About Flash2xs.com, LLC

Flash2xs.com, LLC, a Denver, Colorado based company, was created in January of 2001 with the original intent of selling printed tattoo artwork online to tattoo studios. The company was a web-based outgrowth of Crystal Productions, a Business to Business (B2B) distributor of tattoo flash sets – collections of generally 5-10 sheets of tattoo artwork usually printed on 11 by 14 inch paper and typically hung on the walls of studios or displayed in portfolios. Crystal Productions was one of the first companies to sell tattoo flash sets on a large scale and by multiple flash artists, distributing it primarily through trade magazine ads and direct mail of catalogs to tattoo studios worldwide. Crystal Productions was owned and operated by Rachael Bardach, who is now one of the three owners of Flash2xs.com, LLC.

At the turn of the century, Rachael teamed up with her brother, Lou Bardach, to take these B2B tattoo flash set sales online through the creation of the Flash2xs.com website. Flash2xs.com quickly grew into a worldwide leader of tattoo flash set sales, dealing with artwork by dozens of both industry leading and up-and-coming tattoo flash artists.

A Tattoo Industry Innovation: TattooFinder.com

It soon became evident that many of the visitors to the Flash2xs.com website were not tattooists or tattoo shop owners, but end consumers searching for design reference for their own tattoos. Recognizing this high demand by a potentially new market, Flash2xs.com, LLC launched the TattooFinder.com website in April of 2003. TattooFinder.com's goal was to provide top-quality tattoo flash not as sets, but as single tattoo designs primarily targeted for end consumer use (B2C). The designs on TattooFinder.com were all Tattoo Friendly™ (evaluated and optimized for utilization as accurate tattoo reference) and accompanied by an according stencil (the design “blueprint” a tattooist needs to accurately create the tattoo on skin). TattooFinder.com also featured a sophisticated database-driven back-end and e-commerce system that allowed visitors to easily browse through thousands of single Tattoo Friendly designs for free, and purchase only the design(s) and accompanying stencils they desired for their tattoo.

The new website was a resounding success and continues to be Flash2xs.com's most influential venture. TattooFinder.com single-handedly pioneered the direct to consumer, single tattoo design sales model and today, is a leading global provider of Tattoo Friendly design reference to tattoo-seekers. Brett O’Connor, the third owner of Flash2xs.com, LLC was brought into the company to enhance the process through the use of innovation and new technologies that are beginning to make their way to the web.

The Single Tattoo Design Sales Model: Why It Worked

The important lesson TattooFinder.com brought to the tattoo industry was that the website empowered people in their tattoo experience. Traditional printed tattoo flash sets were limited to the wall space in a tattoo studio, and the selection of artwork purchased and displayed by the shop was governed entirely by the particular proclivities of the studio operators. TattooFinder.com was built on virtual real estate with the capacity to provide an unlimited amount of Tattoo Friendly™ design reference. Searching through a database of designs online is much quicker and easier than perusing unorganized designs on a physical wall (and more entertaining as well!). On TattooFinder.com, visitors can take the time they need to make thoughtful decisions about artwork that will last with them a lifetime – and do so in the privacy of their own home or workplace, without the pressure they might feel in a tattoo shop. Purchases made on the TattooFinder.com website make the full-size design and accompanying, high-quality stencil immediately available to print and take to the tattooist of their choice. Customers can then work with their tattooist to have their tattoo vision realized – getting designs tattooed as originally created, personalized with color changes or line thickness to better meet individualized tastes, or even using multiple designs to create a custom tattoo.

Flash2xs.com: What it Means Today

Originally, the Flash2xs.com brand was tied very closely with the sale of tattoo flash sets. With the growth of the TattooFinder.com website and the discontinuation of tattoo flash set sales, the Flash2xs.com brand has expanded in both concept and practice. Flash2xs.com, LLC is now best described as a broker and licensor of intellectual property, specifically tattoo artwork and tattoo information. The Company specializes in the acquisition of tattoo flash, and the production and delivery of products related to it. Flash2xs.com works with incredible flash artists all over the world, either purchasing their artwork outright, or licensing artwork from artists and paying them on a royalty basis from income generated by their artwork.

A primary source of revenue generation is naturally through the single tattoo design sales happening at TattooFinder.com, but the Company also conducts third-party licensing of artwork for uses in other ways. As the “tattoo aesthetic” gains in popularity, Flash2xs.com has become a trusted resource for those wishing to bring the feelings of personalization, self identification, style, and rebellion to their own products that only tattoo artwork can provide. Some examples of this include the work Flash2xs.com has done with major cell phone carriers for the purpose of using tattoo flash for phone wallpaper designs. Flash2xs.com has also licensed artwork to Electronic Arts Inc. (EA) for use in character customization features in their video games. Recently, Flash2xs.com participated in a momentous project with HarperCollins and Barnes & Noble resulting in the publication of The Tattoo Sourcebook, a massive volume of tattoo artwork for perusal by the tattoo fanatic as well as the tattoo curious.

Today, the Flash2xs.com brand represents an authoritative and reliable source for top-quality tattoo artwork and tattoo information, and is known the world over as a trusted friend and resource to tattoo flash artists, tattoo studios, third-party licensors, and most importantly – anyone seeking Tattoo Friendly reference for their next tattoo.