Script Tattoo Ideas: Fonts and Placement That Last
Good script tattoo ideas start with the words and the lettering style, and placement comes after that. Whatever you pick has to be big enough that the gaps inside each letter stay open as the ink settles, or it stops reading in a few years.
Below are the main lettering styles we tattoo at Tagz Tattoo in Mesa, and where each one tends to sit best on the body.
- Written by the crew at Tagz Tattoo, Mesa AZ
- Script and lettering
Start with the words
Names, dates, a line of scripture, a phrase that has carried you through something. The words decide more than people expect. A single name can go almost anywhere, while a full sentence needs a long run of skin like a forearm, the ribs or the spine. Anything in another language should be checked by someone who reads it before it gets near a stencil.
Bring it written out exactly as you want it, on paper or on your phone. Your artist reads it back to you before the stencil goes on, and you read it too.
Fine line script
Thin, single needle cursive is a common pick for smaller pieces. It looks delicate and pairs well with a small flower or a date. The trade off is size. Fine lines sit close together, so a word that looks crisp on your phone at two inches can blur together later. We usually suggest going a bit bigger than the reference and picking a flatter spot like the collarbone or the inner forearm. Our fine line tattoo page has more on how that style holds up.
Mixing two lettering styles works well here. The rib piece above sets one word in spaced capitals and the next in thin cursive, an easy way to give a two word phrase some shape.
Old English and gothic lettering
Heavy, pointed blackletter has been a tattoo staple for a long time, and it holds up because the strokes are thick. It suits forearms, the stomach, the chest and across the upper back. The one thing to watch is letters with tight inside spaces, like a lowercase e or a. Those need enough size, or the black fills in and the word turns into a dark block.
Gothic lettering also sits nicely on top of an image. On the forearm above, the words run across the top and the ship fills the rest, so the lettering is the first thing you read.
Big custom lettering
At the far end of the scale is lettering drawn by hand for one placement, like the upper back piece at the top of this post. A single word stretched across the shoulders, with the letters shaped and shaded to fit the body, gets drawn for that spot. Every tattoo here is custom work.
Pieces like that take longer than a quick script tattoo, so they get planned at a consult.
Lettering with an image
Plenty of script tattoos are words attached to a picture, a name under a portrait or a date on a banner. Memorial work leans on this a lot, and our post on memorial and portrait tattoos goes through adding names, dates and handwriting to that kind of piece.
If you want a loved one's actual handwriting, bring a clear photo or scan of the original note. The artist works from that image, so a sharp copy helps.
Placement notes
Forearms are the easy choice for lettering because the skin is flat and you can see it. Decide early whether the words should read toward you or toward the person facing you. Ribs give you a long, flat line but they are one of the sorer spots to sit for. Spine script is usually stenciled with you standing straight so it does not drift off center. Hands and fingers are popular for short words, though ink there tends to fade faster than on an arm, and that is worth knowing before you pick one.
| Placement | Worth knowing |
|---|---|
| Forearms | The skin is flat and you can see it. Decide early whether the words should read toward you or toward the person facing you. |
| Ribs | A long, flat line, but one of the sorer spots to sit for |
| Spine | Usually stenciled with you standing straight so it does not drift off center |
| Hands and fingers | Popular for short words, though ink there tends to fade faster than on an arm |
Walking in for a script tattoo
A lot of lettering is quick by tattoo standards. Most script pieces finish in one sitting, so they sit on the walk-in side of our board, and you can usually come in with the wording on your phone and get started if a chair is open. Our walk-in tattoos page explains how that works. Every tattoo carries the $150 shop minimum, and you need to be 18 or over with a valid photo ID.
We are at 2735 E Main St, Suite 9 in Mesa, on East Main at Lindsay Road, open noon to 6 on Sundays, noon to 8 Monday through Thursday, and noon to 10 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Script tattoo questions we hear every week
What font is best for a script tattoo?
How small can a script tattoo be?
Can I walk in for a name tattoo at Tagz in Mesa?
Can you draw custom lettering instead of using a font?
How long does a script tattoo take?
To see more lettering work and how we size it, head to our lettering and script tattoos page.
