How to make a tattoo stencil
Start from a clean line at the size of the tattoo, then put it on stencil paper with a machine or by hand. Each way is below, step by step.
§1Four ways to make a tattoo stencil
To make a tattoo stencil, start with a black line drawing at the size of the tattoo. Then get it onto stencil paper with one of four methods: a thermal stencil printer, a thermal copier, inkjet stencil paper with stencil ink, or tracing by hand onto freehand transfer paper. The purple line left on that paper is what transfers to skin.
| Method | What you need | Suits | Downsides |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thermal stencil printer | The printer and thermal stencil paper that fits it | Designs saved on a phone or computer | One more device; the paper must go in the right way up |
| Thermal copier | The copier, thermal stencil paper and a print or drawing on plain paper | Hand drawings and printouts | Inkjet prints often copy faint, so a laser print works better |
| Inkjet stencil paper | An inkjet printer, the stencil ink and the paper made for it | Printing stencils without a thermal machine | Needs its maker’s ink; some systems want a printer kept for stencils |
| Tracing by hand | Freehand (hectograph) transfer paper, a ballpoint pen and a printout | One-off stencils, no machine at all | Slow, and clean, even lines are harder to get |
Tattoo supply guides call thermal paper the industry standard. The tattoo stencil paper guide compares the types.
Methods as described by Tattooing 101, Starbrite, HPRT and Painful Pleasures; thermal paper as the standard per Ultimate Tattoo Supply. Copier and inkjet notes come from the makers’ pages credited in the steps below.
§2Step 1: a clean line at the right size
On a stencil, solid lines mark the hard lines of the tattoo, and shading, if it is marked at all, is shown with dashes or dots. Keep the lines solid black with no grey: stencil machines print black and lose pale tones.
Every design in the stencil catalog prints as a stencil at real size. For your own photo or drawing, the stencil maker turns it into black lines in your browser.
Pick the size first with the size and placement chart. Print at 100% or “Actual size” with “Fit to page” off, then measure the 1 inch test square on the sheet. If it isn’t 1 inch, the printer scaled the page.
Line conventions from Tattooing 101; black lines and print settings from Phomemo.
§3Step 2: get the line onto stencil paper
Thermal paper usually comes as a packet: a white sheet that takes the line, a thin tissue sheet, a purple carbon sheet and sometimes a backing sheet. Guides remove the tissue before use.
With a thermal stencil printer:
- Open the design in the printer’s app and set the size. Mirror it once, in the app or with Mirror on here.
- Load the paper as the manual shows: printers differ on which side faces up, and a sheet loaded wrong prints faint.
- Print, then peel the white sheet with the purple line off the carbon.
With a thermal copier:
- Print the line on plain paper as drawn, by laser if you can, or use a drawing with dark lines.
- Feed the print and the stencil paper through the copier as its instructions show.
- Peel the white sheet off the carbon. The line is on its back, already reversed.
With inkjet stencil paper, fill the printer with the stencil ink its maker specifies, load the paper and print with Mirror on.
By hand on freehand transfer paper:
- Print the design on plain paper at real size, as drawn.
- Remove the tissue sheet if your paper has one. Lay the print on top of the white sheet and tape it so nothing shifts.
- Trace every line with a ballpoint pen and firm, even pressure, which moves purple dye onto the underside of the white sheet. Lift a corner to check before you take the print off.
Putting the stencil on skin is the tattoo artist’s job: the skin is cleaned and shaved, a thin layer of stencil solution goes on, and the sheet is pressed down without sliding, then peeled off. Press and drying times differ, so follow the label on the solution. Step by step, with fixes for faint lines and removal: how to apply a tattoo stencil.
Packet layers: Tattooing 101 and Painful Pleasures. Printers: Phomemo and HPRT. Copiers: Painful Pleasures and Caosnero. Inkjet: InkJet Stencils and Worldwide Tattoo. Hand tracing: US patent 8,545,613 and HPRT. Applying: Tattooing 101 and Tattooshop.no.
§4Do you need to mirror a tattoo stencil?
A stencil goes on skin face down, so the purple line has to be a mirror image of the tattoo. Whether you flip the file yourself depends on the method.
| Method | Mirror | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Tracing by hand | Off | The dye lands on the back of the white sheet, already reversed |
| Thermal copier | Off | The line also lands on the back of the white sheet |
| Thermal stencil printer | Once | Printer makers say to mirror once: in the app or here, not both |
| Inkjet stencil paper | On | The printed side is pressed onto skin |
Mirror is off by default in the print panel here, which suits tracing and copiers. Whatever the method, check the finished stencil: lettering on the purple side should read backwards. If it reads normally, the tattoo will come out reversed.
