New to the concepts? Read the Ordinals & Runes guide first so the steps below make sense. The mechanics shift over time, so treat tool names generically and always verify current docs.
- Choose an Ordinals-compatible wallet. Not every Bitcoin wallet understands inscriptions. Use one that explicitly supports Ordinals so it tracks inscribed sats separately and never spends a valuable one as ordinary change.
- Back up and secure it. Write the seed phrase on paper or metal, offline. Inscribed sats live alongside your BTC, so the self-custody rules apply in full — never share or digitise the seed.
- Fund the wallet. Send a small amount of BTC to cover both the content and the network fee. Verify the receiving address on the device itself before sending.
- Prepare your content. Pick the image or text to inscribe. Cost scales with file size and the current fee rate, so smaller is cheaper — a few KB costs far less than a large image during busy periods.
- Create the inscription. Use the wallet's inscribe function, choose a fee rate appropriate for the current mempool, and review the total cost before confirming. A higher fee confirms faster.
- Confirm & verify. Broadcast and wait for at least one confirmation. Once confirmed, the inscription is permanent and viewable in any Ordinals explorer.
Fake "mint" sites are a common scam. Never connect a wallet to an unknown site or paste your seed phrase anywhere — legitimate inscribing never requires your recovery words.
Costs & timing tips
- Mind the mempool: popular launches spike fees network-wide; inscribing during quiet periods is cheaper.
- Test small first: inscribe a tiny piece of text before committing to a large or important file.
- Keep records: note the inscription ID and transaction so you can find it later.
Bitcoin Penguins is an independent research publication — not a token. Educational content only; nothing here is financial advice. Always DYOR.