Material & Settings Picker
The right substrate makes or breaks a stencil. Tell us the application, how much detail, and whether you'll reuse it — we'll point you to the material and settings that fit.
Recommended material
Mylar sheet (7.5–10 mil)
Mylar is washable and durable, so a reusable spray stencil survives many passes without softening.
Settings: Cut with a craft knife or vinyl/laser cutter; keep bridges ≥ 2 mm; black-only art at 100%.
General guidance for typical setups — your machine, ink, and surface may need tuning. Always test on a scrap first.
Match the material to the job
Thermal paper suits tattoo transfers; durable mylar or stencil vinyl wins for reusable spray and paint work; removable vinyl is best for one-off craft projects; emulsion-on-mesh holds the finest screen-print detail. Once you've picked a material, set the line weights with the line-weight calculator.
Ready to make the stencil?
StencilIQ converts your artwork into a print-ready, auto-bridged stencil sized for your material.
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