A good tattoo stencil machine should be in any serious tattoo artists’ arsenal. The whole idea behind a thermal printer is to allow the artist to draw a design using some transfer paper, which is then fed into the printer and produces a copy of the design that can be placed directly onto the skin.
Using a thermal machine eliminates the hassle of marking up a design on a client’s skin only for them to ask for it to be moved up, down, or even removed. With a stencil maker, you have the ability to adjust the design on the client’s skin simply by moving the stencil around, with it also ensuring that ​there are no errors in the original design when you’re ready to ink.
These devices are, without doubt, essential if you’re dealing with a lot of clients or customers, although they are still very popular even with casual tattoo artists. One thing that can be said about these machines is that they are not cheap to buy. They are very costly compared with other tattooing equipment, so if you’re on a tight budget, then you can’t afford to be buying the wrong model.
This is why we’ve put together with our tattooing knowledge, a collection of the best 5 tattoo stencil machines available to buy today on the market, to ensure they you don’t burn a hole in your budget with the wrong model!
Best Tattoo Stencil Machine Reviews
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Sacnahe Tattoo Transfer Stencil Machine | • Weight: 2.1kg | CHECK PRICE |
 | Life Basis Thermal Copier | • Weight: 1.1kg | CHECK PRICE |
 | Frienda Tattoo Transfer Stencil Machine | • Weight: 1.6kg | CHECK PRICE |
 | Atomus Stencil Maker | • Weight: 1.67kg | CHECK PRICE |
 | Zinnor | • Weight: 1.81kg | CHECK PRICE |
#1. Sacnahe Tattoo Transfer Stencil Machine
Ranking among the top picks in the industry, Sacnahe Tattoo Transfer Stencil Machine, a well-renowned brand, brings you an economical option. It requires no ink and no replacement parts. In addition, the machine comes with 20 sheets of tattoo stencil that can be used conveniently for testing the machine. The machine is designed for professional tattooists and will save their time and money.
The machine works well in all areas and gives a high-quality stencil print. You can use it for faded lines, lines, and some shades, as it is very friendly to paper. You require no specific knowledge to operate the machine and copy your design to the skin in a perfect manner. Moreover, its scanning resolution width is 210mm.
Pros and Cons of Sacnahe Tattoo Transfer Stencil Machine
Pros
- Lightweight
- Easy to use
- Fast printing speed
Cons
- Can be difficult to get to grips with
- Instructions are poor
#2. ​Life Basis Thermal Copier
The runner-up on our list comes from the lesser-known manufacturer Life Basis. The actual machine weighs in at a very light weight of 1.17kg and is able to take paper sizes A4-A5. It has the typical settings that these machines usually come with – normal and mirror copy, with two deepness settings also. With your purchase, you also get 10 sheets of transfer paper for free, as well as a 2-year warranty for some peace of mind.
What we especially like ​about the Life Basis model is that it is very economical. It has ​fewer parts to it than a standard thermal copier and does not include any of the heating elements that you would normally see and cause it to overheat. It has a fair amount of settings available and 600 digital patterns to choose from. It’s relatively easy to set up and use, and doesn’t need you to have an expert level of tattooing experience to work. The weight is also very light and desirable, allowing you to take it on your travels.
Although this does seem an all-around perfect stencil machine, it does have a few things that keep it from taking the first spot. Firstly, the quality of stencils it produces is good, but it isn’t quite as good as our number one choice. The model can sometimes be a bit of a hit and miss in terms of quality with some users, although generally, the majority of people get good results with it. This choice is also one of the more expensive models listed, although it does come with 10 sheets of transfer paper included.
Overall a solid out-of-the-box choice, that includes everything you need to get started right away without having to splash out on extras, although it is a little more expensive than other models. If you’re looking for the best quality of printing you can get, then we would recommend our number choice over this.
Pros and Cons of Life Basis Thermal Copier
​Pros
- Economical
- 2-year warranty included
- Easy to set up and use
- 10 sheets of transfer paper included
Cons
- Expensive
- Not top end printing quality – but still reliable
#3. ​Frienda Tattoo Transfer Stencil Machine
Frienda Tattoo Transfer Stencil Machine comes with 1 piece plug cord and 1 piece manual. You can easily meet all your tattoo-making needs with 30 sheets of A4 tattoo transfer paper. The machine is ideal if you want a clear printed pattern. The machine is not just lightweight but also small in volume. You can carry it easily anywhere and create your tattoo at any time.
The machine won’t overheat while you use it is made of ABS material. This machine has become the number one choice among professional tattooists for fast tattoo transfer and stable performance. The machine is suitable for tattoo lovers as well that are eager to create beautiful tattoos with perfection. Easy to fit your needs at home, office, and any work area. The machine is designed with nice features, and you can even carry it while traveling.
