Liner tattoo machine and shader tattoo machine are the two basic types of tattoo machines, the two types are made in the similar way with a few different constructions, and their functions are different.
Learned from their name, tattoo machine liners are built to create tattoo outlines, while shaders are built to inject ink to skin according to created outlines.Their main difference in their constructions is the coils, coils and power of liners are all smaller than those of shaders, and the frequency of liners is faster than that of shaders, these differences in construction result in their different functions.
Their used needles are different, but it is the same thing that needles used for liners and tattoo machine shaders must be strictly sterilized and disposable to reduce the infection possibilities of clients. Nine or ten needles often are used to create thick outlines, and sometimes one needle can be used for finer details. Generally speaking, a group of three needles is typically used to complete the most outline work. A liner has another saying ”a round”, the reason is that the liner needles are often arranged in a circular pattern. As a shader is used to inject ink to large areas of skin, it has much more needles than a liner, shader needles are often arranged into two rows in a flat shape. According to their different needle arrangement, it is easy to tell a liner from a shader, the arrangement of liner needles looks something round, and if the needles are arranged into a flat, long shape, looks like a brush or roller, you can know easily that it is a shader.
