Tattoo Font Previewer: user guide

What it is for

The Tattoo Font Previewer gives you a visual reference for custom lettering before you make a stencil. Artists, apprentices and clients use it to test names, dates, quotes and chest rockers across 107 open-source typefaces suited to tattoo work.

You can adjust letter size, spacing, line height, curvature and background contrast in real time, and check that delicate flourishes or dense strokes stay legible at the size you plan to tattoo.

Who it is for

• Tattoo artists and lettering specialists: test client requests on screen, compare typefaces side by side, and export artwork for stencil printers.
• Tattoo apprentices: study how letter spacing, line height and curvature change the balance of lettering.
• Studio owners and reception staff: offer an interactive lettering screen on a tablet or on the studio website for walk-in clients.
• Tattoo clients: explore lettering styles and show your artist exactly what you have in mind.

How to use it

Entering preview text

1. Find Preview Text at the top of the tool.
2. Click inside the text area (placeholder: Enter your lettering text (e.g. Names, Dates, Quotes)...).
3. Type your lettering. Every font card updates as you type.
4. Click Clear Text beneath the field to empty it.

Adjusting font size and spacing

1. Drag Font Size between 12 px and 144 px, or click a preset: Small (24px), Medium (48px), Large (72px) or Extra Large (96px).
2. Drag Letter Spacing or Line Height to adjust the space between characters and between lines.
3. Click Reset to restore the default settings.

Setting text curvature

1. Drag Text Curve (Arc) right to arch the text upward (up to +80) or left to curve it downward (down to -80).
2. Or click a preset: Flat, Arch Up for a chest rocker, or Arch Down for an inverted curve.

Choosing a background

1. Find Background Contrast beneath the curve controls.
2. Select White for paper contrast, Black to judge negative space, Transparent for a checkerboard, or Simulated Skin for a skin-tone backdrop.

Filtering the fonts

1. Find the filter bar directly above the font gallery. Each filter shows how many fonts it holds.
2. Click All Fonts to see all 107.
3. Filter by lettering style: Blackletter / Old English (17), Script / Cursive (22), Chicano / Ornate Script (8), Fineline / Minimalist (14), Gothic / Dark (13) or Decorative / Unique (16).
4. Or by cultural tradition, 8 fonts each: French, Italian, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese (Kanji and Kana) and Chinese (Hanzi calligraphy). A font can belong to one style and one tradition, so it may appear under both.

Japanese and Chinese characters

1. When you view Japanese or Chinese fonts, an amber advisory appears above the gallery.
2. It explains that a single character can change meaning with context, and that a phrase built from dictionary lookups can read very differently to a native speaker.
3. Click one of the 29 sample concept chips, such as Courage (勇), Freedom (自由), Peace (平和), Love (愛) or Gratitude (感謝), to preview the characters in every font.
4. Have a native speaker or a qualified calligrapher confirm the meaning and the character forms before the stencil goes on skin.

Loading your own studio font

1. Open Load Custom Studio Font and drag a .ttf, .otf or .woff2 file onto it, or click to choose one.
2. Your font appears in the gallery tagged Studio Custom, and works with every control above.
3. The file is read inside your browser. It is never uploaded.
4. Click Remove Font to take it out again.

Thermal stencil outline mode

1. Switch on Thermal Stencil Outline to turn the lettering into hollow outlines for thermal transfer printers and carbon copiers.
2. Choose a Stencil Line Weight: 1 pt for fine line and detail, 2 pt for a standard thermal stencil, or 3 pt for heavy carbon transfer.
3. Choose a Transfer Ink Color: thermal purple or carbon blue.

Checking the printed size

Physical Print Dimensions (DPI Calculator) converts the rendered lettering into its printed width and height in centimetres and inches, at 203 DPI (a standard thermal printer) or 300 DPI (a high-resolution one). It shows the formula it uses: width = pixels / DPI x 2.54 cm. For how a design stretches over a curved body part, use the Tattoo Stencil Calculator, linked from the same panel.

Comparing two fonts side by side

1. Click Add to favorites on any card to pin it. Your pinned fonts appear in Your Favorite Fonts above the gallery, up to 10.
2. Click Compare A/B to open the comparison dock, then choose Font A and Font B. Both panels share the same size and spacing, so the difference you see is the typeface alone.
3. Click Swap Fonts to exchange the two sides.
4. Click Copy Name on a card to copy the font name, or Clear Favorites to empty the list.

