What watt should my machine be at for coloring?

Hi Kelsey, the speed and the intensity of a tattoo machine is usually named and displayed in volts or hertz.

In general, your settings always depend on your experience, preferences and your client’s skin. The machine you use also plays a role. In addition to coil machines, there are now also rotary machines with brushed and brushless motors with different strokes.

It also depends on whether you want to fill entire areas or only colour certain parts. For colour packing, a machine with at least 3.5mm stroke is recommended and the speed should be adapted to your style. If you work fast and want to apply colour quickly, a higher voltage is recommended, if you want to achieve colour saturation slowly, with several passes, and want to damage the skin as little as possible, you should use a lower voltage. Between 6-8 volts is a good starting point for rotary machines.