How to Use a Stencil Maker for Tattoos: Step-by-Step Tutorial

This tutorial uses StencilPro, but the workflow is the same with most stencil makers. Each step includes the things that tend to go wrong and how to avoid them.

Before you start

• A StencilPro account. Sign up on the web or in the iPhone and iPad app; you get 2 free AI stencils.
• Your design: a photo, scan, screenshot or digital file. Sharp and evenly lit is what matters.
• A rough size for the placement. Measure the client before you print, not after.
• Thermal stencil paper and a thermal printer or copier, or plain paper and freehand transfer paper if you trace by hand.

Pick the right tool

Lite, Extra, Armband and Canvas are in the iPhone and iPad app. The web app has Original-style AI stencils with a complexity slider, plus Uniquify.

Make the stencil

1. 1

   Upload your design

   In the app, open Create and choose a photo or take one. On the web, open your dashboard and choose Create a Stencil from Image. Crop to the design.
2. 2

   Set the detail level

   Simple gives bold outlines with few interior lines. Standard keeps all linework without shading marks. Detailed adds shading guides as dotted or broken lines. Start with Standard if unsure.
3. 3

   Generate

   Tap Generate. Results usually arrive in seconds; at busy times the app notifies you when the stencil is ready. Lite updates live as you move the sliders.
4. 4

   Review

   Compare the stencil with the original. Check that nothing important is missing and that lines aren't merging in tight areas. Regenerate at a different level if needed; failed or blocked generations refund the credit.
5. 5

   Save or download

   Stencils are saved to your creations in the cloud. Download the PNG, save it to your photos, or send it to Canvas or Uniquify.

Variations, armbands and print sheets

Uniquify: make a design your own

Clients often bring a picture of someone else's tattoo. Uniquify keeps the theme and level of detail but replaces elements, so the result is a new design. Set the uniqueness from 1 (subtle changes) to 10 (substantial changes). It works on any stencil in your creations or a new upload.

Armband: bend bands to fit

Arms and legs are tapered, so a straight band tilts when it wraps around. Upload an armband stencil to the Armband tool and it returns a bent version that sits level all the way around. It's free, and the saved result is full quality even if the preview looks soft.

Canvas: lay out and print

Canvas is an A4 workspace. Add up to 15 designs from your creations or gallery, then move, resize, stretch, crop, rotate, flip and duplicate them. Long-press duplicate for size copies to test several print sizes on one page. You can also add text in any font on your phone or your own .ttf or .otf file, adjust layers, opacity and blend mode, and print or save the sheet.

Print the stencil

1. 1

   Load the paper correctly

   Thermal stencil paper only takes the image on one side. Check your printer's instructions, and do a test print on a spare sheet the first time.
2. 2

   Check mirroring

   Thermal copiers with carbon stencil paper produce a reversed image that reads correctly on skin, so print the design as is. Some portable printer apps expect you to mirror it. Test once and note what your printer needs.
3. 3

   Print at 100%

   Turn off any fit-to-page scaling so the size you set in Canvas is the size you get.
4. 4

   Trim

   Cut around the design, leaving a small margin, and remove the backing sheets.

Apply it to the skin

• Shave and clean the area, then let it dry.
• Apply a thin, even layer of stencil transfer solution. Too much makes the lines bleed.
• Place the stencil ink side down, press evenly for a few seconds, and peel it off in one motion.
• Let the stencil dry for several minutes before you start, so it survives wiping.
• Check placement with the client in a mirror; if it's off, remove it and reapply rather than adjusting while tattooing.