You've got a photo, a logo or a phrase, and you want it as a stencil you can spray. You can cut it yourself with a knife and a lot of patience, or you can have one made. Here's how getting a custom stencil made actually works, what it costs, and what to send so it comes out right the first time.
Step 1: Pick what kind of stencil you need
Most custom jobs fall into one of four buckets:
- Photo stencils. A face, a pet, a car. These need a halftone, where the photo gets broken into dots so it reads as a real picture. More on that on our photo to stencil page.
- Logo stencils. A business logo for a wall, a sign, a truck or packaging. See custom logo stencils.
- Lettering. Names, addresses, quotes, shop signs.
- Multi-layer stencils. Anything with more than one color, cut as one stencil per color with registration marks so the layers line up. Our guide to single-layer vs multi-layer stencils breaks it down.
Step 2: Decide the size
Size changes everything. A portrait that looks great at 22 inches can turn to mush at 6 inches because the dots get too small to cut and too small to spray cleanly. If you're going big, read how to size and scale a stencil for a big wall first. Really big pieces get split into panels that butt up against each other.
Step 3: Send the right file
- Photos: the highest resolution you have, good light, the subject filling the frame. A phone photo is fine.
- Logos: a vector file (SVG, AI, PDF, EPS) is best. A clean PNG works.
- Lettering: just type the words and tell us the font if you have one in mind.
Step 4: Get a proof
A good stencil shop sends you a proof before cutting anything. The proof shows exactly what gets cut, including the bridges. Bridges are the small connectors that keep the middle of letters like O and A from falling out, and on a photo stencil they keep loose dots attached. Check the proof for where those bridges land. If you want the deep dive, we wrote about building strong bridges and hiding them.
Step 5: Approve, cut, ship
Once you approve the proof, the stencil gets laser cut. Laser cutting is what makes detailed portraits possible. A knife can't cleanly cut thousands of tiny halftone dots, a laser can.
What does a custom stencil cost?
At TasteBueno, custom stencils start at $20. The price goes up with size, how much detail the design has, and how many layers it needs. A small single-color logo sits at the low end. A large multi-panel portrait for a wall sits at the high end. You see the exact number on your proof and pay nothing until you approve it.
Card stock or plastic?
Card stock is cheaper and works for a handful of sprays. Reusable plastic holds up to repeated use and cleaning, which is what you want if you're spraying the same design over and over, like a logo on merch or a recurring sidewalk ad.
Get yours made
TasteBueno cuts custom stencils in Las Vegas and ships anywhere in the US. Send your photo, logo or lettering and you'll get a proof with the price. Local? Read more about custom stencils in Las Vegas.
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