There are many tools that are available for tattoo artists to make the job of doing the tattoo easier. One of the best inventions that has come out is the thermal copier! It helps to make the outline of the design which you can then transfer to the skin easily. It is a seamless way to turn the tattoo design from normal paper to transfer paper. However, if you don’t have a thermal copier, you run into the problem of not being able to copy your design into the tattoo transfer paper!
So how to use tattoo transfer paper without machine? Even without the precision of the thermal copier, you can still use the tattoo transfer paper as it was made with that in mind. The way you use it without a thermal copier is to just draw on the tattoo transfer paper instead! If you don’t know how to do so, then that’s okay because I am here to guide you in getting your tattoo stencil done on a tattoo transfer paper!
Key Takeaways
- For tattoo transfer paper, there are two types of paper that you can use to do it: hectograph paper and thermal transfer paper.
- Before starting to trace the outline, remember to get your designs and everything you need to trace the design on the carbon layer so it transfers to the other paper.
- After cutting out your design, you will need to place the design on the skin and then use a transfer solution to get the stencil ink from the paper to the skin.
- Smudging can occur which will ruin the stencil. That is why I have included some tips you can use to make sure the ink does not smudge while transferring and during tattooing.
2 Types of Tattoo Transfer Paper: Hectograph Paper and Thermal Transfer Paper
For tattoo stencils, there are specific ones that you need to use. These two types are hectograph paper and thermal transfer paper. Both follow a similar principle of transferring a specific design onto the transfer paper via a carbon ink sheet in the middle. However, both these papers do it a bit differently from each other.
Hectograph paper
In all basic terms, hectograph paper is a carbon paper that transfers a design using the carbon sheet onto the transfer paper. Another way to explain is that it is a freehand transfer paper. It gets its fancy name because you needed to use a hectograph machine to produce the copy. Nowadays, you don’t even need that and can simply draw on the paper itself to get the design!
A hectograph paper is made up of 3 papers that are bound together:
- Top layer: where you will be drawing the tattoo design on.
- Center tissue layer: a protective layer so that the carbon does not get accidentally imprinted on the transfer paper.
- Bottom layer: also called the transfer layer where the carbon is transferred and the layer that you will be sticking on the skin to transfer the design.
Thermal transfer paper
Unlike hectograph paper, thermal paper utilizes heat to transfer the carbon from the drawing to the transfer paper. But the good news is that this can be used by hand as well! The thermal transfer paper has an extra layer when compared to hectograph paper. So here are the different layers of the thermal transfer paper:
- Yellow backing sheet: helps to keep the transfer paper protected
- White transfer paper: where the carbon goes when you run it through a thermal copier or draw on it by hand.
- Dark carbon paper: which has the carbon that transfers onto the transfer paper
- Brown protective paper: stops the carbon from prematurely transferring onto the transfer paper.
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Using Tattoo Transfer Paper Without Machine: Tracing Guide
There are many ways that you can use a tattoo transfer paper without the help of a thermal copier and the great thing is that you can use both hectograph or thermal transfer paper to do this! Here is how you will be using the transfer paper to do a freehand tattoo design.
1. Getting the transfer paper ready
Since some of the layers of the transfer paper have to be removed, you will need to start off by doing that. For hectograph paper, you will need to remove the middle layer between the carbon paper and the transfer paper. For thermal paper, you will need to remove the brown onion paper to do that. Optionally, you can also remove the backing paper as well but I like to keep it on because it helps make the lining of the tattoo design much easier.
2. Drawing your design
Here is the thing, you have a wide variety of choices here. You can either print the design that you have digitally created (using ProCreate on the iPad is a very popular app to make designs) but that takes the spirit away from being completely freehand. So instead, you can draw out the design on white paper. Whichever one is convenient for you, that is what you should be doing for this step. Thermal paper is interesting because you directly draw on the master sheet and it will transfer over! But you might make a mistake so I advise against doing it directly.
3. Tracing the outline on the carbon paper
Once you are satisfied with your tattoo design, it is time to trace the outline on top of the carbon layer of the thermal or hectograph transfer paper. Make sure you are using a pen or pencil to press down on your original design so it transfers the carbon layer onto the transfer paper.
