What tattoo ink do most professionals use?

Author: Dr. Fae Nader  |  Last update: Monday, September 1, 2025

However, some of the most popular and highly regarded tattoo ink brands among tattoo artists include: Eternal Ink, Dynamic Ink, Intenze Ink & Solid Ink. Ultimately, the best tattoo ink is one that is safe, high-quality, and meets your personal preferences and needs as an artist.

What ink do most tattoo artists use?

  • Black Ink: Typically made from carbon or iron oxide, black ink is the most commonly used color in tattooing.
  • Colored Inks: These inks come in a variety of hues, including red, blue, green, yellow, and purple.

What tattoo ink brand lasts the longest?

Eternal Ink stands out in the tattoo industry for its vibrant colors and durability. With a dedication to producing long-lasting pigments, Eternal Ink has become a favorite among professional tattoo artists worldwide. The brand offers a wide range of colors, ensuring artists can find the perfect shade for any tattoo.

What do tattoo artists use for ink?

Despite the diversity of colorants and additives, tattoo inks are typically a mixture of solid pigment particles, molecular dyes, and binders suspended in a water-based solution (such as glycerin, water, isopropyl alcohol or witch hazel).

What black ink do tattoo artists use?

Obsidian is easy to work with, and versatile. It's the perfect black ink for any tattoo artist who wants to make a good impression.

Best Tattoo Inks for Beginners - Everything you need to know

What is the highest quality black tattoo ink?

Kuro Sumi is the absolute blackest pigment in the entire industry, world known for its quality and consistency for all tattoo supplies & tattoo kits. It also has the best flow. Kuro Sumi professional tattoo ink brings high-quality formulas with world-class ingredients for a truly safe, long-lasting result.

What is the healthiest tattoo ink?

Unlike traditional tattoo inks that may contain heavy metals or other toxins, organic tattoo ink offers a safer and healthier option for both tattoo artists and clients. Using organic ink not only reduces the risk of adverse reactions but also promotes sustainability and ethical practices within the tattoo industry.

What do prisoners use for tattoo ink?

In addition to the tattooing equipment, the ink utilized also needs to be improvised—potentially consisting of ink taken from pens, melted plastic, soot mixed with shampoo, and melted Styrofoam.

What kind of ink is used in permanent tattoos?

Professional tattoo inks are available in many colors and use a wide variety of pigments, including inorganic pigments, such as carbon black, and synthetic organic pigments, such as brightly-colored azo-chemicals.

What color tattoo ink to avoid?

Yellows and Greens with Cadmium

Yellows and bright greens often contain cadmium, which can cause skin irritation and has been associated with other health risks. They also tend to fade or change color over time when exposed to sunlight.

What tattoo ink fades slowest?

Black ink tends to outlast any other color because it is super pigmented. Other darker colors like dark blue, dark green, gray, and dark purple will have a similar lifespan to black ink. Lighter inks like yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and any pastel tones tend to fade a bit more quickly than darker inks.

How much is good tattoo ink?

Here's a general overview of typical costs for professional tattoo ink: Single Bottles: Individual bottles of tattoo ink, usually between 0.5 and 4 ounces, can range from about $5 to $30. The price depends on the brand, the size of the bottle, and the specific color (some specialty colors may cost more).

What is the longest lasting tattoo ink?

Black ink lasts the longest and is least likely to blur, making it the best choice of ink color for long-lasting tattoos. Black ink is so reliable it is usually used to help hold in color molecules.

What color ink is most professional?

The best option when filling out professional documents is to use black or blue ink. Stay far away from any reds, greens, or purples. Moreover, don't even think about using a pencil. Any pencil marks can be easily erased (or changed), causing even more harm down the line.

What size needle do tattoo artists use?

#10 Gauge (0.30mm Diameter)

Popular with all styles of tattooing and needle groupings as fundamentally they are the middle gauge size (when accepting 8, 10 and 12 as the main three gauges). The ink flow on 0.30mm needles is still a steady, controlled flow but not as restricted and slow as an #8 or 0.25mm.

What does the 13 tattoo mean in jail?

The number 13 is a numeric symbol for the Aryan Circle, the large Texas-based racist prison gang. Substituting letters for numbers, 1 and 3 equals A and C, i.e., AC or Aryan Circle. From this derive several variants, such as 113% for "100% Aryan Circle," or 136 for "Aryan Circle Forever."

What is rubbing alcohol used for in tattooing?

Isopropyl Alcohol is an essential sterilisation product to have in the tattoo studio. Used for washing the hands before and after coming into contact with a customer. Also suitable for diluting to clean an area of skin before it is shaved.

How to make permanent tattoo ink at home?

Steps
  1. Burn wood to create ashes. In order for wood ashes to work well as a tattoo ink, you need to completely burn the wood you're using. ...
  2. Grind the ashes. ...
  3. Choose a clear spirit. ...
  4. Mix them together. ...
  5. Track the ash and liquid amounts.

What brand tattoo ink do professionals use?

Intenze Ink is used by many of the world's finest and most well-known tattooists, including Steve Butcher, Alex De Pase, Bob Tyrrell, Randy Engelhard, and Chris 51, who each have their own ink set.

What is the most painful tattoo ink?

For those unfamiliar, white ink is notorious for being the most painful part of a tattoo session. So much so, that the tattoo community on the internet is full of memes about the joys of white ink.

What is the most popular tattoo ink?

Black Ink. Black is the foundation for the vast majority of tattoos you will complete. Sure, color tattoos have a time and place, but there are precious few days when you won't pick up your black ink at least once. Black tattoo ink is the most commonly used color in tattooing.

Why do tattoo artists use Vaseline while tattooing?

Basic Lubrication: Vaseline, also known as petroleum jelly, is commonly used as a lubricant during tattoo sessions. It provides a basic level of lubrication, allowing the tattoo needle to glide smoothly over the skin and reducing friction.

What do tattoo artists put in the bottle?

Tattoo squeeze bottles are used by professional tattoo artists during the tattoo process. Typically, these squeeze bottles are used to dispense green soap, water, alcohol, and Madacide.

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