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Tattoo Stencil FAQ
The questions that come up most often, answered without hedging.
Quick answer: Short answers: stencils must be mirrored; 300 DPI at final size; laser printing plus stencil gel beats inkjet; the purple transfer side of thermal paper usually faces up; apply gel until tacky, press 10 seconds, peel from one corner.
Making the stencil
- Do I have to mirror the design? Yes. Stencils are applied face-down; unmirrored means backwards.
- What DPI? 300 at final size.
- Can I use a phone photo? Yes, if there is one clear subject and even lighting.
- How do I remove the background? Any background-removal tool, or a stencil generator that does it automatically.
Printing
- My print is grey, not black. Threshold the image to pure black and white before printing.
- My stencil is patchy. Usually low contrast source or the wrong side of the paper.
- Can I print on normal paper? Yes, with stencil gel. Laser transfers better than inkjet.
- A4 or Letter? Whatever is loaded — but print at the size you designed for.
Applying
- How much gel? Enough to look tacky, not wet. Wet gel smears the line.
- How long to press? About 10 seconds, then peel slowly from one corner.
- It faded during the session. Re-apply gel and re-press the same stencil, or keep a spare print.
- Can I reuse a stencil? Thermal stencils can be re-wetted once; paper prints usually cannot.
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