◆ Mid-slow, heavy hit. Saturated color fill.
Custom Color Packer Tattoo Machine
A Koller Irons custom color packer is a hand-built coil machine tuned for the heavy, deliberate hit that drives saturated color into the skin in a single pass. Travis builds the frame, winds the coils with extra saturation, and tunes the spring set so the needle delivers maximum punch at a controllable speed — typically a 4.0–4.5mm stroke at a mid-slow CPS.
What is a custom color packer good for?
- ✓Saturated traditional and neo-traditional color
- ✓Large solid fills
- ✓Magnum groupings 7M and up
- ✓Bold Japanese fill work
When to pick a different machine
- —Smooth gradations (a shader is better)
- —Tight linework (a liner is better)
Spec & tuning
- Stroke length
- 4.0–4.5mm (tuned for punch)
- Speed range
- ~85–105 CPS
- Frame
- Bulldog or custom — heavier geometry
- Coils
- 12-wrap hand-wound, deep saturation
- Spring set
- Stiffer for harder hit at lower CPS
Color packers run hot under heavy use — Travis specs the coil wrap to handle long fill sessions without sagging.
If you run primarily 9M / 11M+ mags, mention it so he can match the coil saturation to your needle load.
FAQ
Do I need a separate color packer or can my shader pack color?+
A shader can pack color, but it'll fight you on large fills. A dedicated packer hits harder at a slower speed, which means fewer passes and less skin trauma when you're laying in saturated color. If color fill is more than 30% of your work, a dedicated packer pays for itself in elbow fatigue alone.
Why is the stroke similar to a shader if it hits harder?+
It's not the stroke length, it's the spring set and coil saturation. A color packer uses a stiffer front spring and deeper-wound coils, so the same stroke length delivers more force into the skin per cycle. Travis tunes for hit, not just stroke.
Recent builds from the workshop
See more ↗A look at what’s come off Travis’s bench. Each machine is one of one — these aren’t necessarily custom color packers, just hand-built Koller Irons.
