This article reflects upon a body of practice-based research that considers the re-use of images found in printers' waste sheets, and how these can suggest forms of narrative. It specifically investigates the potential of such waste to be the basis for new ornamental forms that could reflect upon cultural exchange between India and the west. Citing examples from the packaging of fireworks and beedis, the author reveals how print and advertising act as powerful signifiers of cultural change and how, in turn, these can be exploited by designers interested in working in cross-cultural contexts. Utilising waste sheets salvaged from printers' works in southern India, and drawing from examples from contemporary music sampling and indigenous Bengali embroidery, the author seeks to re-connect emerging opportunities afforded by digital technologies with traditional craft practice.