How do I know what size tattoo to get?

Start from the body part's typical range in the table above, then narrow it down by detail level: fine line and small text need to stay on the smaller, denser end of the range or the lines blur together as the tattoo ages; bold blackwork and simple shapes can go bigger without losing legibility. When in doubt, preview the exact width on a photo of your body with the Placement Preview tool before you commit to a number.

Does tattoo size affect price?

Almost always, yes — most studios price by size and time, not per design. A bigger design with more fine detail costs more than a small simple one. Bringing a printed, real-size Prep Pack to your consultation lets the artist quote you accurately up front instead of guessing from a photo on your phone.

Will my tattoo look the same size as the printed stencil?

Yes, if you printed at 100% scale (see the printing tips above) — the stencil your artist applies to your skin is transferred at the same size it's printed. That's the entire point of a real-size Prep Pack instead of a screenshot: no guessing, no last-minute resizing in the studio.

How much bigger should I size a tattoo to allow for aging?

There's no universal rule, but a common guideline experienced artists use: for fine line or heavily detailed work, size up 10-20% from what looks "just right" on screen, since skin stretches and fine lines soften over years. Bold, simple designs need less of a buffer. This is exactly the kind of judgment call worth asking your artist directly during a consultation — the Prep Pack is there to make that conversation concrete.

What's the smallest a tattoo can be?

Simple linework and small symbols can go down to 2-3cm and still read clearly for years. Below that, fine detail (shading, thin overlapping lines, small text) tends to blur together as skin ages — if your design has a lot of detail, don't go smaller than about 5cm without simplifying it first.

Tattoo Size Guide — typical sizes by body part, in cm and inches

How big should your tattoo actually be? Typical width ranges by body part, how to measure yourself, printing tips for your Prep Pack, and a quick cm/inch converter.

"How big should this be?" is one of the hardest questions to answer from a screen — a design that looks perfect at 20cm on your laptop can look completely different printed at 6cm on your wrist. This page gives you typical size ranges by body part, a way to measure yourself accurately, and printing tips so the Prep Pack you bring to your artist is true to size.

Typical design width by body part

Body part	Width (cm)	Width (in)	Notes
Forearm	6–20 cm	2.4–7.9 in	The most flexible canvas on the body — a small icon and a near-sleeve both look intentional here.
Wrist	3–6 cm	1.2–2.4 in	Thin bands wrap the wrist; anything past ~6cm starts reading as a cuff, not a wristband.
Upper Arm	8–20 cm	3.1–7.9 in	Curves more than the forearm, so fine detail near the edges can stretch when you flex.
Shoulder	8–18 cm	3.1–7.1 in	Good for a rounded, self-contained motif — a cap design that doesn’t need to extend onto the chest or back.
Chest	10–25 cm	3.9–9.8 in	Sternum pieces run narrow and tall; pec pieces run wide. Decide the orientation before you set a width.
Back	15–35 cm	5.9–13.8 in	Scales from a shoulder-blade piece to a full back centerpiece; measure shoulder-to-shoulder before going wide.
Thigh	10–25 cm	3.9–9.8 in	Flat, low-movement skin — one of the most forgiving spots for fine linework to stay crisp over time.
Ankle / Calf	5–12 cm	2.0–4.7 in	Ankles favor small, low-detail designs; calves have more flat room for a taller piece.

Quick cm ↔ inch converter

Centimeters

Inches

1 cm = 0.3937 in. This is a plain unit converter — for a size preview calibrated to an actual photo of your body, use the Placement Preview tool's ruler instead.

How to measure your own body part

Grab a flexible tape measure or a strip of string and a ruler.
Pick the widest point of the area you want the design to cover — for a forearm, that's usually the mid-forearm, not the wrist.
Measure the width you actually want the design to span, not the full circumference of the limb.
Write the number down in cm (most tattoo studios think in cm even in the US) — use the converter below if your artist quoted inches.
If you already have a design, open the Placement Preview tool and calibrate the ruler against a credit card or coin in your own photo — that gives you a live, to-scale preview instead of just a number.

Printing tips for your Prep Pack

Print at 100% / actual size — do not let your printer "fit to page" or "shrink to fit." That setting silently rescales the design and defeats the entire point of a real-size stencil.
Check the print settings dialog for a scale field and confirm it says 100%, not "auto" or "fit."
Every Prep Pack PDF includes a printed ruler line next to the design — after printing, measure that line with a real ruler. If it doesn't match its labeled length, your printer rescaled the page; fix the scale setting and reprint.
Use plain white paper, not glossy photo paper — line work photocopies and scans more reliably off matte paper, which matters if your artist wants to trace or scan it.
If the design is wider than one sheet, the PDF automatically tiles across multiple pages with alignment marks — tape the sheets together at the marks rather than trying to eyeball the alignment.

Put a size to the test

Reading about sizes only gets you so far — try one.

Generate a tattoo design Preview a design on your body, at real size Turn any image into a printable stencil

Size guide FAQ

Typical design width by body part

Body part	Width (cm)	Width (in)	Notes
Forearm	6–20 cm	2.4–7.9 in	The most flexible canvas on the body — a small icon and a near-sleeve both look intentional here.
Wrist	3–6 cm	1.2–2.4 in	Thin bands wrap the wrist; anything past ~6cm starts reading as a cuff, not a wristband.
Upper Arm	8–20 cm	3.1–7.9 in	Curves more than the forearm, so fine detail near the edges can stretch when you flex.
Shoulder	8–18 cm	3.1–7.1 in	Good for a rounded, self-contained motif — a cap design that doesn’t need to extend onto the chest or back.
Chest	10–25 cm	3.9–9.8 in	Sternum pieces run narrow and tall; pec pieces run wide. Decide the orientation before you set a width.
Back	15–35 cm	5.9–13.8 in	Scales from a shoulder-blade piece to a full back centerpiece; measure shoulder-to-shoulder before going wide.
Thigh	10–25 cm	3.9–9.8 in	Flat, low-movement skin — one of the most forgiving spots for fine linework to stay crisp over time.
Ankle / Calf	5–12 cm	2.0–4.7 in	Ankles favor small, low-detail designs; calves have more flat room for a taller piece.

How to measure your own body part

Grab a flexible tape measure or a strip of string and a ruler.

Pick the widest point of the area you want the design to cover — for a forearm, that's usually the mid-forearm, not the wrist.

Measure the width you actually want the design to span, not the full circumference of the limb.

Write the number down in cm (most tattoo studios think in cm even in the US) — use the converter below if your artist quoted inches.

If you already have a design, open the Placement Preview tool and calibrate the ruler against a credit card or coin in your own photo — that gives you a live, to-scale preview instead of just a number.

Printing tips for your Prep Pack

Print at 100% / actual size — do not let your printer "fit to page" or "shrink to fit." That setting silently rescales the design and defeats the entire point of a real-size stencil.

Check the print settings dialog for a scale field and confirm it says 100%, not "auto" or "fit."

Every Prep Pack PDF includes a printed ruler line next to the design — after printing, measure that line with a real ruler. If it doesn't match its labeled length, your printer rescaled the page; fix the scale setting and reprint.

Use plain white paper, not glossy photo paper — line work photocopies and scans more reliably off matte paper, which matters if your artist wants to trace or scan it.

If the design is wider than one sheet, the PDF automatically tiles across multiple pages with alignment marks — tape the sheets together at the marks rather than trying to eyeball the alignment.