Nail printer: features of use and application of designs

What is a nail printer

A nail printer is a small device, similar in function to a regular inkjet printer with cartridges, that prints designs, patterns and images directly on the nails.

You can choose from several functional types of printers from different manufacturers:

1. Mini options for one nail;
2. Mobile printers, medium in size, weighing about 1.5 - 2 kg;
3. Large desktop nail printers that can print on multiple fingers at once.

• The first and second options are suitable for professionals providing services in small salons or at home, since it is possible to transport them when working on the road.
• The second and third options are most often used in salons with a large flow of clients to save time. They also make it possible to print designs on the toes, provided that the toe is accurately fixed.

The cost of such a device ranges from 30,000 to 60,000 rubles. Manufacturers claim that the capacity of one cartridge is enough for 500 or 1000 printed designs, depending on the model. Next you will need to change the cartridge. The cartridge itself costs about 3,000 rubles. In more expensive models, the user receives higher and more accurate print quality, an increased volume of images built into the device’s memory, and a high variability of shades.

Sample business plan for a nail studio

In order to evaluate the benefits of the proposed investments, we suggest comparing two tables: income and expenses. As a result, we will reach the breakeven point and calculate the monthly profit.

Initial Investment

Monthly expenses

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Income

Payback comes in the 3rd month of the project at 70% load. Starting from the 4th month, the company will begin to generate a profit of 82,900 rubles.

The essence of technology

1. The printer’s memory contains a base of ready-made image designs; you can select them from there and print them on the prepared nail.
2. The second option is to connect your phone to the printer, having first downloaded the recommended application onto it, and choose from thousands of design options in the application catalog.
3. The third option is to print a photo from your phone, a picture from any source on the Internet, or even a screenshot.

The device has built-in Wi-Fi, which allows you to connect your phone or tablet to it.

In the front part of the printer there is a hole with a lock, where one or more prepared nails are placed, then the desired design is selected, the size is adjusted, and it is sent for printing.

While the process is in progress, you cannot move your finger so as not to smudge the drawing. After printing is completed, the design is dried in a lamp and must be sealed with a topcoat, as with regular gel polish coating.

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For printing, it is better to choose contrasting, clear images in good quality, since when applied, the contrast and sharpness of the lines are lost, and if they were not in the source, then the result is not what you wanted.

#3 Print with stripes: variety of designs with lines

A seemingly simple stripe can create hundreds of unique nail art designs. In addition, drawing a stripe is much easier than pop art patterns. When creating patterns with stripes, it is not necessary to use straight lines. Experiment as you please: make broken lines, combine them with dots, decorate a separate part of the nail.

Equipment

It differs depending on the model, list of functions and dimensions of the device, but we will consider the most optimal set that can be obtained when purchasing a model in the mid-price category of 30,000 - 45,000 rubles.

The printer comes with:

• Instructions;
• Power unit;
• Coating kit: base, top, printable Print Gel in white and transparent shades;
• Wipes soaked in auxiliary liquids;
• Liquid mask or stickers to protect the skin when printing;
• Artificial finger for gluing artificial tips;
• Mini LED lamp in some configurations.

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For drawings and photos, it is better to take a white backing, and when printing on glitter or a colored background, a transparent option is suitable. The printer ink only goes on the backing, so it is the most important in this set. The rest of the varnish, base or top can be replaced with your own from existing options.

Preparing nails for printing

This is one of the longest preparation stages, since in comparison with it, applying a design with a printer takes a maximum of 15-40 seconds per nail. Preparing nails for printing designs with a printer comes down to the following scheme:

• A trim or hardware manicure is performed;
• Nails are degreased with a cleanser;
• The base coat for gel polish is applied;
• Apply colored gel polish or just a white tone and dry it in a lamp;
• The skin of the side rollers and cuticles is treated with a protective mask, Skin Defender, or protective stickers are glued;
• Print Gel from the printing kit is applied to the nail.