4. Peeling the layers away
Once you have traced the design, it is the moment of truth to see how it looks on the transfer paper. So carefully peel away the paper with your original design and don’t touch the carbon paper. That will transfer the carbon on your hand and you wouldn’t want that. Remember to gently lift the paper and peel away the carbon paper to reveal the transfer paper with your design.
5. Cutting out the design
Since you only need the area that has the design, you don’t need to have the rest of the paper since it will be difficult to transfer to the skin. So carefully cut the area around the design with scissors. You will want to leave an inch of space between the outer line of the design and where you will be cutting so that you can hold it without touching the design.
With that, you are done with using tattoo transfer paper without a machine! All that is left is to transfer it onto the skin where you will be doing the tattoo!
From Transfer Paper to Skin: Guide on How to Use The Tattoo Stencil
Now that you have the tattoo stencil ready, it is time to take the design from paper to skin! Here are some of the things that you need to help you do that:
- Green soap
- One-time unused razor
- Transfer solution
- Alcohol pad or hand sanitizer
- Paper towel
- Tattoo glove (for sanitation)
Without delay, wear your tattoo gloves, and let’s get into how you will be using these tools to transfer the stencil to the skin
Step 1: Preparing the skin
First and foremost, you need to prepare the skin. So you will need to wash the area with green soap and then shave the area to remove any body hair from the surface where you will be tattooing. Then you need to use an alcohol pad or hand sanitizer to remove oil and dirt from the skin.
Step 2: Applying the transfer solution
You can mark the area where you will be applying the transfer solution but you can gauge it by eye and then apply the transfer solution over the skin. After applying it on the skin, wait for it to become a tacky consistency so that you can stick your cut-out transfer paper design on there. Make sure to really work it into the skin.
Step 3: Placing the tattoo stencil on the skin
Once you are satisfied with the transfer solution, it is now time to place the tattoo stencil on the skin. Make sure that the area of the skin is in a neutral position so that the area of the skin is not flexed or stretched. Then place the tattoo stencil on the skin making sure to press it down and hold for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Let go and if the stencil does not fall off in about 30 seconds or so, then you know you have applied it correctly. Pat dry to wipe off any excess ink and leave it there for 15 minutes so that the ink transfers.
Step 4: Peeling off the transfer paper tattoo stencil
After waiting 10 to 15 minutes, it is time to peel off the transfer paper with the tattoo stencil! Remember it is peel off and not pull off so pull it with the grain of hair carefully. If all goes well, then you have successfully transferred the tattoo stencil onto the skin!
Making Sure the Ink Does Not Smudge: 5 Helpful Tips
Ensuring that the ink is transferred properly is important because that is where you will eventually tattoo! And when you are tattooing, there will be a lot of ink and blood that needs to be wiped away. All of these can make the stencil ink smudge. So here are my tips to make sure that the ink does not smudge while you are transferring or while you are tattooing!
- Make sure that the transfer paper you are using is high quality
- Don’t touch the ink until it has dried
- Wipe away from the tattoo so you are not smudging the rest of the design on the skin
- Use Vaseline to keep the stencil ink from absorbing; this becomes the protective layer and makes it easier to wipe while tattooing.
- Rub off ink and blood while tattooing with distilled water instead of green soap so that it does not smudge the stencil marking.
FAQs
Why is a thermal copier good for tattoo stencils?
It is good because it will be able to provide precise lines that can reliably transfer to the skin. It is also much quicker to do this instead of tracing the paper over the carbon layer.
Can you use a regular pencil for tattoo transfer paper?
Even though there are specialized pencils for hectograph and thermal transfer paper, you can easily do it with a regular pen or pencil! You will need to make sure you use the right amount of pressure to press down on the carbon paper to transfer to the other side.
Can I use deodorant to transfer the tattoo stencil to skin?
You could use deodorant to do this. However, skin irritation from deodorant and having flaky skin before tattooing is not ideal. Not to mention that all deodorants will not work the same way when you want to transfer the stencil to the skin.
Final Thoughts
Tattoo stencil machines like thermal copiers are great and all but there are times when you might not have on but still have thermal transfer paper. So instead of always relying on a machine, you can instead your hands to do the tattoo stencil instead! It is very easy to do and with a bit of practice, you can get a hang of it so well that you won’t even need the precision of a thermal copier! Just remember to follow the steps of using the tattoo transfer paper without a machine and how you will place the stencil on the skin. People have been tattooing without machines for a long time and now you can do it too!
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