I’m really excited to do this temporary tattoo post! There’s so much fun you can have by making your own temporary tattoos. Maybe you’re actually thinking about getting a REAL tattoo? You can use this method to print out a temporary version of your tattoo in order to size & place it appropriately.
What about kids parties? I’m always struggling to find things for the kids to do….or little inexpensive things to stuff the party treat bags with. These temporary tattoos are perfect to keep the kids busy for awhile!
Need Halloween costume accessories? Terrible at applying make-up? Temporary tattoos may be your answer! You can print out scars, face make-up & the tattoos of your favorite characters for a more authentic costume. Don’t forget about the trick-or-treaters! They love temporary tattoos in their treat bags!
Or maybe you just want to pull an April Fools Day prank that involves a hideous tattoo? We can help you!
Here’s a sampling of what’s in the free tattoo printable pack included with the post:
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You’ll need temporary tattoo paper to use with this free printable. I live in a somewhat rural area and I haven’t found temporary tattoo paper anywhere but online. I’ve also tried several types of paper and there’s only one I can recommend and it’s Silhouette’s Temporary Tattoo Paper. You’ll need two packages which will contain a total of 4 sheets.
Every other product I’ve tried works poorly or not at all. There are a few pro-tips I’ll share with you to ensure complete success so be sure to read all the steps. I’ve hyperlinked to all the supplies you’ll need for easy shopping. Let’s get started!
Supplies & Tools:
Ink Jet OR Laser Jet Printer
Optional but not Required: Cricut Machine or Silhouette Machine
Silhouette Temporary Tattoo Paper (you’ll need two packages to print all of the tattoos)
Dish of Water
Paper Towels
Download the Free Halloween Temporary Tattoos Printable-3 pages
1. Download the free 3 page Halloween Tattoo printable HERE.
2. Open the package of Silhouette tattoo paper and separate the white sheets from the clear plastic sheets with green backing paper. You will be printing on the white sheets. The clear plastic sheets with a green backing are the adhesive sheets you will use later in the instructions.
3. Adjust your printer settings to print “highest quality”. You’ll also want to adjust your printer settings to print on “glossy photo paper”. This slows the feed rate for your printer which is critical for getting a high quality print out with no printing gaps.
4. Place three sheets of the white Silhouette tattoo paper in your printer’s paper tray (DO NOT PLACE THE CLEAR PLASTIC SHEETS IN THE PRINTER, you will use these later).
5. Using the settings discussed in step #2 print out the 3 pages of tattoos. You may elect to print a 4th page of your choice since there are 4 sheets total in the two packages of Silhouette tattoo paper.
6. Allow the printed pages to dry for 10 mins.
7. Working in a clean, dust free area peel the green disposable backing from the clear plastic sheets and toss aside. Align and place the clear plastic sheet over the printed sheet of tattoos. Minimize air bubbles as much as possible.
8. Use the squeegee or long side of the bone folder to work out any air bubbles and adhere the clear plastic sheet to white printed sheet. If you can’t get an air bubble to go away completely just try to move it off of the printed tattoo area. This will fully distribute the adhesive over the printed areas.
9. Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut out the tattoos. CUT AS CLOSE TO THE IMAGE AS POSSIBLE. If you have a Cricut Machine or a Silhouette machine you can use the print & cut function to cut out the tattoos. The more area you leave around the tattoo the higher the chance of peel in the future.
10. Use the scotch tape to place tattoos temporarily (and figure out where you want them).
11. Clean the area of skin thoroughly where the tattoo will be placed.
12. When you’re ready to place the tattoo simply peel off the clear plastic sheet and place the tattoo printed side down on your skin. Use a moistened paper towel to dab back of the tattoo with water. When the paper starts to pull away (takes about 30 seconds) you can peel the backing away completely from the temporary tattoo.
13. After about 30 minutes dab the tattoo again with a moist paper towel. Do the same if any edges peel up in the future to re-adhere the tattoo.
I hope you enjoyed this short and sweet little DIY! Just think of all the possibilities! How easy would it be to print out face make-up for a Halloween costume?!?!
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P.S Don’t Forget to Pin this for Later!
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this is such a good idea, especially for halloween!! also if you don’t mind i’m a new blogger and would be really grateful if you could check out my posts. thanks x
That’s really interesting! I had no idea you could do this. My guys love temporary tattoos…how long do they last?
Hi Marissa- I would say it lasts 4-5 days on adults and maybe 2-3 days on those super active kids. It can depend on the area it’s placed. If it’s placed on any area with a lot of bending and movement it will come up faster. Hope that helps! Thanks for the note!