Needle and cartridge labels contain information that helps identify the product. Learning to read that information is a useful early exercise, but it does not by itself tell you which item or technique is appropriate for a procedure.
Recognise the grouping names
Common labels include RL (Round Liner), RS (Round Shader), M (Magnum) and SEM (Soft Edge Magnum). Check the manufacturer’s terminology.
Do not assume that two products with a similar abbreviation have identical specifications. Compare the actual listing and packaging, not just a photograph or a familiar-looking code.
Read the whole specification
On paper, copy the product name and the manufacturer’s description of its grouping, count, diameter and taper where supplied. Keep those fields separate. If the listing leaves a detail unclear, record a question rather than filling the gap from memory.
Ask your tutor which specifications matter for the assigned exercise and why. Avoid buying a large mixed selection before you understand the course equipment requirements.
Worked example: reading 1205RL
Some catalogues use 1205RL as a compact needle code. Read its three parts separately, then confirm the notation against the manufacturer’s own specification.
12
Diameter code
In this common format, #12 means 0.35 mm for each individual needle.
05
Needle count
Five needles make up the group.
RL
Grouping
Round Liner identifies the grouping.
Taper is still unknown. The bare code 1205RL does not state the taper. Record it as not stated in this code until you find the manufacturer’s taper specification. The code also does not tell you the finished line width.
A real catalogue uses another format
KWADRON describes 0.35 mm as #12. Its cartridge catalogue lists products using wording such as 0.35mm RL – Round Liner – 1pc. Here the diameter is written directly in millimetres. The listing title alone does not identify the needle count inside the grouping; check the selected product’s full specification. This is why decoding a familiar code and checking a specific product are separate steps.
Try the next code
Before opening the answer, write down the diameter, count and grouping you would read from 1207RL in the same common format. Then name the specification that is still missing.
Check your reading of 1207RL
Diameter: 0.35 mm per needle. Count: seven needles. Grouping: Round Liner. Taper: not stated in this code. Compared with 1205RL, the count changes while the diameter code and grouping stay the same.
Keep this as a label-reading exercise. For the equipment lessons and assigned practice that follow, see the online tattoo course for India.
Compare two listings without opening a pack
- Choose two products from the manufacturer’s catalogue.
- Write the full name of each, including its code.
- List the details that match and the details that differ.
- Mark any abbreviation you cannot explain.
- Ask the instructor to review the comparison.
This is a reading exercise. Do not open sterile packaging or handle exposed needles simply to inspect a grouping.
Keep setup questions separate
Product identification does not establish machine compatibility, a safe operating setup or permission to practise on a person. Use the manufacturer’s instructions and the practical training assigned by your instructor. A general guide cannot provide a universal depth, voltage or hand-speed setting.
Use a manufacturer reference
The Kwadron catalogue is one example of a manufacturer organising cartridges by grouping. It is a terminology reference here, not a claim that a particular product is included in a Skinart course or a recommendation to purchase it.
Reference: Kwadron: Round Liner cartridge catalogue.
Connect the exercise to your training
Check the regional course catalogue for the curriculum and practical requirements of your chosen discipline. Bring unresolved questions to your tutor before the next assigned exercise.
