Printable letter stencils A–Z
The alphabet stencil PDF has 26 pages, one uppercase letter per page, about 4½ to 6 inches (11–16 cm) tall on an A4 or US Letter sheet. These printable letter stencil templates are ready to cut: print the letters you need on cardstock, cut out the black shapes, and you have a reusable set of large stencil letters. Click any letter to open its page in the PDF.
Download the stencil alphabet PDF (26 pages)
Number stencils 0–9
The number stencils PDF has 10 pages, 0 to 9, in the same bridged style and size as the letters, so letters and stencil numbers line up in one word. Use them for house numbers, mailboxes, sports jerseys, parking spots, bins and crates. 0 is page 1 and 9 is page 10; click a number to open it.
Download the number stencils PDF (10 pages)
The numbers with islands, 0, 6, 8 and 9, have bridges like the letters. Keep them when you cut, or the middle of the number falls out. For a street number, cut each digit on its own sheet so you can space them by eye on the surface.
What makes a stencil letter different?
A stencil letter is designed so it can be cut out of one sheet without losing any parts. Ordinary letters fail as stencils because of their enclosed shapes: cut out an O and the middle drops away, leaving a blob instead of a ring.
- Islands are the floating inner shapes in letters like A, B, D, O, P, Q and R, plus the numbers 0, 6, 8 and 9 (this stencil 4 is open, so it needs none).
- Bridges are the thin strips that connect each island to the rest of the sheet. They show up as small gaps in the sprayed letter, which is the classic stencil look.
- Even stroke weight matters too. Very thin parts tear in card and are hard to weed in vinyl, so stencil fonts keep strokes bold.
The letters here are built from Saira Stencil One, an open-licensed stencil typeface, and drawn with no outline, no 3D and no shadow. That is deliberate: a stencil is one layer of one color, so every extra effect would need its own stencil. If you want a bubble or 3D look, see layering in the stencil making guide.
How does the stencil maker work?
The generator at the top of this page is a stencil maker for letters. Type a name, word or number and it sets the text in bridged stencil lettering instantly, ready to download.
- Type your text. Short words cut faster and stay stronger. Stencil letters are uppercase only.
- Set the background to None so the file contains only the letters, with nothing else for the machine to cut.
- Download SVG for a cutting machine. The file is plain vector paths with no font inside, so it opens in Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio, Brother ScanNCut software, Inkscape, Illustrator or laser-cutter software.
- Or download PNG to print. Print it on cardstock or tape it under clear film, then cut by hand.
For other text effects there is the full graffiti generator with ten more styles, but only the stencil style is designed to be cut out.
What size should letter stencils be?
Pick the letter height first, based on how far away people will read it, then scale the file to match. Large letter stencils need more than one sheet; small ones need a tougher material. Common heights for spray paint letter stencils are:
- 1–2 inches: labels, boxes, crates and small crafts. Cut these in vinyl or thin film, since card tears at this size.
- 4–6 inches: signs, T-shirts, tote bags and canvases. Letters printed from the PDF land at the low end of this range.
- 8–12 inches: garden signs, garage walls, event banners. Cut one or two letters per sheet.
- Larger: murals and big boards. Tile the letter across several printed sheets, tape them together, and trace onto a big sheet of stencil film or card.
Cutting machines have size limits: Cricut mats come in 12 × 12 and 12 × 24 inch sizes, and you need a little margin around the design. For a long word, cut it in two or three pieces and join them on the wall using a line of painter's tape as a baseline.
How do you cut stencil letters?
By hand, place the printed letter on a self-healing cutting mat, cut along the outline with a sharp craft knife, and leave every bridge in place. With a machine, upload the SVG, choose your material setting, cut, then weed out the letter shapes. Cardstock is fine for a few sprays, Mylar or acetate film is reusable, and stencil vinyl gives the crispest edges for one use. The full step-by-step, including Cricut weeding and transfer tape, is in how to make stencils for spray paint.
How do you use letter stencils with spray paint?
Fix the stencil flat, spray light coats straight on from about 8–12 inches away, and lift it while the paint is still slightly tacky. Thin coats and a flat stencil are what stop paint bleeding under the edges.
- Fix it flat with painter's tape around the edges, or a light mist of repositionable spray adhesive on the back.
- Mask the area around it with paper, because spray paint drifts further than you expect.
- Spray two or three light coats, letting each one flash off for a minute, rather than one heavy coat.
- Lift straight off and touch up any gaps with a small brush.
Spray paint basics, such as caps and can control, are in spray paint for beginners.
How to space and line up stencil words
Lining up the letters matters more than cutting them. Wobbly baselines and uneven gaps are the most common reason stencil lettering looks homemade.
- Mark a baseline. Run a strip of painter's tape level across the surface and sit every letter on it.
- Keep gaps optical, not measured. Round letters (O, C, G) and slanted ones (A, V, W) need slightly less space than straight ones (H, I, N).
- Add registration marks. Cut small notches or draw corner ticks on each stencil sheet so you can put a letter back in exactly the same place for a second color.
- Cut the whole word as one stencil when you can. It keeps spacing locked and saves time if you spray the same word again.
Stencil graffiti and street art
Stencil graffiti grew into its own art form in the early 1980s, when Blek le Rat began spraying stenciled rats around Paris. Banksy later made stencil street art famous worldwide, and Shepard Fairey's posters and stickers use the same bold, cut-out look. Stencils let an artist repeat an exact image or word quickly, which is why they are popular for logos, slogans and signs. Lettering-based graffiti, by contrast, is mostly freehand; see the graffiti styles guide to see where stencils sit next to tags, throw-ups and pieces.
Ideas for alphabet stencils
- Names on bedroom doors, toy boxes and storage bins
- House numbers on planters, mailboxes or a painted board, using the number stencils above
- ABC stencils for kids: trace the letters with crayons or sponge-paint through them for early letter practice
- T-shirts, tote bags and denim jackets with fabric spray paint
- Canvases, skateboard decks and helmets
- Event banners and signs for school, sports or a party
For a printable alphabet to color or trace instead of cut, try the graffiti coloring pages or the printable bubble letters. Graffiti-style digits with color and 3D are on graffiti numbers.
Spray outdoors or in a well-ventilated space, wear a respirator, and only paint surfaces you own or have permission to paint.