# Making reusable stencils with Stencilify

> stencil-ready text with bridges built in

Cut the word HOME out of a sheet and the centers of the O drop straight onto the floor. A stencil font solves that with bridges, and Stencilify applies that treatment to your text automatically: type a word, pick a font, and the tool generates the bridged, cut-ready negative.

The result works anywhere a stencil works: spray-painted crates and signs, etched glassware, painted porch boards, or a 3D printed stencil plate you can rinse and reuse for years.

## What you need

- **Laser cutting:** laser cutter, thin [acrylic](https://yxecreations.com/pages/acrylic-sheets), mylar, or 3 mm [laser-grade plywood](https://yxecreations.com/collections/laser-grade-plywood) for rustic one-off stencils
- **Vinyl cutting:** Cricut or similar, removable or stencil vinyl, transfer tape, weeding tools
- **3D printing:** any FDM printer, one spool of filament; PETG survives solvent cleanup better than PLA

## Step 1 - Type your text



Open the tool and enter your wording in **Your Text**. Pick a sturdy **Font**; bold faces with thick strokes survive repeated paint passes far better than delicate scripts. The preview shows the bridges holding every island in place.

## Step 2 - Size and orientation



- **Text Width** sets the real-world size; check it against the surface you plan to paint, not just your material sheet.
- **Invert Stencil** flips between cutting the letters out of a plate (paint through the holes) and cutting the letters as positives (paint around them for a reverse stencil).
- The **Units** toggle switches between millimetres and inches to match how you measured your project.

## Step 3 - Export



Download an **SVG** for laser or vinyl cutting, or an **STL**/**3MF** to print a rigid stencil plate at your chosen thickness.

## Laser Cutting

### Cutting a stencil plate



1. Import the SVG and cut from 0.5 to 1 mm mylar for a flexible, wipe-clean stencil, or thin acrylic for a rigid one.
2. Leave a generous border of material around the text so paint cannot sneak past the edge.
3. For one-time rustic projects, 3 mm plywood works fine and doubles as a gift in itself.
4. Check the smallest bridges after cutting; if any look fragile, re-export with a bolder font or larger Text Width.
5. Tape the stencil down, dab paint with a nearly dry brush or light spray passes, and lift straight up.

## Vinyl Cutting

### One-time adhesive stencils



1. Cut the SVG from removable or dedicated stencil vinyl.
2. Weed the letters out, keeping the bridges intact, and move the stencil with transfer tape.
3. Burnish the edges down hard on the project surface; crisp paint lines come from good adhesion, not thick paint.
4. Paint in thin coats, peel while the last coat is barely tacky, and pull the bridges away with tweezers.
5. Vinyl stencils conform to curves, which makes them the best choice for glasses, mugs, and rolling pins.

## 3D Printing

### Printing a reusable stencil



1. Export the 3MF at 1 to 2 mm thickness; thinner flexes to follow gentle curves, thicker stays dead flat.
2. Print face down on a textured plate so the paint side has some grip.
3. Use 100 percent infill at this thickness; it is only a few perimeters anyway.
4. PETG handles acetone and aggressive scrubbing between uses better than PLA.
5. Print several copies of a logo stencil for market-booth crates and packaging so a paint-clogged one never stops you.

## Make it yours

- Make a porch-board stencil set: family name plus established year in two sizes.
- Cut a coffee stencil from thin acrylic and dust cocoa over lattes with a logo or initial.
- Use Invert Stencil for reverse stencils: paint the whole board, place the letter positives, spray a second color, and peel.
- Stencil crate numbers and labels for matching workshop storage.
- Etch glassware by stenciling etching cream onto tumblers with a vinyl cut.
- Print a 1 mm flexible stencil for curved surfaces like buckets and planters.
- Spray-paint burlap gift bags with a holiday word for fast batch wrapping.
- Keep a printed alphabet of single-letter stencils in a drawer for ad-hoc labelling.

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Open the Stencilify: https://www.mylasertools.com/stencilify
Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/stencilify