TL;DR: Yes—when a temporary tattoo sheet contains separate motifs, cut out the design you want before applying it. Keep the printed artwork intact, leave the backing and protective layers in place until the product directions tell you to remove them, and follow the instructions supplied with that sheet.
When Should You Cut Out a Design?
Cutting is useful when one sheet contains several independent tattoos and you only want to apply one of them. Separating the chosen motif makes it easier to handle and position without involving the unused designs on the rest of the sheet.
Do not split a composition that is printed and intended to transfer as one complete design. If the artwork overlaps, shares a background, or is presented as one connected piece, treat the product instructions and the printed layout as the deciding source.
How Should You Trim It?
Use clean scissors and cut around the selected motif without cutting into the printed artwork. There is no single exact margin that is correct for every temporary tattoo sheet, so do not rely on a universal measurement. The goal is to isolate the motif while keeping the design and its transfer layers intact.
Apply the Separated Motif Normally
After trimming, use the directions for that specific water-transfer product. The full temporary tattoo application guide covers skin preparation, transfer, pressing, and aftercare. You can also browse the current Beauty of Papers shop to check which sheets contain multiple separate motifs.
Bottom Line
Cut out one design when a sheet clearly contains separate motifs. Protect the printed artwork, avoid inventing a fixed trimming margin, and let the sheet’s own instructions control the final preparation and application steps.