Before making a tattoo on the skin of their customers, tattoo artists can try their newly learned design on a special paper.
This paper is known as a tattoo transfer paper.
Read the related article: Best tattoo machines for beginners
If you are a beginner in the tattooing game, you might want to buy and try some tattoo papers for your designs.
After that, you can move on to creating tattoos on the skin of your customers.
What is the need of tattoo transfer papers? Tattoo artists tend to learn new designs day by day. Learning and then drawing a new tattoo for the first time is quite hard.
To make a flawless tattoo on their customer’s skin.
They always use some sort of special tattoo transfer paper to draw their new designs for the very first time.
Tattoo transfer papers are also known as carbon papers.
Choosing the best tattoo transfer paper isn’t that easy as it seems. Before buying a tattoo transfer paper.
It is advised to furnish yourself with a little bit of knowledge regarding the tattoo papers available in the market.
Here we have mentioned 7 best tattoo transfer papers reviews for you to choose among as a beginner or even as an expert.
Table of Contents
1. The PFT Transfer Stencil Paper
The PFT Transfer Stencil paper is one of the best-selling products on Amazon.
It can be used to conveniently transfer any sort of bold image.
Major tattoo artists like this product quite well.
This transfer stencil paper has 15 sheets which means it’s going to last for some time.
The paper is sized A4 which means it’s quite easy to print any design on it.
The quality is fine and durable as well which makes it easy to write on.
It is great to make clear and perfect tattoos on the skin.
It is also widely known as carbon paper other than stencil paper.
The Pirate Face Tattoo is a leading manufacturer of transfer stencil papers on great and affordable prices.
It is, in fact, one of the tattoo transfer papers.
Pros
- The set of 15 transfer papers is quite easily affordable
- A thermal printer can conveniently print on it
- The sheets are strong and durable
- Widely liked and recommended by professional tattoo artists.
Cons
- Quality is a bit lower but this is all you can get at this price
2. The Top 35 Pack Tattoo Stencil Transfer
Another great pack of tattoo transfer stencil paper that includes about 35 sheets with 4 layers of each sheet.
The first layer of the sheet is used to hold the image that you transfer.
The second layer is kind of purplish and is typically thrown away.
The third layer of the sheet is a carbon paper.
When you press on this layer, the black or blue coating is transferred to the upper sheet.
Fourth and the last layer is yellow and typically used to hold the original place when used with a stencil copy machine.
You can easily draw your latest tattoo designs on the sheets as well.
The quality is great and can be used with thermal fax machines.
If you don’t have a thermal machine, it’s still great to be used with hand drawing.
Pros
- Quite cheap and affordable
- 35 sheets to last quite long for your tattooing sessions
- Can be used with thermal fax machines
- Suitable for drawing by hand
- Great quality
Cons
- No cons have been noticed yet
3. The New Star Tattoo Stencil Paper 20 Sheets
This pack of 20 tattoo transfer stencil papers by New Start Tattoo is average.
There are good reviews about it and there are equally bad reviews about it as well.
Well, it can be used with the stencil machine quite well.
It is also suitable for hand use.
These 20 A4 size papers have 4 layers.
The first one is the simple white paper to hold the transferred design.
The second one is a transparent paper and the third one is a carbon paper.
And finally, there is a bottom paper in each sheet as well.
Tattoos can be easily traced on it using a ballpoint pen.
Use it for drawing with hand or simply put it in a thermal copier machine to get the job done quickly and easily.
Pros
- Easily affordable
- Fast shipping
- With a little pressure applied, results are better.
- Can be used by hand
- Can be used perfectly with a thermal copier machine
Cons
- It gives a dull design
- Ink in the paper isn’t high quality
- User reviews aren’t satisfactory
- The sheet is reported to burn while running through the thermal copier
4. The NYKKOLA 25 Pack Tattoo Transfer Stencil Paper
The NYKKOLA 25 pack is a standard tattoo transfer paper pack.
The pack is quite inexpensive and gives a permanent and durable print on the skin of your customers.
The tattoos printed by this tattoo transfer stencil paper don’t come off easily.
The pack is quite convenient for the beginners as experts use more expensive quality tattoo transfer papers.
But if you are just about to start your tattooing career and have a lot to learn yet, the NYKKOLA 25 pack is what you need to buy.
This A4 sized 4 ply sheets tattoo papers will give a nice and clean tattoo of your customer’s favorite design on their flesh.
The tattoo transfer stencil papers included in the NYKKOLA 25 pack give a great transferring effect and are easy and convenient to use.
It can be nicely used with thermal copier machines, also, to being used with hand drawings.