Exporting images

1. Click Download PNG on any font card.
2. Choose an Export Resolution: Standard (2400 x 800 px) - Screen reference, High-Res Print Reference (4800 x 1600 px) - Stencil prep or Master Resolution (7200 x 2400 px) - High-DPI tracing.
3. Under Export Background, choose transparent, white, black or simulated skin, then click Download PNG Image.
4. For a studio font you loaded yourself in .ttf or .otf format, Download Vector SVG also appears. It exports the lettering as vector paths for vinyl cutters, plotters and vector editors. The 107 catalogue fonts export as PNG only.

Language and colour mode

1. Use Language in the header to switch between English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch and Thai. The Documentation tab follows the same language.
2. Click Toggle Color Mode to switch between dark and light mode.

Embedding the tool on a studio website

1. Open the Embed Code tab.
2. Click Copy Code to copy the iframe snippet.
3. Paste it into your website editor.

What it does not do

• It does not price tattoos. Use the Tattoo Price Estimator for session rates and shop minimums.
• It does not scale a design to a body part. Use the Tattoo Stencil Calculator to allow for curved placements such as forearms, calves and ribs.
• It does not mix ink. Use the Pigment Ink Mixer for dilution and colour mixing ratios.
• It does not draw new letterforms. The 107 fonts are existing open-source typefaces; there are no curve-drawing tools.
• It does not assess skin. The simulated skin background is a contrast aid, not a clinical assessment.

Where your data lives

• Your text stays on your device. What you type, your favourites and your exported images are handled inside your browser and are never sent to Poli International or anyone else.
• The fonts come from Google Fonts. To display the 107 typefaces, your browser downloads them from Google Fonts, as most websites do. Google receives the request for the font files, not your text.
• Studio fonts you load stay local. The file is read in browser memory and is never uploaded.
• What is saved in your browser: your language (poli-lang), colour mode (poli-dark-mode) and favourite fonts (tattoo-font-favorites), in local storage. Clear them from your browser's site data settings, or click Clear Favorites.
• Exported files are drawn locally on an HTML canvas and contain only the lettering and the background you chose.

Printing and exporting

Download PNG exports at Standard (2400 x 800 px) for screen reference, High-Res Print Reference (4800 x 1600 px) for thermal printers, or Master Resolution (7200 x 2400 px) for tracing on a tablet. Transparent exports drop straight into apps like Procreate without cleaning up a background.

Your browser's print command (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P) produces a clean proof sheet titled POLI INTERNATIONAL - TATTOO FONT PREVIEW SHEET, with the sample text and typography settings, for client consultations. Headers and buttons are hidden.

Questions and answers

Can I use these fonts for commercial tattoo work?

The 107 catalogue fonts are published on Google Fonts under the SIL Open Font License or the Apache 2.0 licence, both of which allow commercial use, including tattoos and stencils. For a studio font you load yourself, your own licence for that font applies.

Can I export lettering as a stencil or tracing file?

Yes. Download PNG produces an image up to 7200 x 2400 px, and the thermal stencil outline mode gives you hollow outlines in a line weight you choose. Transparent and white backgrounds work with thermal stencil printers and Procreate tracing layers.

Why does the tool warn about small script lettering?

Fine lines soften and spread as a tattoo ages. A common guideline among lettering artists is to keep the x-height of script lettering at 8 to 10 millimetres or more so that the letters stay distinct. Use the DPI calculator to check the printed size before you commit.

Can I curve lettering to fit a placement?

Yes. The text curve control arches lettering upward or downward, which helps you judge how a phrase sits on a collarbone, a rib or a chest rocker.

Does the tool save or upload my client's lettering?

No. Lettering is processed in your browser and is never transmitted or stored remotely. Only your favourites, language and colour mode are remembered, in your own browser.

Limits

The Tattoo Font Previewer is a visual layout and reference tool. It cannot account for skin thickness, scar tissue, elasticity, muscle movement or how an individual client heals.

Decisions on placement, size, line weight, needle grouping and execution rest with the tattoo artist.

Use the tool

Open the Tattoo Font Previewer: user guide. Everything runs in your browser; nothing you enter is sent anywhere.