Want a tattoo? This company will print you a temporary version to test-drive

We're amazed this hasn't happened before now

image Š Momentary Ink

Tattoos look amazing, but they’re a lot of commitment, a dermatological marriage. Once it’s on, it’s not ever coming off without laser treatment. Not only that, they’re costly and, for some, painful so you want to be absolutely set on your design, its size, and its bodily placement before you sit down in the chair and let the needle do its work.

Ideally, what every tattoo artist would have is a little fitting room where you could go in and try on your design, just to see it on before you commit your funds and skin space to it. Well, a new company called Momentary Ink is taking us as close as we could possibly get to this idea with their custom temporary tattoos.

The idea behind Momentary Ink is that you can upload a picture of the tattoo you’re thinking about getting to their website (whether the image is custom or already in existence it doesn’t matter), chat with one of their team about the size and colours you’d like your tattoo to be, after which they’ll create your tattoo as a temporary transfer and send it out to you.

You can get your design made in a range of sizes up to 12 inches, and because Momentary Ink use high-quality printing tech combined with their own sealing and matting solutions, it’d be hard to give them a design that’s too complex or colourful. All you have to do is make sure you apply it as best as you can.

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The tattoos can last anywhere between 3 and 10 days depending on complexity and placement (a tattoo on an exposed area like your hand is going to fade a lot faster than one on your ribs) but you can usually pretty much guarantee that if it’s not for you, you’re probably going to know within the first half hour of application.

The prices for a single tattoo range from $15 for something sized 0-4 inches (around £10) to $21 (around £14) for something that’s over 8 inches. The company ship internationally, and for delivery to the UK you’re looking at paying an additional $7 (£5).

This seems like a genuinely useful idea for those of us plagued by indecision and uncertainty. If there’s one thing that would take the nerves out of getting a tattoo, it would be knowing that you’re excited about the end result, rather than awaiting waves of regret. Or, if you’re a coward like me, you could order your design in bulk and just keep reapplying it until the end of time to avoid ever having to experience getting a real tattoo.


Main Image Š Momentary Ink