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24 Oct 2024
Tracy
United Kingdom
I have not done any stencilling for years, really enjoyed ‘jollying up’ this boring old panel door. Huge improvement. Good stencil easy to use/clean/reuse etc. Good fun too.
Fern Leaf Stencil
21 Aug 2024
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Very positive, great quality and easy to use.
Stencil Brush Set - 3 Stencil Brushes - Get the Small Brush for FREE *Save £4.50*
19 Aug 2024
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Bought the Millie in the largest size. Had literally never stencilled properly before. Read the instructions on the site, looked a couple of stencilling videos then went for it. Absolutely gorgeous. The stencil does all the work for you, it’s impossible to do a bad one. Delighted
Millie Mermaid Stencil
18 Jul 2024
Andrea M.
United Kingdom
These are great. I'll post my experience on them ( which isnt reflective of the product itself as 1st time user ). Pros, these are cute, easy to use and stick on in the right place as the faded outline on the stencils help with finding where you...
Lionel, Lesley & Levi Llamas Stencil Set
01 Jun 2024
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Just what I wanted. Good quality and quick service. I have used other stencils, exactly the same review!
Stencil MiNiS - Elephants - 20% off 4+
08 Apr 2024
Anonymous
United Kingdom
My first stencil order - it arrived promplty, is excellent quality, and easy to use. I'll be ordering more!
Stratford Birds in Flight Stencil
27 Mar 2024
Elizabeth E.
United Kingdom
Really great company to deal with and the stencil was easy to use
Woodland Tree Stencil
27 Mar 2024
Avril C.
United Kingdom
I phoned to make an enquiry about these sheets and received helpful information. The stencil sheets are really useful for us to use with our adults who have learning disabilities. I would highly recommend them.
A4 Blank Mylar Sheets x 25 (21x29cm) - 125 micron Mylar
22 Mar 2024
Mrs B.
United Kingdom
Was looking for an appropriate stencil for the shed on my allotment. Searched 'flower' and saw the bunting with a flower, gorgeous! When it arrived I had a freebie, a gorgeous butterfly, what a bonus and appropriate too! I'll use that on pots etc. Thanks so much. I won't go...
Daisy Bunting Stencil
22 Mar 2024
Michelle C.
United Kingdom
I often use your stencils both personally and for my workshops, so they get a lot of use and never fail to impress with regards to quality and design.
Rohan Mandala Indian Motif Stencil
12 Feb 2024
Anonymous
United Kingdom
I found using the stencil very easy. It lined up well and the pattern looks really good. It’s also washable which is great when doing a large area and the paint builds up.
Japanese Circles Stencil
07 Feb 2024
Chris T.
United Kingdom
Having purchased your stencils previously from a local chalk paint shop,i was impressed,so ordered again from your company.
Alphabet Stencil (Upper Case)
22 Jan 2024
Anonymous
United Kingdom
I used the 4inch tiles to re stencil an old side table top. It worked out beautifully and was very easy to use. Having the corner pieces to make the border made it look more professional too.
Kingscote Tile, Border & Corners Stencil Set for Tiles
22 Jan 2024
Stephanie T.
United Kingdom
We were really excited to receive this lovely stencil set for our daughter's nursery, we followed the paint guidance on this website too which was helpful and used chalk paint and flat brushes. It was really fun to paint and deciding where to put all the little creatures and painting...
Woodland Tree & Animals Stencil Set - Save £15!
08 Jan 2024
Jennifer
United Kingdom
Just what I wanted. Good clean cut for excellent prints on fabric
Layla Leaf Repeat Stencil
08 Jan 2024
Jennifer
United Kingdom
Very nice stencil. Expensive but looks robust enough to last well.
Marjorie Flower Stencil
05 Nov 2023
Dee C.
United Kingdom
Excellent quality, very happy with end result
Agapanthus Wall Stencil
01 Nov 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Really lovely quality stencil. I found it very easy to use and it created a lovely border around my dining room walls. I found using spray mount was the best way to attach it to my walls and did not allow any seepage of paint. Would buy from The Stencil...
Acanthus Border Stencil
15 Sep 2023
Michelle
United Kingdom
I had a ball creating this feature wall in my kitchen. The stencil is really good quality & robust.....I had to clean it A LOT!
Burford Branch Border with Birds Stencil
09 Sep 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Good quality stencil. Arrived promptly and well packaged to avoid damage.
Forget-Me-Not Flower Stencil Set
30 Jul 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Lovely stencil, easy to use & clean. Needed a frog design to make a picture for a birthday present, this stencil was perfect.
Lily Pond Frog
06 Jul 2023
Lydia
United Kingdom
Arrived quickly. Easy to use. Love the two separate stencils overlaying to easily produce 2 or more colour design. Very pleased!
Zara Mandala Indian Motif Stencil
20 May 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Lovely stencils highly recommend make Beautiful cards
Stencil MiNiS - Ducks - 20% off 4+
20 May 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Excellent service prompt delivery. Lovely stencil easy to use highly recommend
Stencil MiNiS - Fox & Squirrel - 20% off 4+
20 May 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
Easy to use easy to clean. Makes beautiful cards highly recommend. Excellent service prompt delivery
Stencil MiNiS - Sheep - 20% off 4+
20 May 2023
Camilla F.
United Kingdom
Excellent product and instructions
Dachshund Stencil
17 May 2023
Michelle C.
United Kingdom
Great quality, have bought them previously, will buy them again
A4 Blank Mylar Sheets x 5 (21x29cm) - 190 micron Mylar
24 Apr 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
fabulous design and looks good in my conservatory. Arrived promptly and good quality product
Grapevine Wall Stencil
24 Apr 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
lovely product, easy to use and looks very nice in my conservatory.
Trailing Ivy Stencil
23 Apr 2023
Anonymous
United Kingdom
The quality and price and choice of the stencils is exceptional. Excellent service prompt delivery highly recommend
Christmas Stencil MiNiS Pack 1 (10551 / 10556 / 10554)
Reviews

