Inkbase

Inkbase is the operating system for tattoo and piercing studios. At the top of its page it says what it is all about: "Run your tattoo studio. Skip the paperwork."

• Client: Orbit GmbH
• Built by: Orbit (Jan)

Inkbase is the operating system for tattoo and piercing studios. At the top of its page it says what it is all about: "Run your tattoo studio. Skip the paperwork."

A studio thrives on art, trust and hygiene, yet it is mostly run with paper, Excel and software that was really built for hairdressers or dentists. For Orbit the story begins in 2023 with a single commission: the digital reception for the seven studios of 2nd Skin. Along the way it becomes clear that every studio in the industry struggles with the same paper. In July 2026 this becomes Inkbase, a product of its own: a platform with check-in kiosk, customer records, consent forms, calendar, team and a portal for customers, and every studio appears in it under its own name, in its own colours.

• Check-in kiosk in six steps • QR code for your own phone • Versioned consent forms • Customer records with health details • Day view for the counter • Admin area across all locations • Four visual identities • German, English, French, Italian

Paper, Excel and sticky tape

A studio's workflows do not fit any standard tool. The customer record holds allergies and medication, the consent form needs a signature, and an appointment runs from the consultation through the deposit to the healed tattoo, with photos of the session and the healing, aftercare and reminders. Until now that has meant paper forms, Excel lists and a folder in the back room. Inkbase maps exactly these processes, not those of a hair salon.

Three routes, one registration

On the studio's tablet, a kiosk guides customers through registration in six steps; on their own phone, a QR code opens the same flow, and at the counter the team fills in a form with the same checks. All three create the person, the signed consent form and, if desired, an appointment in one go. Legal compliance is built in: if someone is under 18, Inkbase requires a guardian's details at two points that cannot be bypassed, and every signature remains tied to the exact version of the form that was signed.

The day at the counter

For the team the day begins in the day view: how many sessions are due today, who is next, who has already checked in, which deposits are outstanding and which aftercare is due, and the day's expected takings. Below is every session with time, customer, motif, location and status, alongside quick links to registration, kiosk, aftercare and the daily export. One look, and the counter knows what is coming.

The studio from above

Anyone running a studio sees it as a whole in the admin area: active customers, registrations per month, locations and subscription, the trend over 7, 30 or 90 days and its breakdown by location. A checklist guides you through the setup, from the logo to aftercare. Five interfaces work together: registration for the team, sign-up for customers, the day view, the admin area and the portal in which customers find their appointments, photos and messages.

Customers see their studio

Inkbase comes with four complete visual identities, each with its own colour and typeface: Brass & Black, Vermilion Crash, Sage Botanical and Sand Mincho. A studio picks one or builds its own, and every view adapts accordingly, from registration to the portal. The platform takes a back seat: customers see their studio, not Inkbase.

From appointment to regular

Every appointment moves up a ladder of seven stages, from registered through consultation, deposit and session to healed, and every change is recorded in the studio's log. On the day of the session the aftercare instructions go out, and the day before the next appointment, the reminder. So a registration becomes a relationship without the team having to think about it.

From one tablet into every studio

Inkbase is in development and not yet live. Every view reads real data, sample content only appears in an explicitly enabled demo, and no money moves through Inkbase today: a studio collects the deposit itself, and payment links are prepared until a payment provider is connected. A repeatable test run checks every function against a studio created only for that purpose. It all began with a tablet at 2nd Skin's reception; today the same tool fits every studio that puts its name above the door.