Pros and Cons of Frienda Tattoo Transfer Stencil Machine
Pros
- Travel-Friendly
- Easy to carry
- Stable performance
Cons
- Does not handle more complicated designs well
#4. ​Atomus Stencil Maker
Atomus, who offer a fairly large selection of tattoo supplies on the market, makes it onto our list with their model. This pick has all the standard specifications of the other models listed, but does come in at a modest 1.67kg. You get everything you need to get going straight away with your purchase, as it also includes 1 transfer paper with the purchase.
What impresses us most about this pick is the actual quality of the printing. Although this is slightly cheaper than some other machines mentioned here, the quality of printing is that of a higher-end, more expensive model. It has an ideal weight for carrying around and with the added bonus of 1 transfer paper for the price.
Something that you need to look out for with the Atomus model is for fakes. ​There are lots of fakes going around that are pretending to be the real brand, but in actual fact offer a low-quality printer that’s guaranteed to break.
Overall, a decent pick that has a lot to offer in terms of quality at a very competitive price. The big issue with these models is buying a fake as there are lots of them around on the market. Be sure to check you’re buying a genuine model first.
Pros and Cons of Atomus Stencil Maker
Pros
- Very good quality printing
- Slightly cheaper than other models
- Ready to use straight away
Cons
- Watch out for fakes
#5. ​Zinnor
Our last choice comes from a manufacturer that offers a little bit of everything – Zinnor. It sports all the standard specifications that you’ve come to expect from a good stencil machine. It has all your usual buttons for the different functions, such as changing the deepness and resolution.
This model made our buying guide by the skin of its teeth. The quality of the printing is good, nothing more than that. The actual quality of the coper is decent and is designed with ABS material, which makes it environmentally friendly and long-lasting. This copier doesn’t overheat and creates very little noise when printing which can also be appealing to potential artists.
Although it offers a good level of printing, that’s about as much as you’re going to get out of it. If you’re looking for a better quality of print for more detailed designs, then we wouldn’t recommend the Zinnor. Another negative point is the price. It’s very expensive compared with the other choices we have on this list and even other similar models on the market.
Overall a no thrills pick that has a little bit of everything to offer and does the job to an ok standard. It is a durable machine and should last the tattoo artist a number of years, although the price tag that it carries and the quality of printing, may put you off it.
Pros and Cons of ​Zinnor
Pros
- Decent all round
- Built to last
- Quiet
Cons
- Not top printing quality
- Expensive
What Makes A Good Thermal Copier?
Quality of Printing
The most important thing to consider in a stencil copier is the printing quality that it offers. Because these bits of equipment are not cheap, the last thing you want to do is spend all your money on something that produces poor prints. Depending on what you’re using the transfers for ie. Styling, shading, etc. you’ll want a model that can follow and print the full design without missing parts of it.
A Range of Settings
All the machines that we listed pretty much have the same settings across the board, with a few variations here and there. All our top choices have the settings you would typically look for, such as deepness, mirror and normal copy etc. They all also have an error light which indicates if there’s a problem with the copier such as it overheating for example. Watch out for some cheaper stencil machines on the market, as they don’t have these settings.
Doesn’t Overheat
Some models, especially cheaper ones, are prone to overheating when printing due to the poor quality of materials used to manufacture them. You don’t want anything that uses hot bulbs or rods inside them, as any sort of moderate usage will cause it to overheat.
Light in Weight
If you’re an artist that does a lot of traveling around the country to visit clients and ink some tattoos for them, then you’ll want a machine that’s not going to weigh a complete ton to carry around with you. Something that can be packed away easily in your tattooing bag and transported anywhere you need is very desirable. All the picks on our reviews list are of a reasonable weight and are ideal for being transported. Be sure to check out the full weight of any machine you’re considering buying before purchase.
Easy to Operate
Sometimes the settings that these machines have can be overwhelming for a novice or even expert tattoo artists, which is then made even worse by the poor documentation that most manufacturers include. As most settings are standard across the board, most models have the same level of difficulty as each other when operating. If you travel around, then providing you have a light copier, something that you can set up quickly and get printing from straight away is vital.
Final Say
Stencil machines are not cheap to buy, that’s for sure! But hopefully we’ve guided you along the right path when looking to choose the best one for your tattooing prints. We selected our top 5 picks with quality and value for money at the forefront of our mind. We’ve established that a stencil maker is a great piece of equipment for any serious tattoo artist that deals with clients on a regular basis, just make sure you spend the time to browse around and pick up a model that’s up to the challenge.
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