Frequency Asked Questions (FAQ)

At Momentary Ink, we offer two different types of tattoos - temporary and semi-permanent. Both offer their range of benefits and it's worth understanding the difference before you decide to make your purchase.

Temporary tattoos come in both full color and black & white styles. These tattoos last from between 3-5 days of normal use. Think of them as the upgraded version of the temporary tattoos that you had when you were a kid.

Semi-permanent tattoos are more realistic and apply to skin in a dark blue color. These tattoos last longer at up to 1-2 weeks of normal use.

Ultimately, your design will end up on a transparent background once it’s printed. Our designer allows you to edit the image size and add text and shapes, but not remove parts of a design. We know that it's not always easy to remove the background from your design but we can help! Just add details about anything you want removed in the design notes section before you add to cart and we'll take care of it!

We do not accept tattoos on people’s bodies as it’s just too difficult to deliver a great product (plus we don't want to steal artists' hard work)! Images that are exclusively white ink should be avoided as well, as they will print transparently. Please avoid making complex requests for design changes, as they may result in your design being put on hold.

We’re so excited to be working with really unique, colorful, and complex designs. We typically work with tattoos 6×6 inches or less, depending on the location of the tattoo. For instance, a 6×6 inch tattoo on your leg will come out much better than one on your shoulder. We are still working toward a great product for sleeves and large back-to-shoulder tattoos, but we typically have no issues with most other designs!

We max out at ~9x9 inches. Large designs and sleeves are a bit tricky as it raises the complexity during application and increases the likelihood of friction. But if you’re simply looking to get an idea of what your large design is going to look like before the permanent version, this will definitely help! If you need to go even larger, try splitting your design into smaller pieces.

We’ve bridged the gap between temporary tattoos and real tattoos. Our proprietary process enables us to utilize the same technology behind the highest-quality temporary tattoos available – those that run through an offset printing process by the 1000s. We take that same technology and combine it with our proprietary Sealing and Matting solution, Real Teal™, to give you a realistic, custom tattoo that looks exactly like the real thing (seriously).

Temporary Tattoo

Because our product is coming in contact with the skin, we took the safety concerns very seriously. During active development, we consulted with a chemist, a health practitioner and several printing professionals who all agreed that the ink in contact with the skin is of little worry because of the limited exposure (3-10 days) and the underlying adhesive substrate, which bonds the ink to the skin (and is widely distributed for children’s temporary tattoos), as well as the sealing solution that contacts the outside edges of the tattoo, all of which are FDA approved. That said, we recommend those with chemical sensitivities to test a small portion before applying a full tattoo.

Temporary Tattoo Ink

Unfortunately with any product that touches the skin, there is always the risk of some people having a reaction. Thankfully that percentage of our customers is extremely small.

If a reaction does occur, it's usually a mild case of "contact dermatitis", where you're left with a light red outline of the design on your skin as the tattoo fades. It's generally itchy for a few days and fades away over time.

We encourage you to test on a small patch of skin before applying more liberally.

Orders ship in 1-2 business days. Standard U.S. delivery is typically 3-5 days. International delivery takes 4-6 weeks depending on the destination country. Tracking is provided for all orders.

Please be advised when ordering a custom design that they take a 1-2 days longer. Any additional instructions on custom designs may add 2-3 days for more complex edits. It'll be worth the wait!

There are quite a few factors – like the detail in your tattoo, where it’s applied on your body, how well you take care of it, etc. – that go into how long it will last. For temporary tattoos (colored ink) 3-5 days and semi-permanent (black ink) last 1-2 weeks. We’ll provide some tips on how to make it last as long as possible with your shipment! The first 24 hours are most sensitive so be sure to avoid friction during this time.