If you're sending us a design to cut as a stencil we ideally require an Ai outline vector drawing file. If you have a little knowledge of Adobe Illustrator please follow our instructions below. On the other hand, if you've fallen into a state of mild technical panic, don't read any further, just send us the largest picture you have.


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The Technical Requirements

In Adobe Illustrator or similar, open a new file in RGB colour mode. Position your artwork on an artboard at the size you will need it (max artboard size is 1m wide x 60cm high, this is the largest we can cut your design without splitting it onto separate sheets). All lines should be hairline (line weight 0.001 in Ai) and RGB Red to denote a cut line. Lines which need to be etched or marked onto the stencil should be RGB Black. Check all lines are 100% transparency. Cut lines should not overlap. All cut lines should form a shape that will be removed from the stencil - no open ended paths. All stencil bridges should be at least 1mm wide, all cut shapes should have a space no less than 1mm between them. Finally, add an RGB Green sheet cut line around the outside of your design, there should be at least 3cm border between the design (Red) and the sheet edge (Green) and the green line should be approx 2-3mm smaller than the artboard. Save your work in the latest edition of Ai that you have.


Designing your stencil

Each shape to be cut out should be whole, meaning that the line you draw should eventually join up at its starting point. Do not overlap shapes.

So, for instance, you have drawn two circles. You place one circle partially over the other circle. Our laser will read the vector lines and cut out the first circle followed by the second, see the illustration below, the dark area represents the hole in the stencil which you will apply paint through.


Perhaps this is what you wanted? However it is not necessary to cut two circles to achieve this shape, see the illustration below.


Or perhaps you wanted to show the shape of two circles overlapping? Here are some solutions:


or this..


As you can see there are many ways to avoid overlapping cut lines when creating your design. You may want to create your picture or graphic and then add bridges and move elements apart afterwards, or, you can let us do it for you. Whichever way works for you we will always check and amend designs where necessary before cutting so we will advise you if there is a problem.

What are bridges and do I need them?

Bridges may be required to help keep centres of letters or shapes in place.
For example, the letter 'O' - if we cut the outer edge of the letter out the centre will fall out with it, creating a circle.

In order to keep the inner part of the 'O' in place we need to leave small joining strips, linking the outside to the inside part of the 'O', we call these 'bridges'. Bridges are an essential part of the stencil, they join elements that would otherwise fall out of the design, and they add stability to the stencil.

Take the size of the stencil into account when adding bridges (a 3mm bridge is about right for an A4 design). If you're unsure of how to or where to add bridges, don't panic! we can do that part for you.

But what if I need a stencil larger than 1m x 60cm?

Complete your artwork as above, save at the size you need and we'll take a look, some designs split easily (like text) and some designs will need a lot of work, we'll advise you and quote for the extra work if necessary.
 

Still unsure or need further information?

Email us at info@thestencilstudio.com
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