Make your tattoo aftercare card.
Front and back, 4 x 6 in at 300 dpi. Tap anything on the card to edit it.
Design
Quiet, airy and centredYour details
Add a booking link and the code appears on the card and the sheet.
Sections
Card wording
Heading, sign-off, QR caption
Free. No sign-up. Nothing you type leaves your browser. The starter wording is a common way artists explain aftercare, not medical advice.
The card
What to put on an aftercare card
A client reads aftercare at home, a few hours after the session, often with one hand while the other is under the tap. Keep each part short enough to take in at a glance, and cover these in the order they will need them.
The first few hours
What is on the tattoo, how long it stays on and how to take it off. This is the part people get wrong most often, so it goes first.
Washing and moisturising
How often, with what kind of soap and moisturiser, and how to dry it. Describe the product type rather than a brand, so the card stays true when stock changes.
What healing looks like
Peeling, flaking and itching are normal. Saying so up front saves you a lot of worried messages in week two.
What to avoid
Sun, swimming, baths and saunas, tight clothes, hard workouts. Give a time for each, so nobody has to guess when it is safe again.
When to get in touch
The signs that mean they should contact you or a doctor, and how to reach you. Your Instagram handle and a QR code to your booking page also bring them back for the next one.
Wrap type
Film or a traditional wrap?
The biggest difference between two aftercare cards is the first step. With an adhesive film or second skin, the client leaves it on for days and needs to know that fluid under the film is normal, what to do if it leaks, and how to peel it off under warm water.
With a traditional wrap of cling film or a pad, it comes off within hours and the washing starts that evening. Mixing the two up is how a client ends up peeling a film off on day one, or leaving cling film on overnight. Pick the one you use and the first section changes to match. If you use both depending on the piece, make two versions.
Handing it over
How to give it to your client
Hand the card over at the end of the session, while the tattoo is being covered, and walk through the first step out loud. People remember what you said with the card in their hand far better than anything they read later.
Then send the phone image the same day. Paper gets lost; a picture in their camera roll is still there in week three when the peeling starts. Keep the A5 sheet on your station or in your waiting area for anyone who wants the long version.
If you book through Maelo, the Healing Check-in can send the same words by email a few days later. Our aftercare guide shows how to set it up.
Questions
Aftercare cards, answered.
Is the aftercare card maker free?
Yes. There is no account and no email to give, and nothing you type leaves your browser. Make as many versions as you like. A small maelo.app mark is on by default, and one switch turns it off.
Can I change the wording and the design?
Yes, all of it. Pick one of eight designs, from clean, quiet type with plenty of air to an apothecary label or a black card with gold hairlines. Then edit any heading or paragraph, drag sections into your own order, remove the ones you do not need and add your own. Tap any part of the preview to jump straight to its words.
What sizes does it make?
A 4x6 inch card with a front and a back, an A5 sheet, and a phone image at 1080 by 1920 pixels. The card and the sheet download as PNG files at 300 dpi, the resolution print shops ask for, or you can print them straight from your browser.
Is the starter wording medical advice?
No. It is a starting point written the way many artists explain aftercare, and it names no products. Change anything that does not match how you work, and follow any rules your local health authority sets for what an aftercare sheet must say.
Should I write aftercare for film or for a traditional wrap?
Write it for what you actually put on. Pick film or second skin if you apply a clear adhesive film that stays on for days, or traditional wrap if you use cling film or a pad that comes off within hours. The first section changes to match, and you can edit it.
Can I make a Spanish version?
Yes. Switch the language to Español and every section, the heading and the QR caption change over. Each language keeps its own wording, so your edits to one never overwrite the other.
How do I get the card printed?
Download the front and the back and send both files to a print shop as a 4x6 inch card, or print at home on 4x6 photo paper or card stock from the Print button. The text stays at least an eighth of an inch from every edge, so it survives a trim.