How to make a tattoo stencil from your design

The short version

1. Upload the finished design

   PNG, JPEG, or WebP up to 25 MB.

2. Build the package

   No account needed for this step.

3. Sign in

   With a 6-digit code we email you. No password.

4. Pick the style and the quality

   Detailed or Simplified. 1K is free; 2K and 4K use credits.

5. Preview, then generate

   The preview is free and does not count against your daily limit.

6. Check and adjust

   Compare with your original, then use Stencil settings.

7. Print to size

   At 100% (Actual size), never Fit to page.

Start with the finished design

Tattoo Pack turns a design you already drew into a stencil. It does not generate designs from a text prompt, and it is not a library of ready-made stencils. Start from the final art.

Upload a PNG, JPEG, or WebP up to 25 MB. Working in Procreate or another drawing app? Export the finished design as PNG or JPEG and upload that file. iPhone photos saved as HEIC are not accepted: share the photo with Options set to Most Compatible, then upload that copy.

A photo of a paper drawing, or any other image, goes through the same steps. The whole image goes into the stencil frame, so crop it to the design before you upload.

Build the package

Upload the file in the form on the homepage. Leave Package mode on Auto, or set Color or Black and gray yourself. For color work, pick your ink brand, then tap Build package.

This step needs no account. A color package includes the palette breakdown, ink breakdown, ink map, and tone map; a black-and-gray package includes tone maps. More on the color side: tattoo ink color matching.

Sign in for the stencil

The stencil is made on the package page, and it needs an account. Enter your email, and we'll send you a 6-digit code. There is no password. Once signed in, you get 2 free 1K stencils a day; the count resets at midnight UTC.

Choose Detailed or Simplified for your printer

Stencil style has two options. Choose based on the printer you will print the stencil on. Both styles cost the same. The printer list below is the one that opens under Which printers? on the package page.

• Detailed: fine lines and dotwork. For thermal stencil printers with 300 dpi (for example Brother PocketJet PJ-823, PJ-863, PJ-883, including the S8 versions, or Phomemo M832) and for inkjet printers loaded with stencil ink.
• Simplified: fewer dots and tiny details. For thermal stencil printers with 200 to 203 dpi (for example Phomemo M08F, TP81, Yilong ATS886, Dragonhawk MAST, Brother PocketJet PJ-822, PJ-862) and for thermal copiers.
• Don't know your printer's resolution? Choose Simplified. It is selected by default and marked Recommended.

Pick the stencil quality

1K is free. 2K and 4K are higher-resolution stencils: 2K costs 1 credit, 4K costs 2 credits. Credits come from promo codes, which we post on Instagram @tattoopack.app. Tap Enter promo code, type the code, and tap Redeem. If a 2K or 4K stencil fails, the credits you spent come back.

Planning a large piece? The print studio warns you when the size you set is too large for the stencil's resolution and suggests 2K or 4K, so pick the quality with the size on the skin in mind.

Preview, then generate

Preview stencil shows how the design sits in the stencil frame. The preview is free and does not count against your daily limit. Check that it contains the complete design: the design keeps its proportions, and white margins fill the rest of the frame.

Then tap Generate stencil. Google Gemini draws the stencil from your design. If the content filter holds a result back, the page tells you whether the attempt was counted and what to try next. How your design is handled along the way is described in the privacy policy.

Check the stencil against your original

Generated lines can shift. Before the stencil goes anywhere near skin, compare it with your original design side by side, for example with the design open on an iPad. Small details may need to be redrawn by hand.

Look first where a shift shows the most: faces, lettering, and fine dotwork.

Adjust the stencil settings

Under the finished stencil, Stencil settings opens the Adjust before printing panel. Start from a preset (Clean, Darker, or Bold lines) or set the sliders yourself: Cleanup, Contrast, Darken, Sharpness, and Line thickness. Reset brings back the stencil as generated.

Line thickness is set in pixels at full resolution. The hint in the app: thermal printers usually need +1 to +2.

The app also suggests raising the contrast before printing: a denser, higher-contrast print transfers onto skin more reliably.

Settings are applied to the full-resolution file when you download or print. They run in your browser, so they do not use up a stencil.

Size it and print

Under the stencil, Print to size opens the print studio with your stencil settings applied. Set the size on the skin (by width, by height, or with Measure on design), pick Letter, Legal, or A4, and print. A stencil bigger than the paper is split across overlapping sheets.

Print at 100% (Actual size), not Fit to page. The full walkthrough: print a tattoo stencil at actual size.

Download your files

Files are available to download for 24 hours, so download what you need right after you build the package.

Questions about making stencils

Related guides

• Print a tattoo stencil at actual size
• Match your design colors to tattoo ink