Tattoo Stencils Explained: Lettering Prep Guide
Before the needle touches skin, almost every tattoo starts as a stencil: a purple outline the artist transfers onto you so the design lands in exactly the right place. For lettering, a good stencil is the difference between straight, even text and a wonky line.
How tattoo stencils are made
Artists usually print the design onto thermal stencil paper with a thermal printer, or trace it by hand onto carbon paper. The paper is pressed onto skin prepped with a stencil solution, leaving the purple guide.
Preparing lettering for a stencil
- Pick the font first. Compare options in the tattoo font generator.
- Black on white only. Turn off colors, shadows and textures; stencils only need outlines and solid areas.
- Final size. Measure the spot and size your lettering to match, keeping letters at least about 1 cm tall.
- Check spacing. Letters too close together will blur as the tattoo ages.
Tattoo stencils vs paint stencils
A paint stencil, like the ones you make in the stencil generator, is a cut-out with bridges so paint passes through. A tattoo stencil is just a line transfer, so it doesn't need bridges. Don't use a stencil font for a tattoo unless you actually like the broken-letter look.
Bring a reference, let the artist finish it
Download your preferred lettering and bring it along. Most artists redraw text to fit your body's curves, which is why the final stencil often differs slightly from your printout.