Tattoo stencil app for iPad, with room to check every line.

Why use an iPad for stencils

The app and its features are the same as on iPhone. What changes is the screen. On a phone, fine linework is small enough that a stray line or a gap in an outline can slip through to the printer. On an iPad you see the stencil closer to the size it will be on skin, so you catch those problems before you waste transfer paper.

If an iPad already sits at your station, the next client’s stencil can be ready on the same device you show designs on.

A typical workflow at the station

1. 01

   Bring the reference across

   AirDrop the client’s reference from your phone, or save it from email or messages into Photos on the iPad.

2. 02

   Convert and review large

   Convert the image, then check outlines and interior lines at full screen. Adjust line weight and contrast until the stencil reads cleanly.

3. 03

   Make changes in words

   Type an edit such as “thinner lines on the petals” or “remove the text” instead of erasing by hand.

4. 04

   Export and print

   Set the size in cm or inches and print it on your thermal or inkjet printer. A ruler on each page shows it came out at the right size.

Showing designs to clients on a bigger screen

A client can hold an iPad and actually see the linework. That makes it easier to agree on detail level: whether the background stays, how dense the shading lines are, whether lettering is large enough to read once healed.

AI try-on is especially useful here. Take a photo of the placement, preview the design on it, and look at it together on the iPad. If the size looks wrong, change it before printing rather than after the stencil is on the skin.

Printing from iPad

Export a PNG or PDF. The PDF keeps the A4 or US Letter page size and is the better choice for accurate scale. Set the size in centimetres or inches and check it against the ruler printed on each page; sleeves and back pieces print across several labelled, overlapping pages.

For printer settings, read how to size and print a tattoo stencil.

Stencify and drawing apps

Stencify does not replace a drawing app, and it does not depend on an Apple Pencil. If you draw custom designs in a drawing app, export the finished sketch as an image and convert it in Stencify to get clean, printable linework. The Procreate stencil guide explains that route step by step.

One subscription for iPad and iPhone

Stencify is free to install with two free uses. After that it is $4.99 a week or $47.99 a year on the US App Store. Using the same Apple ID on iPad and iPhone means you pay once and work on either device. Details are on the pricing page.

Other devices and next steps

• Stencify for iPhoneStencify on iPhone: camera roll, AirDrop and printing.
• Stencify for AndroidStencify on Android, installed from Google Play.
• Stencify for PC and MacNo desktop app: how to print from a computer.

To see the app by starting point, read about converting a photo to a tattoo stencil, the AI tattoo stencil generator for text and sketches, and Stencify as a studio stencil maker. Plan details are on the pricing page, and a short summary of platforms and features is on the Stencify facts page.