
Disposable tattoo supplies are very important for keeping things clean and sterile. The needle and tubes are the parts that get contaminated with blood and cleaning and sterilizing them is time consuming. An autoclave has to be used and these are not easy to come by. Most artists simply use disposable needles.
Disposable tattoo supplies can actually save a tattoo artist money and time. Autoclaving needles and tubes is time consuming and the device is very expensive. Disposable needles can be found for as low as 10 cents a needle. Even though most tattoos use a few different types of needles it is still cheaper and much safer as each needle has been pre-sterilized and is individually wrapped.
Disposable tattoo supplies such as tubes are also recommended and actually required in many states. The tube holds the ink and is also the grip for the artist. The needle goes through the tube and picks up ink before inserting it directly into the dermis, the second layer of skin. This gets contaminated easily so it is important to have plenty of sterile tubes as well as needles.