What is a stencil?

What is a stencil?

Introduction
	Many printing methods or devices require using a stencil.
	Read the instructions that come with stencils to make sure you have the correct ones for the printing method you are using.

Definition
	A stencil is a thin sheet of material such as wax-coated paper, cardboard, or vinyl, which does not allow moisture to pass through it. Text or designs are created by cutting through the stencil so that a substance such as ink or paint can be forced through the openings onto a surface to be printed.

Kinds

Different brands of stencils may differ somewhat from each other, but there are four main kinds of stencils:

Mimeograph stencil
- Material used is strong paper saturated or coated with wax.
- Text is written, typed, or printed directly onto the stencil.
- Illustrations are drawn directly on the stencil with a stylus.
See:
Preparing mimeograph stencils
Thermal stencil
- Material used is wax-based and strengthened with fibers.
- Stencil is processed in an infrared or thermal copy machine.
- Text and images are burned directly onto a page exactly as they appear on the original.
Electronic stencil
- Material used is vinyl.
- Stencil is put on a scanner side by side with an original copy.
- The stylus of the scanner copies the original by burning thousands of tiny holes into the stencil
Handmade or store-bought stencils for graphics
- Material used is usually heavy plastic or lightweight cardboard.
- Images are cut into the stencil with a sharp instrument such as a razor blade or pointed knife blade, or stamped out by machine.
See:
Preparing a large hand-cut stencil

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Page content last modified: 8 December 1998