They were drawings that are not complicated and can easily be inked on the chosen body part in one seating. Those were the early, old school types of tat images that were displayed on the walls of shops which were convenient for those looking to get tattooed. Examples of traditional flash are designs such as pinup girls, anchor, eagle, heart, dragon and rose tattoos. The traditional flash are hand-drawn on a piece of paper or cardboard, mass produced usually for rapid tattooing.
Tattoo flash are images that are pre-drawn or created by tattoo artists and put as displays on the walls of studios or filed in binders to serve as reference for clients looking for ideas and designs for their tats.