Working with the base coat: preparing the nail, applying a base for leveling

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How to place your finger in the printer: move it along the groove until it stops. To fix it, you need to press down with your finger. Pressing down again releases the finger from the latch.

Also, before printing, the printer must be warmed up:

1. To do this, we print 2 or 3 designs on training tips.
2. The second option is to rinse the bottom of the cartridge with a cloth soaked in warm water or a special liquid that comes with the kit.

How to apply stamping tint?

Tints

have become a relatively new product for decorating stamping drawings. These are translucent, liquid, bright varieties of varnishes used for reverse stamping or to create watercolor manicure. They allow you to create a smooth gradient transition on your nails. The tints are applied to a sponge and transferred to the nail with a blotting motion (they must be secured with a transparent top coat). The light textures of the tints do not weigh down the nails, allowing you to conveniently paint the elements of the patterns strictly in the right places in the design. Stamping tints have become a creative toy for food lovers, allowing you to create new colors by layering shades on top of each other. Fans of stamping highly appreciated the speed of drying of the tints and the ease of their removal. The stamping design with them is light, airy and feminine.

Step-by-step instructions for printing designs on nails

After preparation, the process itself takes from 15 to 40 seconds, depending on the device model.

Let's look at the step-by-step execution:

• Select the desired picture from the collection of the printer, application or phone memory;
• The finger is placed in the printing hole;
• The picture is adjusted to size and placed in the desired angle. We see all this on the phone screen. You can set the picture to translucent, then the nail itself will be visible underneath it;
• The finger is fixed in a motionless state, and the picture is sent for printing;
• After 15-40 seconds, the printed design is ready, you can remove your finger from the printer;
• Remove the protective film or sticker from the cuticle and side rollers;
• The print is dried in a lamp in gel polish mode. The darker the design, the longer it will take to dry. The criterion for readiness is that the nail ceases to shine and the coating acquires a matte texture;
• We process the ends of the nails with a file from below, removing excess particles of paint;
• We cover the resulting design with a thin layer of topcoat and dry it in a lamp. The first layer of topcoat is designed specifically to seal the design and ends;
• The second layer of topcoat levels the surface and creates an even highlight.
• Remove the sticky layer for the dispersion product;
• Remove paint residues from the side rollers using a remover;
• Apply cuticle care product.

The printer uses safe water-based ink, which, even if it is not completely removed from the side rollers after printing, is easily washed off after several contacts of hands with water.

Advantages and disadvantages

Like any new device, a nail printer has its pros and cons. Let's look at what you should pay attention to when purchasing a model.

Pros:

• Fast payback. The manufacturer claims that the investment will be returned after providing the service to 200 clients;
• Exclusivity. The status of the salon and the level of the master immediately increases. The novelty attracts attention and makes you want to try this design at least once as an experiment.
• Save time. Printing takes much less time than hand painting;
• Easy to use. A clear interface, ease of operation and configuration are suitable for independent mastering of the device;
• Durability of the coating. Since the design is covered with a top coat, the durability of the design is no different from the durability of a manicure with gel polish.
• Variety of designs. It is possible to print any drawing, photo, graphic you like, experiment with shades, and also create compositions yourself before printing.

Minuses:

• With strongly curved or uneven nails, the design may fit worse in some areas, especially at the edges;
• Printed designs look better on long nails, where there is more space for a completed composition and the application of large image details. Exceptions are small geometric patterns and details;
• The printer cannot be left idle for a long time if the device is purchased for home use. In this case, the cartridge head dries out and it may simply fail. It is recommended to “print” your nail printer at least once a week using training tips.
• Price. The product is new, competition is low, and there are few analogues. Because of this, the price can hardly be called affordable.

What plates (discs) for stamping are of the highest quality?

