"We didn't invent the ink tray. We just perfected it."
Rich Harris
@harristattooart
Our story
Born out of a real frustration.
My favorite ink tray — the one I'd used for years — got discontinued. I don't like changing my setup, so I did some digging and found out the manufacturer stopped production because costs got too high.
Even before that, it had problems. It got easily crushed in transit, and it was flimsy enough that ink flew everywhere the moment a needle caught the edge. It damaged needles, and if I accidentally overfilled one cap, it contaminated the colors next to it. Turns out my favorite tray was never really built for how tattoo artists actually work.
"So I said, hold my beer."
This took over a year of designing and multiple prototypes, tested by more than twenty of the top tattoo artists in the world.
We created a single-use silicone tray that never damages your needle, sets up in seconds, and won't crush or fold under pressure. Individually wrapped, so you can throw them in your case without worrying about damage in transit — with built-in channels so overfilling one well never bleeds into the next. Focus on your art, not the setup. INKSLAB — designed by tattoo artists, for tattoo artists.
