# Personalizing pencils in batches with the Pencil Engraving Jig

> a slotted holding jig plus perfectly aligned text for engraving round things

Engraving one pencil is easy; engraving forty, straight and identically positioned, is a fixturing problem. This tool solves it by generating two things that match exactly: a jig sheet with slots that cradle each cylindrical item, and the text artwork pre-positioned over each slot. Cut the jig once, drop in the pencils, run the engrave pass, swap in the next batch.

Presets cover **Pencil**, **Drumstick**, **Chopstick**, and **Knitting Needle**, and every dimension stays editable, so any roughly cylindrical blank works: pens, dowels, wand blanks, paintbrush handles.

## What you need

- **Laser:** 3 mm [laser-grade plywood](https://yxecreations.com/collections/laser-grade-plywood) or MDF for the jig sheet, plus your pencils or blanks
- **UV printing:** a flatbed UV printer; print the jig PNG template or use the laser-cut jig as the fixture
- **3D printing:** any FDM printer if you would rather print the jig than cut it
- [3M tape](https://yxecreations.com/collections/3m-tape) to lock the jig to the laser bed so batch after batch stays registered

## Step 1 - Pick a preset and measure



Open the tool and choose the **Pencil**, **Drumstick**, **Chopstick**, or **Knitting Needle** preset, then verify **Diameter** and **Length** against your actual blanks with calipers. Under **Layout**, choose **Custom Count** for a set number of slots or **Fill Sheet** to pack as many as fit your **Sheet Width** and **Sheet Height**. **Gap Between Slots** and **Border Margin** control spacing and the structural frame.

## Step 2 - Set the text



- **Mode:** **Engrave & Print** generates filled text for raster engraving and UV printing; **Score** generates single-pass vector text, much faster for big batches.
- Type the **Text** and pick a **Font**; choose **Alignment** (Left, Center, Right) along the barrel and fine-tune with **Text Size** and **Position Offset**.
- **Auto-shrink long text** keeps overlong names from running off the end instead of clipping.
- Add an optional **Symbol** on the Left, Right, or Both ends of the text.

## Step 3 - Export



Click **Download SVG** to get one file with **Cut**, **Slots Cut**, and **Engrave** layers. In Engrave & Print mode you can also **Download Print PNG** for UV flatbeds, and the STL/3MF section exports the jig as a printable tray with adjustable extrusion depth.

## Laser Engraving

### Cut the jig, engrave the batch



1. Cut the jig sheet first: run the Slots Cut and Cut layers only, with the Engrave layer disabled.
2. Without moving anything, tape the jig down and drop a pencil into each slot, all facing the same way with the same rotational position (logo or paint seam down).
3. Run the Engrave layer only. The text lands centered on each barrel because jig and artwork share one coordinate system.
4. Lift out the finished batch, reload, and run the engrave pass again. As long as the jig stays taped, registration holds all day.
5. Use Score mode and a single-line font for the fastest cycle time on large orders.

## UV Printing

### Full-color barrels



1. Cut or print the jig, then load it onto the UV flatbed with the blanks seated.
2. Import the **Print PNG** at 1:1 scale and align it to the jig position in your RIP.
3. Set the print height to the top of the barrel, not the jig surface; the curvature tolerates a couple of millimeters of focus range.
4. Print. White ink underbase first on dark pencils, then color. UV gets you full-color designs that engraving cannot.

## 3D Printing

### Print the jig instead



1. No laser-safe sheet stock on hand? Export the **STL** or **3MF** and set the extrusion depth (3-20 mm) for the tray thickness you want.
2. Print flat in PLA at coarse layers; the jig is a fixture, not a showpiece.
3. A printed jig has slightly grippier slot walls than plywood, which actually helps keep blanks from rotating.
4. Use the printed jig on the laser bed or UV flatbed exactly like the cut version.

## Make it yours

- Classroom sets: every student's name on a pencil for the first day of school.
- Drumstick pairs engraved with a band name make a fantastic gig merch item.
- Wedding chopsticks with the couple's names and date as table favors.
- Knitting needles labeled with their size near the head, a genuinely useful upgrade for knitters.
- Mix names per slot by editing the text between batches while leaving the jig taped in place.
- Engrave a motivational phrase along one side and a name on the other by flipping the blanks and running a second pass.
- Use Score mode with a single-line font for an elegant handwritten look that engraves in seconds per pencil.

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Open the Pencil Engraving Jig: https://www.mylasertools.com/pencil-engraving-jig
Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/pencil-engraving-jig