Hand tracing: US patent 8,545,613, which describes tracing on top of the white sheet and dye moving onto its underside. Inkjet: the same patent, where the printed side pressed onto skin leaves a mirror image. Thermal printers: Phomemo. Copiers: the Painful Pleasures copier guide, which has no mirror step.
§5How to make a tattoo stencil without transfer paper
Home guides describe a few workarounds, and tattoo suppliers advise against the paper ones:
- A pencil drawing or an inkjet print on regular paper, rubbed onto skin over deodorant. Plain paper doesn’t mold to skin and smudges easily. Painful Pleasures gives a deodorant method only for synthetic practice skin.
- Office carbon paper. It isn’t made for skin and smears.
- Drawing straight on the skin with a skin marker. Freehand artists work this way on purpose, with markers made for skin, but the line wipes off easily.
Even a stencil for trying out a placement should use products made for skin. If what you lack is a machine, freehand transfer paper needs none.
On regular paper: Ultimate Tattoo Supply. On carbon paper, deodorant and skin-safe products: Starbrite and Tommy’s Supplies. Deodorant on practice skin: Painful Pleasures. On skin markers: Tattoo Machine Equipment.
§6Common tattoo stencil mistakes
- Printing at the wrong scale. “Fit to page” quietly shrinks the design; the 1 inch square catches it.
- Too much detail for the size. Ink spreads a little under the skin over the years, and fine lines packed into a small design blur. Go bigger, or start from the simple stencils.
- Lines drawn so thick or so close that they touch. They merge into one dark patch on the stencil, and very thin lines print faint.
- Getting the mirror wrong. Tracing and copiers want a print as drawn; a printer or inkjet stencil paper wants one flip, not two.
A stencil that goes on wrong can be wiped off and put on again before tattooing starts.
From Phomemo (scale), Inkjin (ink spread), a Tattooing 101 forum thread (merging and faint lines) and the Ultimate Tattoo Supply guide to fixing a bad stencil.
§7Questions
Q1How do tattoo artists make stencils?
Tattoo supply guides call thermal paper the industry standard: the artist prints the design on a thermal stencil printer or runs a paper print through a thermal copier. Others trace by hand onto freehand transfer paper or print with stencil ink on inkjet stencil paper. The stencil then goes on skin over a thin layer of stencil solution.
Q2How do you make a tattoo stencil at home?
The method with the least equipment is tracing by hand. Print the design at real size as drawn, check the 1 inch test square, lay the print on freehand transfer paper and trace every line with a ballpoint pen and firm pressure. The purple line on the underside of the white sheet is the stencil, already reversed for skin.
Q3Can you make a tattoo stencil with a regular printer?
Yes, two ways. Print on plain paper, then trace it by hand onto freehand transfer paper or run it through a thermal copier. Or use inkjet stencil paper with the stencil ink made for it, printed mirrored. Thermal stencil paper itself is made for thermal machines, not for inkjet or laser printers.
Q4How do I make a tattoo stencil without transfer paper?
You can draw on the skin with a skin marker, as freehand artists do, though the line wipes off easily. Home tricks with regular paper and deodorant or office carbon paper smudge, and suppliers advise against them. Freehand transfer paper needs no machine, only a printout and a pen.
Q5How do you apply a tattoo stencil without stencil stuff?
Stencil solution, often called stencil stuff, is the liquid that makes the purple line stick. Home guides swap in stick deodorant. Painful Pleasures gives a deodorant method for synthetic practice skin, not people, and supply companies warn that on real skin scented deodorant can irritate and give a patchy transfer. If you are getting tattooed, ask your artist what they use.
Q6Do you need to mirror a tattoo stencil?
The purple side has to be a mirror image of the tattoo, because it goes on skin face down. Hand tracing and thermal copiers reverse the line on their own, so print the design as drawn. A thermal printer needs one mirror, in its app or here, and inkjet stencil paper needs Mirror on. On a finished stencil, lettering on the purple side reads backwards.
Q7What app do tattoo artists use to make stencils?
Tattoo supply guides teach stencil drawing in Procreate, a drawing app for iPad, and stencil printers come with their own apps that have mirror and darkness settings. To turn a photo or drawing into a stencil online with nothing to install, use the stencil maker.