Custom Stencil Manufacturing

StenSource International Inc. has been in the stencil business since 1984.
We know stencils.

In addition to manufacturing our own line of stencils as you can see on this site, we also manufacture for a number of other stencil companies. Other stencil projects have been for the military, government, museums, businesses and private individuals. We can handle any quantity you need, with many of our customers routinely ordering 5,000 pieces and up. If you only need one stencil, please note that our minimum order is $100, so it may or may not be economical for you, depending on your intended use.

We provide state of the art laser and router cutting on various plastics, in a variety of stock colors, with custom colors available. We even have a plastic that is FDA approved that can be used for cake decorating and other food applications. We do not offer die cutting.

What we need from you in order to give you a quote.

1. The overall size of the plastic that you want us to use (we will leave ½” margins around all sides of the design if you do not give us specific outside dimensions).
2. The actual size of the design itself. This is especially important if you send us a reduced copy.
3. How many of each design do you want? The price will be different if you want 10 or 10,000.
4. How soon do you need this? If it is a rush (usually under 1 week turnaround for final stencil to reach you), there will be a rush charge added, assuming we can even meet your deadlines. Please allow 2-3 weeks for normal turnaround and to allow for the prototype to reach you my mail or UPS.
5. We will ask you what color plastic you want and let you know what we have in stock to choose from. Do you need a hang hole at the top? Do you need a label or packaging? Do you want rounded or square corners? These are all options we offer and will ask you about before we produce your prototype to be sure you are getting exactly what you want.
6. Your design.
   
   

   It must be able to be cut as a stencil (see example below). If it is not, our Graphics Department can probably make it cuttable, but we charge $65/hr. to do design work. So, it will save you $$$ if your design, when submitted to us, is cuttable.

   We prefer to get designs in electronic format because it saves us set up time, which means it saves you money. The best format for us is .dxf, which is a CAD format (AutoCad, for example). Next best is an .ai (Adobe Illustrator) file in PC format. If you don’t have that, just send a .tif or .jpg. Email it as an attachment to

   You can also fax it to us at 209-536-1805. Be sure to put your name, contact information and finished size of the stencil on your fax.

   Example of a "BAD" design	Example of a "GOOD" design

Our Fees and Terms:

1. Our minimum charge is $100.
2. Our set up fees depend on the complexity of your design and the format in which it is received and the total quantity of stencils. They begin at $20 and can go up to as much as $75 for a complex, overlay design. Most customers find that their designs cost about $30-60 to set up.
3. This set up fee is a one time charge for the first time we set up and cut your stencil. Repeat orders for the same stencil design will only be charged for the stencils ordered. The set up fee includes sending you a prototype of your stencil for your approval, by standard mail or ground UPS. If you need faster delivery, you will be charged for the cost of overnight air, or whatever you request. Minor changes are free, but we will charge for extensive, time consuming changes. We will tell you up front if the change you want will cost extra. Your set up fee and any special shipping charges will be charged to your credit card when your prototype is shipped.
4. Once you have approved your prototype, we can begin production. How quickly we produce your order will depend on how busy we are at the time. We will notify you of our estimated ship date. Under normal circumstances, this would be under 1 week from your approval. Please allow up to 7 business days for UPS to get your order to you if you are on the East coast.
5. All custom orders are required to be prepaid in full before shipping. We do not ship COD. We accept Visa or MasterCard. Orders over $500 require a 50% deposit upon approval of the prototype stencil and the balance to be paid before shipping.