Free tattoo stencil tool
Set an exact physical width or height in cm or inches, or calibrate the stencil from a known span. Then preview paper fit and export a true-size 1:1 PDF.
Paper layout
Exact physical size
Choose the scale source that matches what you actually know. If the stencil must be exactly 14 cm wide, set the overall width. If one span inside the artwork must be 8 cm, mark those two endpoints and calibrate from that known distance. Pixels alone do not establish absolute physical size, and a print-menu label such as Actual Size does not choose the tattoo dimensions for you.
Drop in a finished PNG, JPG, or WebP up to 20 MB. Analysis, sizing, and PDF preparation stay in the browser. Use the Crop to the stencil control to tell the calculator which outer background to ignore when it measures the visible design.
Pick cm or inches, then type the edge you actually know. The other edge follows automatically because proportions stay locked, and rotating the artwork swaps which field drives. When you know one distance inside the art instead of the overall size, open Set real size from two points after upload, tap point A and point B on the preview, enter that span in the current unit, check the projected full width and height, then choose Apply calibrated size. The full cropped stencil scales proportionally from that span within the supported 10 mm to 1200 mm range.
Select A4, US Letter, A3, or a custom sheet from 100 to 500 mm, then set orientation (Auto, Portrait, or Landscape), margins from 5 to 25 mm, and overlap from 0 to 20 mm. Margins reserve space inside the sheet and do not configure the printer hardware; overlap repeats a strip between adjacent pages for alignment. Read the Print preview before downloading: it states the final size in cm and inches, the paper and orientation, and the page count as rows by columns. One page means the design fits the printable area, more than one means it tiles at the same scale.
Keep Include print and assembly marks on so the PDF carries page labels, crop ticks, and the 50 mm scale check on page 1. Choose Download 1:1 PDF, then open or save the prepared file (on iPhone or iPad the PDF may open in a preview, so use Share then Save to Files when needed). The PDF holds the physical dimensions and page geometry; the printer stage can still rescale it, so the paper check below is part of the job.
If the stencil fits inside the printable area, the PDF uses one page. Larger stencils are divided into overlapping sheets at the same established physical scale. Each marked sheet carries both its page number and row/column position so the assembly order stays explicit after printing. If you wanted a single sheet, change the inputs instead of forcing it in the print dialog: reduce the stencil size, choose larger paper, or lower the margins. Shrinking through Fit or Scale to Page breaks the 1:1 promise, so treat tiling as the correct outcome for an oversized design, not a problem to hide.
Print sleeves and back pieces at true sizeThe exported PDF places the stencil at the physical dimensions established here and keeps that scale when it creates additional tiled pages. The printer, driver, browser, or mobile app is a separate stage and can still resize the document. A correct PDF therefore is necessary, but it is not proof that the sheet in your hand is still 1:1. That separation is why this page asks you to match the paper in the calculator and in the printer, and to avoid Fit, Fill, Scale to Fit, Shrink oversized pages, or borderless enlargement when those options would change the output.
Diagnose a print that changed sizeBefore transfer
A 100% or Actual Size label is useful when the print path exposes it, but the physical sheet is the final check. Use one repeatable check before a client-critical stencil.
Load the same A4, Letter, A3, or custom format selected for the PDF, and set the same size in the print driver. A paper-size mismatch can trigger fitting or clipping before the stencil reaches paper.
When the print dialog exposes scaling, choose the option that keeps the PDF at document scale (wording varies by app and printer: Actual Size, Actual, 100%, or an equivalent no-scaling mode). Avoid Fit, Fill, Scale to Fit, Shrink oversized pages, or borderless enlargement when they change the intended output.
For a tiled stencil, print the first marked page before committing the whole set, and measure it before printing the rest. Keep every later page on the same paper, printer, and settings.
Lay a millimeter ruler on the 50 mm calibration line: it must measure exactly 50 mm. Also check one placement-critical stencil dimension, for example overall width, when the fit is size-critical. If either measure is off, fix the print path before transfer rather than resizing the artwork.
In print software that exposes both controls, Actual Size means no page scaling while Fit can enlarge or reduce a PDF to the selected printable area. Match the paper first, then preserve document scale. If part of the page cannot physically print, solve the paper or margin problem instead of hiding it with Fit. If a print path offers only Fit with no scale control, treat that path as unverified and switch to one that preserves document scale.
Mobile print controls vary by app and printer. If a percentage or Actual Size control is not shown, do not compensate by resizing the artwork blindly. Match the paper, avoid fit, fill, crop, or borderless enlargement when those controls appear, print one marked page, and measure it. If the scale is wrong and the mobile path gives you no useful control, use a print path that does.
Print from iPhone step by stepPhotos and exported images often include white or transparent canvas around the stencil. The Crop to the stencil control tells the calculator which outer background to ignore when sizing. It can remove outside margins, but it does not recolor the stencil or turn opaque background pixels transparent. If no meaningful border exists, different modes may correctly produce the same preview.
The same raster file carries fewer source pixels per physical inch as its print size increases. The calculator reports that effective source sampling so you can inspect fine lines at the intended size. Physical size also changes how close lines read. Use the Fine vs Normal vs Bold line-weight guide before committing the final PDF.
A4 measures 210 × 297 mm. US Letter measures 215.9 × 279.4 mm. Choose the same format in the calculator that will be loaded in the printer. Mixing the two can trigger fitting, clipping, or a changed physical scale later in the print path.
Margins reserve space inside each selected sheet. They do not configure a printer's physical non-printable area. Overlap repeats a strip of the design between adjacent pages so a larger stencil can be aligned. Overlap affects multi-page layouts; it does not add size to the finished stencil.
FAQ
Yes. The calculator is free to use, does not require an account, and creates the PDF directly in your browser.
Related tattoo tools
Once the physical size is established, check the finished file, verify paper output with a known test pattern, or diagnose a print whose measured scale came out wrong.
View all tattoo toolsNeed the stencil first?
Use StencilStudio to turn a photo or reference into a stencil draft, then use this free tool to prepare the physical print size.