Set the lettering
Acrylic Calligraphy Maker and Acrylic Name Plate Maker shape the text in any script with acrylic-friendly minimum strokes. Layered Acrylic Design Maker builds a two- or three-layer design in one go.
Acrylic design · 13 tools
Acrylic signs, name plates and layered designs
Cut-ready acrylic lettering, backing plates, offset layers, thickness and material calculators, and the holes for standoffs, screws and hanging.
Acrylic work is a chain of dimensions that have to agree: the letter height decides the minimum thickness, the thickness decides the minimum stroke, the standoff diameter decides the hole size and the margin from the edge, and the sheet size decides how many plates fit before you pay for a second sheet. Most of the mistakes in an acrylic job are a mismatch somewhere along that chain.
These tools follow that chain in order. The makers shape the lettering for acrylic, the backing and offset generators produce the layers behind it, the calculators recommend thickness and count the material, and the hole generators place standoff, screw and hanging holes at the right diameter and margin. The layout tool then fits everything on the sheet.
Try it here
Acrylic Name Plate Maker
Name on a plate with mounting holes.
How a acrylic design job runs
Pick thickness
Acrylic Thickness Calculator recommends thickness from letter height and mounting: 3 mm for letters up to 150 mm on a backing, 5 mm for free-standing letters to 300 mm, 8 to 10 mm beyond that.
Add the backing and holes
Acrylic Backing Plate Generator draws the plate with corner radius; Acrylic Offset Layer Generator follows the letters at a fixed distance. Spacer Hole, Screw Hole and Hanging Hole Generators place the holes with the right clearance.
Lay out and cost
Acrylic Sheet Layout nests plates on 4 by 8 ft or 1220 by 2440 mm sheets; Acrylic Material Calculator and Acrylic Cost Calculator turn the layout into a price.
All acrylic design tools
13 tools · Name plates, layered signs, backing plates and mounting holes.Acrylic Calligraphy MakerCalligraphy with a backing plate for layered acrylic.Acrylic Name Plate MakerName on a plate with mounting holes.Acrylic Sign MakerShop and office signs with backing plate.Layered Acrylic Design MakerText layer plus offset backing layers, exported separately.Acrylic Backing Plate GeneratorA backing plate offset from any design.Acrylic Offset Layer GeneratorConcentric acrylic layers.Acrylic Thickness CalculatorSuggested thickness for size and mounting.Acrylic Sheet LayoutNest parts on standard acrylic sheets.Acrylic Material CalculatorSheets needed for a batch.Acrylic Cost CalculatorMaterial, cutting time and margin.Hanging Hole GeneratorHanging holes added to any design.Screw Hole GeneratorScrew holes at the corners.Spacer Hole GeneratorStand-off spacer holes for floating signs.
On the machine
Cast versus extruded
Cast acrylic cuts with a polished edge and engraves frosted white; extruded is cheaper, cuts with a slightly melted edge and engraves clear. For name plates and signs, cast; for backing plates that will be painted, extruded is fine.
Standoff holes
Standard standoffs are 12, 16, 19 and 25 mm barrels on 6, 8 or 10 mm screws. Drill the plate 0.5 mm over the screw diameter, keep the hole centre at least 15 mm from the edge, and use four for anything over 300 mm wide.
Minimum stroke
A cut letter needs a stroke at least as wide as the sheet is thick, and preferably 1.5 times: 4.5 mm on 3 mm sheet. Thinner strokes crack at the corners when the standoffs are tightened.
Layered depth
Two layers of 3 mm with 3 mm spacers give the shadow that makes a plate look expensive. The offset layer sits 6 to 10 mm outside the letters and in a contrasting colour, often black or gold mirror behind clear or white.
What usually goes wrong
- Standoff holes too close to the edge. The acrylic cracks from the hole to the edge within a season of sun.
- Letters cut too thin for the thickness. Either thicken the face with the outline tool or drop to 3 mm.
- Forgetting the protective film in the kerf measurement. Film adds nothing to the kerf, but measuring through it misreads by 0.1 mm.
- A backing plate with square corners. Radius them; square acrylic corners chip and cut hands.
- Nesting mirror acrylic without regard for direction. Mirror sheets show a grain in bright light; keep all parts oriented the same way.
Common questions
Which file does the laser shop want?
DXF with cut lines on one layer and engrave on another, at 1:1 in millimetres, which is what every maker here exports. Send the SVG as well if they use LightBurn.
How do I make a two-colour plate from one file?
Layered Acrylic Design Maker exports the letters and the offset backing as separate layers; cut each from its own colour and assemble with spacers or double-sided VHB tape.
What size holes for hanging?
Hanging Hole Generator places 5 mm holes 20 mm from the top corners for wire or cord, or a single keyhole for a screw; both keep the hole away from the edge by the thickness rule.
Can I get Arabic name plates with correct joins?
Yes; the acrylic makers use the same shaping as the calligraphy tools, and the acrylic defaults widen thin strokes so the plate survives cutting.