Stencils in plastic

Various stencil materials
Various stencil materials
Custom made stencils
Custom made stencils
A range of stencil fonts
Stencil fonts

Stencils are a reusable template for painted signs

Stencils have a wide range of uses including:

  • adding identification to equipment
  • road and car park marking 
  • product branding and ID
  • safety signs
  • decorative purposes
  • promotional products and temporary signage 
Signmakers produce stencils from polypropylene plastic. We can produce stencils in various standard stencil letter styles or custom make stencils from specific letter fonts. Signmakers can also produce stencil graphics from certain images and logos.


More detail is provided below on the limitations of custom stencils.  Please contact us to discuss the feasibility of complex designs and best stencil material for your job. If you have an image of the graphic you wish to produce it should be sent by email for us to review as part of any discussion.
 
Please consider the following points for stencil production:

  • stencils are not suited for use on curved surfaces - they need to sit flat to the surface
  • minimum letter and graphics sizes apply.  15mm (60 point) block letters would be the absolute minimum size for a small, thin stencil for light use only.  
  • all the block-out areas (the sections not cut out) must be connected
  • script (cursive) joined lettering is not suited to stencil making and will need to be broken apart
  • lower case letters have many more centres and therefore require more connections
  • many letter styles and images/graphics will not be suited to stencil making
  • graphics/logos which have borders or parts within parts are often not suited to stencils
NOTE - If you are going to enquire about a stencil please attach a copy of any logo or image and an indication of the text you wish to reproduce.  Include the dimensions of the image/text you want to create and some indication of how the stencil will be used and whether it is subject to light or heavy use.  Provide any other information that may assist.
Stencil Letter Fonts

There are a range of standard stencil fonts. 
To reduce the need for connectors most are all upper case letters but some have upper and lower case letters.  Legibility varies greatly between letter fonts and generally, the simpler the better. We recommend that you talk to us about minimum requirements before preparing your own stencil artwork.

There also needs to be adequate separation between letters to produce a stencil and it may be necessary to add spacing between letters.

Signmakers can add stencil connectors to most letter fonts.  If you have a business name in a certain font style that you wish to turn into a stencil we can help.  Artwork preparation costs will apply.
Script/cursive and fancy flowing letter styles do not work well as stencils.  Long joined sections need to be broken apart with connectors.

Stencil Images

Stencils do not work well around curves (e.g. the side of a barrel) - stencil material is necessarily rigid - bending it to a curve will cause lifting within the image area and results will be poor.

Minimum sizes - gaps for areas to be cut and material left for connectors must be large enough to be cut.  These must be more than 1.5mm wide.  Tiny letters, small and detailed graphics are generally not practical for stencils. 

Connectors - all of the block-out sections of a stencil must be connected right through to the outside material.  You need to consider how the inner most sections of an image can be connected through to the outside.  The addition of connectors will affect the look of the painted image.  Consider whether the painted results with connectors will ruin the look of the image.

Lower case letters are less suited to stencil making because they are generally smaller and more compact and they have more centres to be connected - for example - E e, G g - the centres in the loops of the lower case letters need to be connected through to the outside.

Image suitability - complex images with fine lines, images with multiple layers (for example an image that is framed by two outer circles or boxes) may not be suitable for stencil production.
We may be able to produce a stylised version of your image that is suited to stencil production but this is a process of compromise to achieve an image that can be used and which will satisfactorily represent the original image.

The sequence below demonstrates development of a stencil from an original logo.  The results still resemble the original logo but are disrupted by the connectors. 
Cast Bronze plaques

One Use Spray Mask

Spray Mask

In addition to re-usable stencils Signmakers can produce a single-use self-adhesive spray mask.  This is an easily removed sticker cut to the desired design which is peeled and thrown away once the painting is completed.  A spray mask does not need the connectors that are essential in stencils and therefore retains the original details and has greater flexibility with what can be reproduced.

Spray mask is only effective on smooth surfaces where the mask can properly adhere (smooth painted finish, flat metal or plastics).  It will not stick to porous and rough surfaces (eg. unfinished timber, concrete, render) and will not form well to curves.  It is better suited to small size stencils - it is not suitable for large road marking applications.

This may be a less expensive alternative if you need to paint only one or two objects, or are seeking to represent an image and wish to avoid all the connectors which are a necessary part of a stencil.