[ Tattoo stencils ]

From drawing to stencil, ready for the thermal printer

Prepare stencils for a thermal printer or thermal copier: lines that transfer, large blacks hollowed, shading as a screen and real size. Free, no sign-up and in your browser: your designs never leave your device.

Open the full tool →

Every step in one, guided from start to finish.

Single-step tools

Only need one thing? Each tool does one job and starts already set up for it.

Remove backgroundRemove the background from a drawing or a photo of a sketch (beige paper, shadows, uneven light) and download it clean: as a 1-bit stencil or as a PNG with transparency. Free and in your browser.Use the tool →Fills and outlineTurn the large blacks of a tribal, engraving or blackwork design into a firm outline with light marks inside (lines, cross or dots): the fill stays recognisable and the stencil doesn’t overload with ink.Use the tool →Shading screensTurn greys and gradients into a 1-bit screen a thermal printer can actually print: engraving hatch, crosshatch or wavy lines, dots, stipple, dither or mezzotint, with the density under control.Use the tool →Arm and legWarp the stencil to the circumference of the arm, forearm, calf or thigh so that, wrapped around the skin, the design looks like the original from the front.Use the tool →Copy sheetPlace one or more copies of the stencil on A4, Letter, A5, A3 or a custom sheet, at real size and with a 10 mm ruler to check the scale. With a negative gap, copies overlap for borders and patterns.Use the tool →Moving photocopySimulate photocopying with the lid open: a bar moves down the glass and you move the drawing with your finger or mouse. The stretched, squashed or skewed result downloads as a stencil or as a design.Use the tool →Analog effectsGive a clean drawing the look of a linocut, a rubber stamp, a photocopy, a risograph or an analog TV, with warps such as arc, S-curve, waves or melt. All exportable as a stencil.Use the tool →

Guides

What makes a stencil transfer well, explained plainly.

Thermal printer stencilsFrom a drawing or a photo to a stencil that transfers well on a thermal printer: real size, clean-up, lines, fills, shading and the final file.Read the guide →Thermal printer or copierBoth burn stencil paper, but in different ways. Which resolution, which format and which mistakes to avoid with a thermal stencil printer and with a thermal copier.Read the guide →Black fillsWhy a solid black ruins the transfer and how to keep just a firm outline with light marks inside (lines, cross, dots) so the fill stays recognisable without overloading the stencil.Read the guide →Arm and leg stencilsWhy a design wrapped around an arm looks narrower from the front, how to measure the circumference and how to pre-warp the stencil (tapered areas such as the forearm included).Read the guide →Transfer tipsScale, orientation, line weight, blacks, shading, specks, paper and skin: ten quick checks before transferring a thermal printer or thermal copier stencil.Read the guide →

Frequently asked questions

Is it free?

Yes. No sign-up, no watermarks and no usage limits.

Are my designs uploaded to a server?

No. All processing happens in your browser; images never leave your device.

Does it work with my printer?

With any 203 or 300 dpi thermal stencil printer (1-bit PNG or PDF) and with thermal copiers, printing the PDF on a 600 dpi laser printer first.

And on a phone?

Yes: the canvas stays at the top, you zoom with two fingers, you can take the photo of your sketch from the tool and send the stencil to your thermal printer app.