To match the reflectance profile of desert colors including brown, olive green, and khaki in the Vis/near IR (NIR) bands, several pigments were used to print cotton/nylon fabrics. The reflectances of printed fabrics were measured by using spectrophotometric technique. TiO2 microparticle and nanoparticle powders were also added to the printing pastes to evaluate their effect of reflectance, light, rubbing, washing fastnesses, and colorimetric values of each sample. Tuning the reflectance behavior of each color was successfully managed using specific pigments along with TiO2 particles. NIR reflectance of brown, khaki, and olive green printed fabrics was enhanced by presence of TiO2 in printing formulations, which is in complete agreement with the KubelkaMunk theory. NIR enhancing effect of TiO2 particles was fast against rubbing, washing, and light exposures while it could significantly change the visible appearance of the printed patterns even at concentrations as low as 0.25 g/kg. (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 37, 199-205, 2012; Published online 2 August 2011 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI 10.1002/col.20675