By: Bryan Tropeano
For those of us who aren’t big on the permanency of body ink, there’s finally a temporary tattoo solution that doesn’t require water and a slimy piece of paper. Prinker prints temporary tattoos on your skin after a quick scan. The name is an amalgamation of “printer” and “ink.” Get it?
The concept is simple. Customize the tattoo that you want in the accompanying Prinker app. You can either select from a number of options in the app’s gallery or draw your own. It can be a doodle, your name, anything you can think up.
Created by SketchOn, a tech company in South Korea, the process is painless (I’d hope so) and quick. A simple run over the skin and it’s applied. No holding a patch on your skin for several minutes, hoping you’re doing it right. Pair it up with your smartphone and tablet and you’re ready to go.
The final tattoo lasts up to 3 days which is about what you’d hope for in a temp ink job on your skin. Though if you’ve got an inappropriate tat on your face that hasn’t worn off before your big meeting then you can just wash it off with soap and water. Or leave it on and see if anyone notices. “Hey Bill, is that a unicorn on your face or are you just happy to see me?”
The ink used is non-toxic and shouldn’t affect your skin in any negative way. I say “shouldn’t” because I don’t need that one-off allergic reaction to haunt me. It’s described as cosmetic grade ink. So that would lead me to think it’s no different than applying some makeup.
Now if you’re looking to buy one of these bad boys for your next wild and crazy party, you may have to hold off on those plans. For now, they’re only selling business to business with a plan to sell to individual users by the end of the year. The estimated price will be around $200.
I’m just hoping they add a function where you can print your personal photos on your skin. It would certainly add new meaning to the word “selfie.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bryan Tropeano is a senior producer and a regular reporter for NewsWatch. He lives in Washington D.C. and loves all things Tech.