Pros
- This tattoo paper dries quickly and nicely
- Quite easy to write on with a ballpoint pen
- It’s cheap and affordable
- Suitable to be used with a thermal copier machine
- Great transferring effect
Cons
- Tattoos tend to rub off quickly
5. The Spirit Thermofax Thermal Transfer and Stencil Paper
These thermal tattoo transfer stencil papers are a great deal as they are easy to use and great in quality.
These thermal stencil papers are super dark stencils that make it remain in the place where you put them.
Spirit thermal tattoo transfer papers have a convenient middle sheet and can be used with any stencil machine.
Each time you print a tattoo using them, the tattoo comes with a deep purple and dark color.
Reviews on this product on Amazon are quite satisfactory.
You won’t have any sort of issue with these papers even if you are a beginner.
It can also be used with a cutter or plotter that has a pen attachment to trace the design and is expected to deliver the best results.
The stencil paper sticks quite well and you might have to use a bit of green soap to get it off of your client’s skin.
Pros
- Works well with thermal machines
- Can be used for hand drawings
- 100 sheets included in the pack
- Classic thermal paper
Cons
- Sometimes, it won’t stick.
6. The H88 – Tattoo Transfer Kit Carbon Ink 25 sheets
The H88 Tattoo Transfer Stencil papers are another great choice for beginners and experts.
These carbon transfer papers have a unique design as compared to the traditional tattoo transfer stencil papers.
They are greatly suitable to be used with thermal machines.
They are quite flexible even if used with hand.
These tattoo transfer stencil papers are one of the best tattoo transfer papers.
They come in A4 size which makes them suitable to be used with a wide variety of printers.
They are quite versatile and come in a pack of 25 sheets that will do plenty of your various tattoo jobs.
While you should better be careful while drawing on it.
Putting a lot of pressure might tear the paper otherwise they are great for drawing with hand.
Pros
- The transfer papers are great when it comes to freehand designs
- The pack has 25 sheets to do plenty of tattoo jobs
- A4 paper size, suitable for many printers
- Easy to use
- Good ink quality
- Cheap and affordable
Cons
- They can be hard sometimes to stick to the skin
- Amazon reviews are not much satisfactory
7. The PFT 100 pcs Tattoo Thermal Stencil Transfer, Paper
Pirate Face Tattoo and Spirit both are great tattoo stencil transfer papers, suppliers.
There is not much difference between these two and the quality of both of their products is quite high.
This huge pack of 100 tattoo transfer stencil papers is an affordable and worth-the-price sort of deal.
In the pack of 100 sheets, each sheet contains 4 layers.
The first and foremost is the cover sheet on which the design is usually applied.
The second layer is a brown colored protective sheet that is removed before using the actual sheets for tattooing.
The third is the actual carbon sheet that has the link.
The last sheet is yellow back paper.
These carbon papers or tattoo stencil transfer papers are suitable to be used with thermal printers as well as freehand designs.
The size of each sheet is A4 which makes it suitable to be used with many printers.
If you are planning to use them for printing from your computer, you need to have a dot matrix printer to get things going smoothly.
Pros
- A huge pack of 100 4-layered sheets
- Easily affordable
- High-quality ink
- Easy to use
- A4 size paper which can be used with many printers
- Great reviews on Amazon
Cons
- Doesn’t stick much accurately sometimes
What is a Tattoo Transfer Paper?
Tattoo transfer papers are used by tattooists to get their hand made or thermal printed design right on to the skin of their clients.
They are essential when it comes to tattooing.
If you are a beginner, you can buy a cheap tattoo paper for practice purposes.
What are the Different Types of Tattoo Transfer Papers?
Generally, there are two basic types of tattoo transfer papers. They are:
- Hectograph tattoo transfer paper
- Thermal tattoo transfer paper
Hectograph Tattoo Transfer Paper
The hectograph tattoo transfer paper is also known as freehand tattoo transfer paper.
These papers come useful when you are making stencils by hand rather than a thermal printer.
You can also use them with dab framework printers.
It is quite simple to draw your designs on the white sheet of this paper.
Generally, there are three layers in the hectograph tattoo transfer paper.
The top sheet is where you draw your design.
The second sheet is thrown away and the third sheet exchanges that tattoo configuration.
A lot of shading choices are available in the freehand tattoo transfer paper.
Thermal Tattoo Transfer Paper
These sorts of tattoo transfer papers contain 4 layers of sheet.
The first layer has the tattoo design which is connected first to the client’s skin. The second layer is just a protective layer that you usually throw away.
Next comes the carbon paper layer that has blue or black ink used for printing the tattoo.
The fourth sheet is a yellow paper that is used to hold all the sheets together.
