Reusable Stencil With Custom Design

Reusable stencil made from your own design

Stencils make it easy to paint complex ornaments and patterns onto different surfaces. Reusable stencils are especially useful when you want to repeat the same motif many times – for example on several walls, pieces of furniture or signs. We cut your design with a plotter from durable PET film, which withstands repeated use much better than paper or cardboard stencils.

What is a reusable stencil good for?

A reusable stencil is a good choice when self-adhesive vinyl is not suitable (for example on rough or textured surfaces) or when you want a painted motif that will last longer and look more natural than a sticker. A PET stencil is ideal when the same design needs to be painted on the surface several times or over a larger area, and the design is stencil-friendly:

• decorative borders and patterns on walls and ceilings;
• furniture and cabinet doors (ornaments, words, logos);
• floor markings, arrows and text – for example in industrial or warehouse areas;
• textile projects (fabric paint with a stencil – bags, cushion covers, aprons, etc.);
• craft and hobby projects (wooden boxes, signs, blackboards, wall panels).

A reusable stencil works best for clear, bold text, logos, patterns and symbols that need to be painted in multiple places. It is not suitable for ultra-fine details or very delicate artwork. If your design is not stencil-friendly, we can often offer a one-time adhesive stencil instead.

What does “stencil-friendly” mean?

A stencil-friendly design is something that can be cut out in one piece without falling apart. In other words, the artwork is created with the stencil itself in mind – not only as a nice image on the screen.

Main rules:

1. All parts of the design must be connected

   • The “holes” in letters (O, A, B, D, R, etc.) cannot float freely as separate islands.

   • These inner areas must be connected to the outer shape with small bridges; otherwise they will simply fall out of the stencil.

2. Details must not be too thin

   • Very thin lines, tiny spikes and ultra-small text are not suitable for a reusable stencil.

   • As a rule of thumb: if a line already looks like a “hairline” on the screen, it is too thin for a stencil – the bridges and lines need to be a bit thicker so they survive cutting and repeated painting.

3. There should not be too many tiny separate pieces

   • Designs made up of dozens of tiny dots, dashes or micro-elements are not a good match for a reusable stencil – they either break off quickly or do not stay attached to the stencil at all.

4. Photos and soft gradients do not work directly as stencils

   • A photo needs to be turned into a simplified, stylised version with clear outlines. Stencils work best with strong shapes and clear edges, not with soft gradients or airbrush-style shading.

If you are not sure whether your artwork is suitable for a reusable stencil, you can send us the file – tell us where and how you want to use it, and we will honestly tell you if it works as a stencil or if it needs simplification. If needed, we can also recommend a one-time adhesive stencil instead.

Reusable vs. adhesive stencil – which one to choose?

We offer two main stencil types: a reusable PET stencil (this product) and a one-time self adhesive stencil. They are used in slightly different situations.

• Reusable stencil: best when the same design needs to be used many times (for example wall patterns, floor markings, logos on several objects) or when the surface is not suitable for vinyl stickers (rough or textured surfaces). The design must be stencil-friendly and not overly detailed.
• Self Adhesive stencil: designed mainly for single-use projects but allows for much finer detail. Inner parts of letters and shapes do not need to be connected to the outer shape, so highly detailed logos, floating elements and very small features are possible.

A simple rule: if you need one clear design many times or work on a difficult surface, choose a reusable PET stencil. If you want the maximum level of detail only once, choose our adhesive stencil product instead.

Material and production

Our reusable stencils are made from thin but durable PET film that is suitable for multiple uses. The material is flexible enough to follow slightly uneven surfaces, but strong enough to withstand repeated painting and cleaning. The stencils are cut with a knife plotter, not a laser, which is why extremely fine details are not recommended.

Stencil sizes and maximum artwork area

We cut reusable stencils from 30 cm wide PET film. We offer two standard sheet sizes:

• 300 × 300 mm stencil sheet;
• 300 × 600 mm stencil sheet.

The selected size is the maximum stencil sheet size – your design can of course be smaller. When planning your artwork, please make sure that the design does not go right up to the edge. We recommend leaving some empty margin for taping and holding. As a guideline, the maximum artwork area is about 220–250 mm on a 300 × 300 mm sheet, and roughly 220–250 × 500–550 mm on a 300 × 600 mm sheet.

Artwork files and formats

We accept both vector and raster files for stencil production:

• Vector formats: SVG, EPS, PDF, AI;
• Raster formats: JPG, PNG, TIFF, GIF (preferably at least 300 dpi).

The colours in your file are not critical, because we mainly need the outline of the design to create the stencil. Whenever possible, we recommend preparing the artwork in black and white, as this gives the best contrast and makes the edges easier to read. Files that are very light or low-contrast may not produce clean stencil outlines.

Note: a casual photo of an object or wall is usually not a suitable production file for making a stencil. If you only have a photo, we can often still help, but it may require extra artwork preparation and simplification.

How to order

When ordering, please follow these steps:

• upload your stencil artwork file under product customization before selecting the stencil size and adding the product to your cart, or
• send your design files after placing the order to info@thesigns24.com and include your order reference;
• if you need specific dimensions, write the desired width and height in the customization field or in the order comments;
• choose the desired stencil size (300 × 300 mm or 300 × 600 mm) and add the product to your cart.

If you do not specify exact dimensions, we will usually scale your design to the largest size that fits within the chosen stencil sheet while keeping the original proportions.

Made in Estonia, in the European Union

All reusable stencils are produced by us in Estonia, in the European Union. By ordering from us you support a local manufacturer and receive a professionally made stencil along with helpful support if you need advice about your design.