What you need first
Print to size works on a stencil you made in Tattoo Pack. Build a package from your finished design, sign in with a code we email you, and generate the stencil. The Print to size button then appears under the stencil on the package page and opens the print studio.
No stencil yet? Start with how to make a tattoo stencil from your design.
Set the size on the skin
There are two ways to size the stencil. Both scale the whole stencil and keep its proportions.
- Width or Height: type one of them, in inches or centimeters. The two fields are linked, so the other one updates to match. The studio opens in inches and remembers the unit you pick.
- Measure on design: use it when you know how big one part should be on the skin, like a face in a portrait. Tap two points on the design, for example the edges of a face, enter the Real length between them on the skin, and tap Apply. Width and height update to match.
The size fields have an upper limit. Within it, a stencil bigger than the paper is split across as many sheets as it takes.
Paper, orientation, margin, and mirror
- Paper: Letter, Legal, or A4. The studio opens on A4, so switch to Letter if that is what is in your printer. It remembers your choice.
- Orientation: Portrait or Landscape. Landscape sheets are already rotated to print in portrait. Keep the print dialog on Portrait either way.
- Printer margin: 6 mm (about 1/4 in), 8 mm (about 5/16 in), or 10 mm (about 3/8 in), with 10 mm recommended. Pick a smaller margin only if your printer can print closer to the edge than 10 mm.
- Mirror: mirrors the whole stencil across all sheets. Printing on a thermal printer or an inkjet printer with stencil ink? Turn Mirror on. Printing on plain paper for a thermal copier? Leave Mirror off and use the copier's own Mirror button.
Large stencils across multiple pages
When the stencil is bigger than the printable area of one sheet, the studio splits it into columns and rows. Neighboring sheets overlap by 10 mm (about 3/8 in). The overlap is fixed.
The summary line shows the number of pages, the layout in columns and rows, and the overlap.
The printed sheets carry only the stencil, with no labels, marks, or headers. The labels (A1, A2, B1…) are shown in the preview and, with Save images, in the file names.
Write each sheet's label on its back as it comes out of the printer. Then trim the blank margin off the edge that goes on top, line up the 10 mm overlap of neighboring sheets, and tape them together before you transfer.
Large prints need a higher-resolution stencil. If the size you set is too large for the stencil's resolution, the studio warns that lines may look soft or pixelated and suggests a 2K or 4K stencil. 1K is free; 2K costs 1 credit and 4K costs 2, and credits come from promo codes.
Print at 100%, not Fit to page
When the layout looks right, choose how to output it: Save PDF, Save images (one file per page), or Print.
The studio shows one instruction: Print at 100% (Actual size). Do not use "Fit to page". The saved PDF is set to print without scaling, but the scale in the print dialog is yours to set, so check it every time. In the dialog: your paper size, Portrait, Scale 100%.
If the print dialog does not open, use Save PDF and print the file at 100%. On an iPad or iPhone, open it in the Files app, tap Share, then Print. Measure the first sheet before you print the rest.
Fit to page rescales the sheet, and the stencil no longer matches the size you set. Before you transfer, measure the printed stencil against the width or height you entered.
Check it before it goes on the skin
A generated stencil can differ from your design: lines can shift. Compare the print with your original design, side by side, before you transfer it. Small details may need to be redrawn by hand.
For a darker, denser print, use Stencil settings on the package page before you open Print to size. The studio prints the stencil with those settings.
Planning the color for the same piece? See tattoo ink color matching for your design.
Questions about printing
Why did my stencil print smaller than the size I set?
Usually the print dialog scaled it, or the paper in the dialog does not match the paper you picked in the studio. Set Scale to 100% (Actual size), turn off Fit to page, and pick the same paper size in both places.
How do I print a stencil bigger than Letter or A4?
Set the size you need. The studio splits the stencil across as many sheets as it takes, and neighboring sheets overlap by 10 mm. The prints carry no labels, so keep track of them with the labels in the preview (A1, A2, B1…) or in the Save images file names.
Can I resize the stencil to a known size on the body?
Yes. Type the width or the height, or use Measure on design: mark two points, for example the edges of a face, and enter the real length between them on the skin. The whole stencil scales to match.
Will a free 1K stencil stay sharp at a large size?
Not always. If the size you set is too large for the stencil's resolution, the studio warns that lines may look soft or pixelated and suggests 2K or 4K. 2K costs 1 credit and 4K costs 2; credits come from promo codes we post on Instagram @tattoopack.app.
Can I print a stencil I made somewhere else?
No. Print to size works only on a stencil generated in a Tattoo Pack package you own. Upload your finished design and generate the stencil first.
Do I need to mirror the stencil?
On a thermal printer or an inkjet printer with stencil ink, yes: turn on Mirror, and it mirrors the whole stencil across all sheets. On plain paper for a thermal copier, mirror on the copier instead: leave Mirror off in the studio and use the copier's own Mirror button.
The print dialog did not open. What now?
Use Save PDF and print the file at 100%. On an iPad or iPhone, open the PDF in the Files app, tap Share, then Print. Measure the first sheet before you print the rest.
Related guides
Try it on your design
Upload your designPalette breakdown, ink breakdown, ink map, and tone maps: free, no account. Stencil and Print to size: email sign-in, 2 free 1K stencils a day.