It is certainly a shame when the most beautiful stamping polish is transferred to the nails with an unclear pattern. The key to quality stamping is a quality slab. A high-quality plate has an optimal engraving of the design. The engraving should be deep enough to be filled with varnish well, and so that the varnish does not dry out while removing the excess with a scraper. Also, the board should not be so deep that the entire varnish is “sunk” in the engraving. Then you simply won’t be able to transfer anything to the stamp. The engraving must be uniform in depth: no holes or hills, gaps or missing areas, no scratches. The latter, unfortunately, are rarely found even on high-quality slabs and are a manufacturing defect. For a beginner in stamping, a good choice would be a plate that combines accent designs for nails of different sizes (wide and narrow, short and long). We receive good reviews about the quality of plates from Konad and MoYou London brands.

Popular brands

The device can be purchased on Aliexpress, as well as at professional nail art industry exhibitions and in professional stores offline and online. Brands that are already on the market:

• Hollywoodnails;
• Eget HP;
• O'2Nails;
• Wonder Nail Printer;
• Art Pro Nail;

The most popular printer is O2Nails. You can choose the device in different colors. Cartridges are included and can then be purchased separately. A cartridge refilling service is also available.

O2Nails X12.5

The most expensive of the models under consideration, and all because it is the latest development of the company. The printer is equipped with a built-in screen, which allows you to not connect your phone to the printer and go into the application.

Print speed – 10 sec.

The maximum length of the nail is 3.5 cm.

Screen diagonal – 10.1 inches.

The printer body is made of aluminum, which makes it resistant to physical impact.

Dimensions – 39.7*32.3*67.5

Weight without packaging – 9.64 kg.

The printer package from the manufacturer includes all the necessary items to get started: - printer with power supply, cartridge for 800 images, 7.5 W LED lamp, basic gel polish, white print gel, cuticle stickers, top coat, holder for tips to make a test print.

The cost of this model from the official distributor is 87,890 rubles.

O2Nails M1

Another model from the O2Nails brand, but more budget-friendly. The concept of budget in the case of printers is, of course, relative, but this option costs a little less than 40,000 rubles. This printer is not equipped with a screen, but it is easy to control through a special application for Android or iOS.

The printer comes with a cartridge for 250-300 images.

Print speed – 20 sec.

The maximum length of the nail plate is 32 mm;

The body is plastic, and the printer itself is small, especially compared to the X12.5.

Dimensions 16*10*13.9 cm.

The printer weighs only 0.5 kg, which makes it easy to carry, for example, when visiting a client. The model is available in several colors – pink, white, orange, turquoise, purple – this allows you to choose a device that will fit perfectly into the interior of your salon or office.

M1 can be charged using a power bank, which makes it completely autonomous and not tied to a location. Prints on 1 nail in one go.

Eget HP

The main advantage of Eget, which users note, is that it is able to print an image on 5 nails at once, which means that the procedure for designing both hands is reduced. Not least in the list of advantages is the “filling” of the printer, which is assembled on the basis of HP, a manufacturer of office equipment and printers, among others.

Housing – plastic

Dimensions – 43*28*25 cm.

Weight – 3.5 kg.

The cartridges you insert into the printer are ordinary ones - you can buy them at any office equipment store. This means that you don’t have to wait for delivery from the manufacturer if the paint suddenly runs out.

But this advantage also conceals its main disadvantage. Manufacturers of special inks for printers claim that they use a special safe composition that does not harm the skin in any way. Regular paint from the hardware store is not as safe.

The printer is controlled using a computer on which special software is installed.

Art Pro Nail V9

Chinese made printer with touch screen. The presence of a display allows you not to connect a phone or laptop and work directly. The dimensions of the model are impressive – 42*60*30 cm and a corresponding weight of 16.7 kg.

Art Pro Nail V9 is installed in beauty salons or on islands in shopping centers. High printing speed – 15-30 seconds, allows you to serve customers quickly and without loss of quality.

Case material – plastic.

More than 500 templates are stored in the device’s memory, but you can also use your own images. When purchased on the official website, the printer comes with a starter kit for printing about 1000 nails.

Printing is carried out 1 finger at a time.