Lettering & Script Tattoos in Bali

What makes lettering work

Good lettering is typography before it is tattooing. Letter spacing, stroke weight and the angle of the script decide whether it reads as considered or as a printout. We draw the words for the placement rather than picking a font and scaling it to fit.

The most common request we turn down is a script too small for the number of characters. Twelve words on an inner wrist cannot hold their spacing — the counters inside the letters close within a few years and the phrase becomes a grey line. We will offer a shorter phrase or a larger placement instead.

Script, block and Roman numerals

Three families cover almost everything people ask for. Flowing script for phrases and names. Clean block or serif capitals for single words, where the weight is the statement. Roman numerals for dates, which stay legible at small sizes because the forms are simple and evenly weighted.

Numerals are the most requested date format we do, and the most forgiving. MCMLXXV on a neck or forearm holds up at a size where a written date in script would not.

Getting the language right

We tattoo in languages the client reads. If you want a phrase in a script you do not read — Balinese, Sanskrit, Arabic, Japanese — we ask you to source the wording from a native speaker and confirm the exact characters before the appointment. We will not translate it for you.

This is not caution for its own sake. Character-level errors in a script the artist does not read are permanent and invisible to both of you in the studio. Bring the wording confirmed and we will draw it beautifully.

What it costs

A word or short phrase in fine line starts at 850K IDR (≈ $52). Most quotes and multi-line pieces land between 1M and 2.5M IDR (≈ $62–$155). Larger typographic work, or lettering built into a bigger composition, is quoted per design after we see the reference.

Price follows the design, never the clock. Send the exact wording, the placement and roughly how long you want it in centimetres, and we will come back with a range the artist then confirms.

Where it sits best

Forearm, inner bicep, collarbone, ribs and the outside of the calf all give a straight run for a line of text. Inner wrist and fingers are the two placements we most often talk people out of — both move and stretch constantly, and thin script blurs there faster than anywhere else on the body.

For anything longer than four or five words, we will usually suggest the forearm or ribs. The phrase gets the room it needs and the spacing survives.

How script ages

Fine line lettering is the style most affected by placement and sun. Kept out of direct sun while healing and sized so the letters have air inside them, a script piece stays crisp for many years. Undersized on a high-movement spot, it will soften noticeably within two or three.

Every tattoo we do includes a free touch-up. Script is the work that most often uses it, and we would rather see you back than have you live with a line that has spread.

Who does this work

Lettering runs across our resident artists in Canggu, Uluwatu and Seminyak, all at the same standard and the same prices. Send the exact wording in your enquiry — spelling, capitalisation and punctuation as you want it inked — and we will confirm the letterform with you before your appointment.

Every consultation is free, whether or not you book on the day.

What it costs

A word or short phrase, fine line — 850K – 2M IDR (≈ $52 – $125). Priced per design, never per hour. Card payments carry a 3% surcharge, stated before any link is sent.