True Ink

Your skin tells your story. Write it right.

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The Problem

Every year, millions of people sit down in a tattoo chair and make a permanent decision based on a 2D sketch on paper.

  • 24% of tattooed Americans regret at least one tattoo — 21 million people
  • 48% of those who regret got their tattoo spontaneously
  • The tattoo removal industry is worth $1.13 billion — and growing at 15.6% annually

The tools people use to decide? Phone camera. Paper stencil. Imagination.

Current AR preview apps (InkHunter, Inkjin) project flat 2D images that don't bend with your body, can't show you multiple angles, and disappear the moment you put your phone down. They don't solve the problem. They approximate it.

The Solution

TrueInk is the first mixed reality tattoo preview app built for the real world — on your real body.

Using the Meta Quest 3 and the Logitech MX Ink stylus, users can:

  • Draw custom designs directly onto their skin with pressure-sensitive precision
  • Preview curated or AI-generated designs with true 3D conformity to body curvature
  • Walk around and see the tattoo from every angle through Quest 3 passthrough
  • Simulate how the tattoo will look in 5, 10, and 20 years
  • Adapt ink rendering to any skin tone, accurately
  • Collaborate in real-time with a tattoo artist in colocated mixed reality
  • Export a print-ready stencil and walk into the shop with confidence

Try before you ink.

Why This Is Only Possible with MX Ink

No other input device can do what MX Ink does for this use case:

MX Ink Capability TrueInk Application
Pressure-sensitive tip (0.0–1.0) Line weight control — like a real tattoo machine
6DoF precision tracking Draw exactly on 3D body surfaces
Pen form factor Natural tattooing metaphor, zero learning curve
Haptic feedback Simulates the buzz of a needle while designing
Fine replaceable tip Precision placement impossible with controllers

TrueInk does not work without MX Ink. It is not an app that uses the stylus — it is an app that could only exist because of it.

Market

Segment Size
Global tattoo market (2024) $2.14B → $5.99B by 2034 (10.6% CAGR)
Tattoo removal market (2024) $1.13B → $3.57B by 2032 (15.6% CAGR)
Tattooed Americans 88.5 million
US tattoo artists 52,000
Meta Quest users 40M+ (distribution channel)

Total addressable market: $3.27B combined tattoo + removal spend.

TrueInk doesn't compete with tattoo artists. It makes them more valuable — and makes every client more confident.

Business Model

Revenue Stream Model
Consumer App Free + $4.99/mo (design library, AI generation, aging simulator)
Pro — Tattoo Artists $19.99/mo (client mode, stencil export, booking integration)
Design Marketplace Artists sell designs; TrueInk takes 20%
B2B Licensing Shop chains, conventions, tattoo expos

Year 1 target: 100,000 paid subscribers = $6M ARR

Technical Approach

  • Engine: Unity 2022.3 + URP, optimized for Quest 3 (72+ FPS target)
  • Input: MX Ink via native OpenXR interaction profile (pressure, haptics, 6DoF)
  • Preview: Quest 3 Passthrough API + Body Tracking + Depth API for body-conformed overlay
  • Rendering: Pre-integrated SSS skin shader; UV-space texture painting on skinned meshes
  • Collaboration: Photon networking + Meta Shared Spatial Anchors for colocated artist sessions
  • AI Design: Stable Diffusion API for text-to-tattoo generation

No existing app on any platform combines passthrough MR, body tracking, pressure-sensitive stylus input, and skin-tone-aware rendering for tattoo preview. This is a first.

The Differentiators

Aging Simulator — slide a time dial to see fade, color shift, and skin change over 20 years.

Colocated Artist Mode — artist and client both wear Quest 3. The artist draws on the client's real arm using MX Ink. Both see the design appear in real-time, in the same shared space.

Skin Tone Adaptation — ink rendering that works on all skin tones. Less than 12% of tattoo datasets include diverse representation. TrueInk closes that gap.

Stencil Export — finalize the design in MR, export as a print-ready file, apply the real stencil the same day.

Competition Landscape

Competitor Format Limitations
InkHunter Mobile AR Flat 2D overlay, requires marker on skin, no curvature conformity
Inkjin Mobile AR Phone-based, single angle, no skin tone support
TattooVR PC VR Avatar-based only — not your real body
Master of Tattooverse Meta Quest Entertainment game, fictional characters

No MR passthrough-based real-body tattoo preview exists anywhere. TrueInk is the first.

Built with Logitech MX Ink for Meta Quest 3.

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