A round liner, or RL, is a tattoo needle with its points gathered tightly into a circle. It is used mainly for outlines and thin lines, and it is the most common type of lining needle.
How do you read round liner codes?
The packaging shows the number of points and their thickness. For example, 3RL means three points in a round liner grouping. The more points, the thicker the line. Thin groupings, from a single needle to a few points, are used in fine line. Thicker ones give the strong outline typical of traditional tattoos.
Round liner versus round shader
Both have their points arranged in a circle, but they differ in how tightly they are packed. In a round liner the points are tight, which gives a sharp line. In a round shader they sit more loosely and are used for shading.
Needle choice is up to the artist and depends on the design. We explain how a fine line behaves over the years in Fine-line tattoos years later: ageing.