Diagrams of thankas are also kept beside thee texts. Subjects of these thankas were the life of Buddha, portraiture of 16 or 18 arhats etc. The pilgrims when visited those monasteries collected copies as sacred icons and carried it to their own village. There local printer’s could see the diagrams and copied those. They did it with meticulous care and without even a slight variation and these images were much honored because they were printed from large monasteries. Hence the diverse areas of Tibet had the similarity in execution of iconography with such identical characteristics.
Now we shall discuss separately the different gestures of the two main areas for execution of printing (I) the Banner / Prayer flags and (II) The manuscripts.