How Do 1RL to 18RL Round Liner Sizes Change Tattoo Lines?
Introduction: The RL number on a round liner cartridge tells you how many pins are grouped at the tip, and that pin count changes line density, width, and rhythm in outline work. A tattoo apprentice often meets a wall of cartridge boxes with labels like 1RL, 3RL, 5RL, 7RL, and 18RL. It looks like a ranking, but it is really a pin-count ladder. Once you understand that, choosing a round liner for a fine script line, a small geometric outline, or a heavy traditional border stops feeling random. This guide walks through the RL ladder from the single-pin end to the large grouped-pin end, explains how group size affects line density and width, and gives you a simple way to read any RL label you see. Reading the RL Number as a Pin Count Ladder The letters RL stand for round liner, and the number tells you how many needles are grouped inside the round tip. That is the whole idea. A 1RL cartridge has one pin. A 3RL cartridge has three pins gathered into a small circular cluster. A 5RL has fi...