The recent rise in the popularity of body art has been driven in part by the painless process of temporary tattoos. Korean company Prinker Korea Inc has taken this one step further. With the world’s first digital temporary tattoo device, users can download an image to their phone, transfer it via Bluetooth to the Prinker Korea Inc device and simply roll on a water-resistant tattoo. 

Tattoos have been around for centuries in various forms, often with important cultural or societal relevance. Recently they have become increasingly accepted as a form of personal expression. However, people can be reluctant to go with the permanent and often painful choice of sub-epidermis inking. Especially as in some countries this can only be performed by a licensed doctor. 

Temporary tattoos transferred onto the skin, not beneath the skin surface, have become popular as they give users the creative freedom to express themselves without pain or permanence. Prinker Korea Inc has added flexibility and simplicity by enabling users to create or download a digital tattoo image. So, within a few seconds, they can get a personalized temporary tattoo from design to skin using FDA VCRP (Voluntary Cosmetic Registration Program) and CPNP (Cosmetic Products Notification Portal) registered cosmetic inks.

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Global recognition

One of the challenges that Pinker Korea Inc faced when developing their digital temporary tattoo device and content platform was ensuring the Bluetooth connectivity between the phone app and the printer only needed a minimal power budget. According to Chris Lee, Director R&D: “As our product is portable and uses a rechargeable battery, we were searching for a Bluetooth LE module with extremely low power consumption. But we also wanted a module that is certified in many countries, to reduce our certification costs and speed approval.” 

They found the answer in the Renesas DA14531 SmartBond TINY™ Bluetooth LE module. The module is based on the world’s smallest and lowest power Bluetooth 5.1 system-on-chip (SoC), and comes with an integrated antenna and easy-to-use software to make system development easier.

“Thanks to our local Renesas distributor, who also helped with the development, we knew that the DA14531 was already verified in various markets and being used by big companies. So, from a market perspective, we were confident it would meet our needs. It also offers the world’s lowest power consumption and is very cost-effective. Again, exactly what we were looking for,” Lee adds.

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Scaling up during post-Covid

With two award-winning, consumer-focused products – the Prinker S and the ultra-portable lightweight Prinker M – launched in 2020 and 2022 respectively, Prinker has also had to deal with trying to scale up during Covid. “Fortunately, the Renesas team has been excellent in terms of supporting us during this time,” says Lee. “While initially, we have only been producing in relatively small numbers, with the launch of the Prinker M with its ultra-portability and easy on the pocket price point, we are expecting to further accelerate into the consumer market.”