Instagram tattoos encourage wearable photo sharing

Netherlands-based photo printing service Picattoos offers to print temporary tattoos of users' favourite Instagram snaps.

With Instagram surpassing 300 million monthly users by the end of 2014 it is no wonder that we are seeing lots of third parties attempting to monetize that user base. There are lots of opportunities for digital photographers to turn their snaps into physical mementos, some stranger than others.

We’ve already seen Boomf turns its users’ pictures into edible marshmallows and Stitchagram prints a selection of them onto hand sewn pillows. Now, Ink 361 are offering Picattoos — temporary tattoos of their customers’ favorite Instagram shots.

Users simply create an account and sync their Instagram or Facebook profile. They can then choose 12 images from their personal photo stream that they want to turn into tattoos — albeit temporarily. Sets cost USD 14.99 and each transfer lasts around one week if looked after well. The ‘insta-tatts’ are laser printed in color onto temporary tattoo paper and Ink 361 will post them anywhere in the world for free.

The latest offering from Ink 361 is not going to satisfy those looking for permanent mementos so the company also offer more traditional products such as prints and photo-books. The monetization of Instagram images is somewhat limited by their relatively small resolution which is encouraging businesses to get creative with their products. Are there other ways to turn Instagrams into a physical product?