I often get asked, "Can I make a stencil with Cricut?" And my answer is always yes! It is a very fun thing to do. I have so many Cricut stencil ideas as the options are endless.
There are so many different fonts for stencils out there, but if you're anything like me, sometimes you have your favourite fonts, and you don't want to use a stencil font! So we are going to cover the exact process of how to make a stencil font with Cricut Design Space using a font from Envato Elements. And in the process, you'll also learn what materials you'll need to make a Cricut stencil.
Be sure to follow how to make a stencil on Cricut along with the video version you'll find below, in which I cover the same method, but with a slightly different approach. You can use either the approach in this article or the video from the Envato Tuts+ YouTube channel—they will both teach you how to make stencils with Cricut and also what cut font is great for stencils in Cricut.
This process of how to make a font into a stencil font on Cricut is quite a simple one, but there are a few key things that you need to know in this process that can make or break your Cricut stencil project.
What You Will Learn in This Cricut Stencil Cutting Tutorial
- How to turn a font into a stencil in Cricut Design Space
- How to cut your Cricut stencil material
What You Will Need for This Stencils With Cricut Tutorial
- something to make a stencil out of (acetate, transparency, frosted sheets)
- a Cricut machine
- a clean standard grip mat
- Sundae Ice font
1. How to Turn a Font Into a Stencil in Cricut Design Space
Step 1
On an existing canvas in Cricut Design Space, open a text box by clicking Text on the left-hand side of the screen
Step 2
Next we need to change the font, so click on the name of the font to change it.
Step 3
In the search bar, type the name of the font you're going to use—I used Sundae Ice in this tutorial
Step 4
Once you have the non-stencil font selected, your text should change to the font you want, and you can type your word. I used "Happy Birthday".
Step 5
Now we need to add something to help us turn a font into a stencil on Cricut. Click on Shapes and add a square or a rectangle. I find a rectangle works best here.
Step 6
On one of the corners of the shape, hover your mouse over, and you will see it change to an arrow. This will allow you to click and drag the box to make it bigger or smaller.
Step 7
We are going to make this shape a lot smaller for it to work properly. Try to make it roughly the same width as the font you have chosen (though you should have it a little bit bigger if you have chosen a very thin font).
Step 8
Right-click on the shape and duplicate it a few times, so that you have some copies and don't have to repeat the above few steps over and over.
Step 9
Hover your mouse over the corner again and move it slightly further away from the shape, and you will see your cursor change to a curved arrow. This will allow you to rotate the rectangle in a direction that best suits you.
Step 10
Now we can create our stencil font letters! Move the shape so that it overlaps with your text in a place where there is an enclosed middle part, like the centre of the "a" in this example.
Step 11
Click, drag, and select both layers.
Step 12
Select Slice at the bottom right of the screen (you can also right-click and hit Slice). If this is greyed out, you have more than two layers selected.
Step 13
In the Layers panel on the right-hand of your screen, you will see a few different layers. The bottom layer is our stencil, and you can select the rest of the slice result layers by holding Shift on your keyboard and selecting the layers. Then delete them.
Step 14
Repeat steps 9 to 13 on every space you can see that has a closed space like the example we used, and your design will look something like this!
Step 15
Insert another shape into the canvas—this time, I used a square. This will be the outside of the Cricut stencil material.
Step 16
Right-click on the square and click Send to Back.
Step 17
At the top of the screen, you will need to click the little padlock icon to unlock the proportions—this means that we will be able to adjust the height and width at the same time.
Step 18
Resize it to cover your entire phrase, and be sure to leave enough space on all sides as an overlap. This helps to keep your Cricut stencil project as clean as possible
Step 19
Select both layers, click on Align, and click on Center.
Step 20
With both layers selected, right-click and select Slice.
Step 21
Move the sliced layer away from the text, and delete the layers you don't need.
Step 22
Make sure the stencil is the right size you want it, scaling it up or down using the corners to change the size of your stencil for Cricut.
Be sure to remember to look at the sizing of the wording, and not the total length and height at the top—we have left room for your edges!
You are now ready to cut your Cricut stencil with vinyl, acetate, or whatever Cricut stencil material you are using.
2. How to Cut Your Cricut Stencil Material
Step 1
Once you are happy with the size of your stencil, click the green Make It button at the top of the screen.
Step 2
With your Cricut machine turned on and connected, make sure the material load type is set to On Mat as you cannot cut non-Smart materials without a mat. Click Continue in the bottom right-hand corner.
Step 3
If you don't have the material on your Favourites panel, you can click Browse All Materials, and it will open up a list of materials you can choose from.
Step 4
Choose the material closest to what you're cutting. Be sure to cut a small shape before cutting your entire design if you are using a new material to make sure you have the right cut setting for your Cricut stencil material.
Step 5
Select the material you want to use, and click Done.
Step 6
Remove the protective sheet from your mat, and load the Cricut stencil material onto your standard grip cutting mat. Make sure it is properly stuck down by pressing on it everywhere or using a Brayer/applicator to press it down on the mat.
Step 7
Load the mat into the machine by pressing the load/unload button, and start the cut by pressing the play button.
Step 8
After the cut has been completed, unload the mat, and you can easily remove your stencil from the cutting mat. If you are using a thin stencil material, be sure to flip the mat over and curl the mat away from the stencil material so that you don't bend/break the material you are using.
Congratulations!
Your stencil is now complete, and you now know how to make stencils with Cricut. You can use some of the best stencil fonts to make super fun projects with it!
The Best Stencil Fonts From Envato Elements
If you are looking for some of the best stencil fonts to use for Cricut stencils, check out these suggestions. These are some of my favourite fonts for stencils, as they are great to change into a stencil font to make stencils with your Cricut. Hopefully after reading through this, you will know what cut font is great for a stencil in Cricut.
1. Bananito (OTF & TTF)
This is one of my favourite fonts to show how to make a stencil font with Cricut. It has clean lines and easy-to-navigate sections that we can convert into the perfect Cricut stencil cutting project! This one gives me so many awesome Cricut stencil ideas that I can make!
2. Revillia (OTF & TTF)
If you want to know how to use Cricut stencil in vinyl, this is a great font to start with. The small lines connecting the letters together make it one of the best stencil fonts for this Cricut tutorial method.
3. Gabriely (OTF & TTF)
If you want to know what cut font is great for a stencil in Cricut, look no further! This script font has all the bells and whistles you need when learning how to make a stencil with Cricut. The clean lines make the letters easy to work with, and the connecting parts of the letters are also small, so it's easy to turn this into a stencil for Cricut!
4. June Morning (OTF & TTF)
If you are asking "Can I make a stencil with Cricut that isn't a perfect font?" then this is a great example. This is a great font to use with a Cricut stencil in vinyl, as well as to convert to a stencil. The uneven edges and hand-drawn nature of this font make it forgiving of any errors that you may make too!
5. Arkibal Mono (OTF & TTF)
There are more fonts I'd like to show you, but wrapping up this list is a nice block-style font that works very well when making stencils with Cricut. Find more great fonts on Envato Elements.
Learn More Cricut Skills
You might want to know more about what cut font is great for stencils in Cricut, so be sure to check out the below articles for some more amazing Cricut stencil fonts and some skills you might need for your project.
