Tattoos on Chitin Armor

If a humanoid species of what are essentially people covered in chitin, how would they color themselves in the way we get tattoos? I considered the idea of etching or carving, but that wouldn't leave much room for color. Some parameters for this is that the armor is rather thick, 3 inches in some cases, and there is plenty of technology available to this species that's beyond modern technology.

In summary, without cutting into the chitin (for structural and decorative reasons), how could an advanced race of crab-like humanoids give themselves permanent tattoos?

posted over 6 years ago

Ely Miller‭

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