Flash vs Hourly vs Project Pricing for Tattoo Shops
The three ways tattoo shops price work, when each one fits, and how to publish flash prices and hourly rates on your shop's website.
Tattoo shops price work three ways: a flat price per flash design, an hourly rate for custom work, or a project price that covers a piece across multiple sessions. None of the three is universally correct. The right one depends on whether the design is fixed, how long the piece will take, and whether it fits in one sitting.
Flash pricing
Flash pricing sets one price for a pre-designed piece the client picks from a board, in the shop or online. Because the design, size, and placement are already decided, the artist can price it once and hold that price for anyone who books it. This is the fastest pricing model for both the shop and the client: no consultation needed, no estimate, the price is the price.
Flash works best for smaller, walk-in-friendly pieces where the value is in the design itself rather than a fully custom concept. It also does the most work at reducing back and forth, since a client can decide to book without ever messaging the shop to ask what something costs.
Hourly pricing
Hourly pricing charges for the time a piece takes, used when the design is custom and the final size or complexity is not fixed until the artist and client work it out together. This is the standard model for original linework, cover-ups, and anything drawn specifically for the client rather than chosen off a board.
The tradeoff is that the client does not know the exact final cost until the session is done, only an estimate going in. Clear communication about the estimated range before the appointment, and about what happens if a piece runs longer than expected, keeps this model from turning into a dispute at checkout.
Project pricing
Project pricing sets one total for a piece that will take multiple sessions, like a sleeve or a full back piece. Instead of pricing each sitting separately, the artist commits to a number for the whole piece, and the sessions are scheduled against that total. This gives the client a clear number to plan around, which matters more for large pieces representing a real financial commitment.
Project pricing requires the artist to be confident in the scope before quoting it, since revising a quoted total mid-project is a harder conversation than adjusting an hourly estimate session to session. See /multi-session-tattoo-scheduling for how a project is tracked once it is priced.
Matching deposits to the pricing model
Whichever model you use, the deposit should relate to it directly. A flash piece often takes a flat deposit since the total price is already known. Hourly and project work more often use a percentage deposit, since it scales with the estimate rather than staying fixed against a number that might change. See the full tattoo deposit policy guide for how to set the amount and what happens on a no-show or reschedule.
Publishing prices on your shop’s website
A shop’s website is where most of this pricing actually gets read, before a client ever calls or messages. Publishing flash designs with their prices right on the site turns browsing into booking without a conversation in between. A published starting hourly rate does similar work for custom pieces, setting expectations before a consultation so inquiries that were never going to fit the shop’s price point filter themselves out. See /tattoo-website for how a shop’s site handles flash boards and rate pages.
Running all three at once
Most established shops do not pick one model, they match the model to the work. Flash for ready-to-go designs, hourly for custom single-session pieces, and project pricing for sleeves and back pieces that will take months to finish. Turbo Link supports flash and hourly pricing together with projects for multi-session work, so a shop is not forced into a single model across every artist and every piece. See the full tattoo feature set on /for-tattoo.
Questions people ask
What is the difference between flash and hourly tattoo pricing?
Flash pricing is a fixed price per pre-designed piece, chosen from a board of ready-to-go designs. Hourly pricing charges by the time the piece takes, used for custom work where the size and complexity are not fixed in advance. Most shops run both, matched to the kind of work being booked.
When should a shop use project pricing instead of hourly?
Project pricing sets one total for a piece that will take multiple sessions, like a sleeve or a back piece, so the client knows the full cost up front instead of an open-ended hourly estimate. It works when an artist is confident enough in the scope to commit to a number.
Should flash prices be listed on the shop's website?
Yes. Publishing flash prices per piece lets clients pick a design and know the cost before they ever contact the shop, which cuts down on back and forth messages asking what something costs.
Do hourly rates need to be public too?
Publishing a range, like a starting hourly rate, sets expectations before a consultation. Exact quotes for custom work usually still happen after seeing the design and the placement, but a public starting number keeps out inquiries that were never going to fit the shop's price point.
Can one shop run all three pricing models at once?
Yes. Flash for walk-in ready designs, hourly for custom pieces done in a single sitting, and project pricing for multi-session work are not mutually exclusive. Most established shops use some mix of all three depending on the artist and the piece.