Question:
Can a person with no staph outbreaks pass staph to someone they are tattooing?

Answer:
Yes. As mentioned in my article, MRSA & Tattoos - What are the Risks?, "When getting a tattoo or piercing, the bacteria can be passed from the artist to the client, from a tool to the client, or even from the client to themselves." An artist can still be a carrier, which means that the staph bacteria resides on their skin or in their nostrils, but they themselves are not infected.

As long as the artist practices standard safety protocols, your risks is very minimal. But there is always a slight possibility that cross contamination could occur - even if you touch a surface that was contaminated with the bacteria and fail to wash your hands before touching your tattoo or some other viable entry point. It's a voracious disease and total cleanliness is the only way to protect yourself. Seeing as humans are not perfect, it's always possible something may be missed when dealing with something that is not visible to the naked eye.