Printable tattoo patterns offered by online tattoo galleries have made choosing the right tattoo so much easier. Now you can browse through thousands of designs right from the comfort of your home - and then dowload them to your computer and print them out using your home printer.

Before this you had to go to the tattoo parlour and look through the artist's collection of Tattoo Flash Art up on the wall or in books. The result? Over 35% of those who got tattooed regretted their design. That's more than one-third of tattoo-getters lamenting their chosen tattoo design! Think about it - that's a lot!

The number one reason those polled regretted their decision? Lack of time and feeling rushed to make a decision.

So - what do we learn from this? We learn that the key to avoiding tattoo regret is to take your time when choosing your tattoo. No spur of the moment decision to run in with your pals and get the first tattoo you see. No tattooing your girlfriend of 2 hours name on your arm.

Nope. Give this some thought. A tattoo parlor is not the best place to make your decision, with people staring at you, making you feel pressured. Make your decision far away from prying eyes – and walk into the tattoo parlour with confidence.

Your home offers you privacy.

You can be at home at your computer with nobody to bug you. You can listen to your favorite music, and take your time while looking through the thousands of designs. You can print all your favorites, and ask your friends for their opinion. You can print them onto special tattoo paper, and give your self a test run with your tattoo.

That great idea in your head may not be so great in real life.


We’ve all had great ideas or envisioned something beautiful in our heads. The drag is when it became a reality, it wasn’t what we were hoping for. That Tweety idea on your neck looked way better in my head than on my chest.

Laser removal leaves a scar.


It also hurts and it’s expensive. Don’t kid yourself thinking that you can remove your tattoo easily – or completely. It’s painful and will leave a scar, often in the same shape as the tattoo you detested. That means it’s still permanently on you. 

It also hurts and it’s expensive.

No more excuses. 
When asked why some people who want a tattoo never actually get one – they answer that it is because they can’t come up with a good idea.

That’s why online galleries are so helpful. You can look through thousands of ideas that will help inspire you with ideas and get your creativei juices flowing.

Most members of online tattoo galleries have said that they found a perfect idea for their next tattoo within a few days of joining.

Your tattoo and you.


It’s a relationship for life. Getting a tattoo can be a very rewarding experience. It’s a way for you to express yourself and your personality.

Now doesn’t that warrant spending a bit of time?

Should you design your own tattoo?

The good part about designing your own tattoo is that it will be very unique and meaningful to you. The bad part is that it might stink - in terms of design.

Ok. That's harsh. But everyone thinks they are a designer - and though that may be true, your design skills may yet be "unhoned." If you are lacking in the principles of design, then your tattoo may come out looking very amateurish. You might not be aware enough to see it - but others will see it.

Also you might not know enough about tattoo design. Experience counts - the pros have made the beginner mistakes and learned through practice. A tattoo artist considers many things when designing a tattoo - there's the color shape, size. Will it fit the location?

If you are ok with that, then sure, go ahead. Perhaps that is the look you are going for. There is a place for naive design or art in tattoos, just like in the real world, and it can be very cool if done correctly.

I suggest taking your idea or sketch to a real tattoo artist - to refine your design. Make sure to get one with strong art skills and who knows how the design will play out as a tattoo. Then you can still have a unique and meaningful design that you designed, but one that is pro, well designed and not amateurish.

There are many wonderful online tattoo galleries offering thousands of printable tattoo design and designs that allow you to download as many tattoos as you want. You can join for a month, and some offer unlimited lifetime memberships all for a ridiculously low price.

Unlimited memberships are usually not that much more expensive than a monthly membership and are great if you want to get more than one tattoo down the road. Which you probably will ;)

Others offer individual printable tattoo patterns for download. You pay for each tattoo that you download. Be careful with these. These can add up!

Now this is fun. You can now buy special paper that is made for creating temporary tattoos. You use the paper with an ink jet or laser printer.

What a great way to try out your tattoo? You first find the printable tattoo design that you like from your online gallery and print the tattoo pattern onto this special paper. Then you apply it to your skin and show it off.

Check out the reactions you get from friends. Try on different clothes and see if it will work. Take it to work and see what your boss says.

This is loads of fun and can even be a great gift. You can make printable tattoos for yourself, your family, your friends!

You can make special tattoos for events too - like birthday parties, or Hallowe'en.

Get tattooed with your fave sports team for a sports event.

Bachelor and bachelorette parties. Showers.

Scare your mom.

Bad translations.

Japanese or Chinese tattoos are beautiful, and there's a mystery to them because not everyone can read your secret message. But make sure that they are translated correctly.

Did you hear about the one where a woman wanted the words "angel dust" tattooed on her arm but ended up with a tattoo that said "white trash? " Hmmm, probably not what she was trying to express at all.

Also - make sure it's not tattooed backwards. If you or your tattoo artist can't read Chinese characters, then make sure you mark the correct side so that you don't forget which way is the right way.

Here's a great article “Vital Mistakes Of Chinese Tattoos & How To Avoid Them.”