What is The Importance of The Best Tattoo Transfer Papers?
Tattoo transfer papers are quite important in the tattooing business as the design is first drawn or printed on them before you can paste it on human skin.
Professional tattooists use tattoo transfer papers to make freehand designs and then paste them on their customer’s skin.
They make the tattoo tracing process quite easy due to the ink they have in the carbon layer.
Once, the tattoo is visible on the paper, you can easily trace it on the skin.
Tattoo transfer papers let you draw conveniently by hand as well as a tattoo warm copier.
The great use of tattoo transfer paper is that it allows your customers to have a clean look at the definite design that you are planning to draw on their skin.
This helps in satisfying the customer with the design before the implementation.
You tell your client what the tattoo is going to be like and then you draw the design on the paper to give them a clear look.
If your selected tattoo transfer paper is one of the best tattoo transfer papers available in the market, then you don’t have to worry a bit.
Just put your tattooist skills to work and wait for the best results.
What if you don’t use a tattoo transfer paper? This will result in shaky lines and mistakes which will disappoint your customers and they probably won’t come back.
So, it is always better to trace your design with the help of one of the professional tattoo transfer papers available in the market.
What Do You Need to Consider Before Buying a Tattoo Transfer Paper?
Before buying anything for the first time, there are certain things that you might want to consider.
If you won’t think about some aspects of the product you are about to buy, chances are you will end up wasting your money without getting the job done.
If you want to get one of the right tattoo transfer papers, make sure to follow these tips:
- Know your budget and requirements
- Check the durability of the paper
- Check out the printing capability
- Always study the reviews of the shortlisted item
- Compare prices on various platforms
- Buy from a reputed brand
- Choose the colorfast ink tattoo transfer paper for bold tattoos
- Ask expert tattooists in your locality
If you happen to follow the above pieces of advice, you will certainly get the best tattoo transfer paper for you and your money won’t be wasted either.
How to Use a Tattoo Transfer paper Effectively and Correctly?
If you are a beginner and don’t know how to use tattoo transfer paper effectively, don’t worry.
Here some tips that will surely help you get the most effective results even in your first few attempts.
1. Trace the tattoo
First of all, trace the tattoo on the transfer paper and show it to your client and ask whether it is up to their expectations or not.
When it comes to tracing, it’s better to use a medium ballpoint pen and pressing it down with not more than enough force.
Don’t do it too lightly or too hard that it tears the paper.
Once you get the tracing done, cut the design with about 1-inch space on its sides.
2. Clean the specific area
Before placing the tattoo transfer paper on your client’s skin, make sure to clean it well.
The next thing you need to do is to shave that area of your client where you are placing the tattoo transfer paper.
As hair carries a lot of bacteria, you don’t want it to get on your needle or your skin.
3. Place the transfer paper accurately
This is the most important thing in tattooing.
Carefully place the transfer paper on the destined place on your client’s skin.
After wetting the transfer paper, wait about 30 seconds before doing anything.
Every person has different skin so it might take longer or shorter duration for the paper to stick depending on the skin of your client.
If you find wet spots on the paper, press it with a paper towel lightly.
4. Repeat if you find anything wrong
You don’t want a bad tattoo to affect your tattooing career, do you?
If you make a tattoo on your client’s skin but deep inside you are not satisfied, correct the imperfections.
If the tattoo seems to be faded or smudged, simply redo that area to get the best results.
This will save your tattoo career from being affected and will also make your customer satisfied.
In any business, customer satisfaction should be the priority to get the business running.
If your customers are satisfied, you will make a hell lot of money regularly.
FAQs
All Quarry Related to Best Tattoo Transfer Paper
Q: Where should I buy a tattoo transfer paper from?
Ans: You can buy a tattoo transfer paper from local stores in your locality. Otherwise, you can simply order it online from reputable online stores like Amazon, Best Buy, and Flipkart. You can get the best tattoo transfer paper from these stores at a discounted price.
Q: Which transfer paper is better? The hectograph or the thermal?
Ans: It all depends on your needs. If you are good with freehand design, you can go for the hectograph.
Otherwise, buy the thermal tattoo transfer paper.
Q: What if I don’t use a tattoo transfer paper?
Ans: Chances are that you will end up with some imperfections in your design which will eventually make your customer dissatisfied. Hence, it is better to use a tattoo paper whether you are a beginner or an expert tattoo designer.
Conclusion
To sum up, this guide will allow you to buy the best tattoo transfer paper for yourself as a beginner.
It is great to use a tattoo transfer paper to make perfect designs. They make you tattoo jobs entertaining and easy.
Your customers are also satisfied as well if you show them the tattoo designs before making them on their skin.
