Stencil Generator
Type your text or upload a picture, set the stencil width, and the tool adds bridges that hold the middle of letters and shapes in place. Download a 300 dpi PNG to print, an SVG in millimetres for a cutting machine or laser, or an STL plate to 3D print. It runs in your browser, free and with no signup.
How to make a stencil
- 1
Add text or a picture
Type up to three lines of text and pick a font, or upload a picture. For a picture, choose whether the dark or the light parts are cut out and move the threshold until the shape looks right.
- 2
Set the size
Type the stencil width in millimetres and the border around the design. The height follows the shape of your text or picture.
- 3
Check the bridges
The preview shows the stencil in grey, the cut-outs in dark and the bridges in green. Make the bridges wider for a stronger stencil, or pick two bridges per island so big pieces do not twist.
- 4
Download
Download a PNG and print it at 100% to cut by hand, an SVG for Cricut, Silhouette or a laser cutter, or an STL to 3D print the stencil as a flat plate.
Stencil generator settings
What each setting does and the range it accepts.
| Input | Text (up to 3 lines of 30 characters, bold sans, serif or typewriter font) or a picture (PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG up to 15 MB). Pictures stay on your device. |
|---|---|
| Cut out the | For pictures: cut out the dark parts (usual for logos and line art on white) or the light parts. Transparent PNGs use their transparency instead. |
| Threshold | 0.1 to 0.9. Moves the line between what is cut out and what stays, so faint or busy pictures can still give clean shapes. |
| Stencil width | 30 to 600 mm, border included. The height is set by your design. |
| Border | 2 to 50 mm of solid plate around the design, so the stencil is easy to hold and tape down. |
| Bridge width | 0.5 to 10 mm. The strips that hold islands (the middle of O, A, B, D, P, Q, R and closed shapes) to the rest of the stencil. |
| Bridges | One per island, or two on opposite sides so large pieces stay flat and do not twist. |
| Detail | Draft, Normal or Fine. Fine follows small curves more closely and gives bigger files. |
| Output | PNG at 300 dpi (black = cut out), SVG in real millimetres, or a binary STL plate with the cut-outs as holes (thickness 0.4 to 10 mm). |
What is a stencil and why does it need bridges?
A stencil is a thin sheet with holes cut in the shape of your text or picture. You lay it on a surface and paint, spray or sponge through the holes to repeat the design.
Some shapes have a closed middle, like the inside of the letters O, A, B, D, P, Q and R, or the centre of a ring. If you cut around them, the middle falls out and the letter turns into a blob. Bridges are thin strips that keep those middles joined to the rest of the stencil. That is why stencil letters have their typical gaps. This tool finds every island and adds the bridges for you.
Which file should I download?
PNG: print it on paper or card at 100% scale and cut out the black parts with a craft knife. It is saved at 300 dots per inch, so it prints at the size you set.
SVG: the cut lines in real millimetres. Import it into Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio, Inkscape, LightBurn or another laser or vinyl cutter program and cut it from stencil film, vinyl, card or thin plywood.
STL: a flat plate with the design cut through it. Open it in your slicer and 3D print it. A thickness of 1 to 2 mm works well for most paint stencils.
Tips for a clean stencil
Bold fonts make the best stencils because their strokes are wide enough to paint through and strong enough to hold. Thin script fonts give fragile pieces.
For pictures, use a simple, high-contrast image such as a logo, an icon or a silhouette. Photos with many shades are hard to turn into a stencil; raise or lower the threshold until only the main shapes are left.
Make bridges at least 1.5 to 2 mm wide for paper and card, and wider for spray paint or large stencils. Spray lightly from straight above so paint does not creep under the bridges.
Stencil ideas
Signs, house numbers and names on wood, wall art and murals, T-shirts and tote bags with fabric paint, cakes and coffee with powdered sugar or cocoa, airbrushing and model painting, garden and street markings, and labels on boxes and crates.
Want it in 3D instead?
Turn a picture into a raised 3D model, a stamp or a keychain, or make a whole 3D model from a photo with AI.