To match the reflectance profile of desert colors including dark brown, light brown and olive green in the visible-near IR (Vis-NIR) bands, five selected colored pigments were utilized to print woven cotton/nylon fabrics. Multi-walled carbon nanotube particles (MWCNT's) were also added to some of the printing pastes. The reflectance of printed fabrics was evaluated by using spectrophotometric technique. The effect of adding MWCNT's, on washing; light and crocking fastness alongside with colorimetric values of printed samples was evaluated. Furthermore, the water absorption time was measured in order to determine wettability of each printed sample. The results demonstrated that the presence of MWCNT's in concentration range of 0.04-0.12 g kg(-1) in printing formulations was found to cause considerable decline in Near Infrared (NIR) reflectance while a surprising increase in visible reflectance of samples was observed. Color characteristics of printed fabrics were noticeably changed even at concentrations as low as 0.12 g kg(-1) MWCNTs in printing formulations. Presence of MWCNTs in printing formulations was found to cause a significant increase in wetting time of samples. Also, the results indicated that air permeability of printed samples containing MWCNT's were higher than samples printed with no MWCNTs. Phenomena imposed by MWCNT's presence on pigment printed samples showed very good fastness levels in crocking, washing and light fastness tests. In dark brown sample, adding MWCNTs to the pigment printing pastes could tune the overall reflectance in order to match the standard reflectance profile accepted for use in concealment color of desert areas. (c) 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 40, 93-98, 2015