Letters and signs

3D printed letters
Any size, one at a time

Type a letter, a word or the whole alphabet, pick a font and export an STL or 3MF with every letter as its own solid piece. Scale them in your slicer: up to about 170 mm tall on an A1 mini and 245 mm on an A1 or P1S, bigger if you split them.

By Philipp Baldauf · Updated September 29, 2026

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Block fonts like Anton, Oswald or Baloo 2 print the cleanest big letters. With no base, each letter comes out as a separate part.

How it works

The generator above starts with no base and the Anton font at 8 mm thick. In that mode, block letters are exported as separate solids in one file. That is what you want for wall letters and signs: in Bambu Studio or OrcaSlicer, right-click the model and choose Split to objects, then arrange, rotate or scale each letter on its own.

Script fonts behave differently. We built the generator to join cursive names into one connected piece, so a word in Pacifico or Dancing Script prints as a single sign instead of loose letters. If you want a connected word in a block font, switch the base to Outline or Standing instead. Name sign sizes and layouts covers that case.

Designing and previewing is free and needs no account. You pay when you download: $4.99 for a single design, or Unlimited if you need many files or want to sell the letters.

How big can a letter be on your printer?

Letters print lying flat, so the bed decides the maximum height. Leave 5 to 10 mm of margin for the brim and the purge line. Narrow letters like I, l or 1 fit longer if you rotate them diagonally.

Printer	Bed	Largest letter, flat	Narrow letter, diagonal
Bambu Lab A1 mini	180 x 180 mm	about 170 mm	about 240 mm
Bambu Lab A1	256 x 256 mm	about 245 mm	about 350 mm
Bambu Lab P1S / X1C	256 x 256 mm	about 245 mm	about 350 mm
Creality Ender-3 V3 SE	220 x 220 mm	about 210 mm	about 300 mm

Wide letters like M and W hit the bed width before their height. Check the width in the slicer too.

Print time and filament per letter

Typical values for a capital A in Anton, PLA, 0.2 mm layers, 2 walls and 15% infill on an A1 mini. Your letter and settings will move these numbers, but the scale is right.

Letter height	Thickness	Filament	Print time
50 mm	6 mm	about 3 g	about 12 minutes
100 mm	8 mm	about 12 g	about 40 minutes
150 mm	10 mm	about 25 g	about 1.5 hours
200 mm	12 mm	about 50 g	about 2.5 hours
300 mm, split in two	15 mm	about 120 g	about 5 to 6 hours

At about €20 per kilo of PLA, a 150 mm letter costs roughly 50 cents in material.

From the generator to a letter at the size you want

1
Type your letters
One letter, a word, or up to 5 rows. For an alphabet set, put A to M in the first row and N to Z in the second. Check the preview for letters that look thin at the size you plan.
2
Pick thickness in the editor
Thickness runs from 0.5 to 10 mm. It is measured at the file's default size, so it grows when you scale up. Keep it in mind for the next step.
3
Split and scale in the slicer
Import the STL or 3MF, use Split to objects, then scale each letter. Turn off uniform scaling if you want a 200 mm letter that is 12 mm thick, not 60 mm. Set the height (Y) and width together, and type the thickness (Z) on its own.
4
Print face down for a clean front
The bottom layer is the flattest surface a printer makes. Flip the letter 180 degrees so it lies face down on a smooth or textured PEI plate, and the visible side picks up that finish.
5
Mount or stand it
Use the mounting options below. Test one letter first before you print the whole word.

Letters bigger than your bed

Print large letters one at a time. A full word on one plate is tempting, but one failed layer then costs you every letter, and each letter needs space for its own first layer anyway.

When a single letter is taller than your bed, cut it. Bambu Studio, OrcaSlicer and PrusaSlicer all have a Cut tool with connectors: pick the plane, add two or three dowel or plug connectors, and the slicer adds matching pins and holes. Cut through a straight, thick part of the letter (the crossbar of an A, the middle of an I), never through a thin joint or a curve.

Glue the halves with superglue for PLA, or two-part epoxy if the letter hangs outdoors. Sand the seam with 240 grit and it is hard to see from two metres away. Above about 400 mm, printed letters get heavy and slow: a 400 mm letter can take 250 g and a full day of printing. At that size, foam board or plywood letters are often the better choice.

Hanging and mounting

The file has no keyhole slots or screw holes built in. These methods work without them.

Removable adhesive strips

The easiest choice for walls and doors. One strip holds a 100 mm letter, two or three for 200 mm. Print the back flat, clean it with alcohol and press for 30 seconds.

Double-sided foam tape

Good for signs on wood or glass. The foam also stands the letter off the wall by 1 to 2 mm, which adds a small shadow line.

Keyhole or screw holes in the slicer

Add a cylinder as a negative part in the back of the letter for a nail or screw head. Keep at least 3 mm of material around it so it doesn't crack.

Standing on a shelf

Loose letters need depth to stand. Go to 15 mm thickness or more for letters above 100 mm tall, or use a Standing base in the editor so the word becomes one piece on a plate.

Spacers for a floating look

Glue 10 to 15 mm spacers (a short printed tube or a bottle cap) on the back. The letters float off the wall and cast a shadow.

Outdoors

PLA softens in direct summer sun. Use PETG or ASA for house letters, and epoxy or outdoor mounting tape rated for weather.

Marquee and LED letters: what this tool can't do

We don't make hollow channel letters, bulb holes or lids for LED strips. The letters are solid, and a proper marquee or channel letter needs a shell with walls and a cavity, which is a different kind of model.

What works with solid letters: a halo glow. Mount the letters 15 to 20 mm off the wall on spacers and run an LED strip around the back edge. The light spills onto the wall behind each letter. Printed in white or translucent PETG at 3 to 4 mm thin, a letter also glows a little when a light sits right behind it. For bulb marquee letters, look for a dedicated marquee model or buy a kit.

Ideas that work well

A kid's name above the bed, 100 to 150 mm tall, in Baloo 2 with rounded corners.
An alphabet set for a classroom or a toddler, 50 to 60 mm tall and 8 to 10 mm thick so small hands can hold each letter.
Big initials for a wedding or a photo backdrop, split in two on a 256 mm bed.
Shop or studio signs with letters 150 to 200 mm tall, glued to a board.
House numbers in PETG or ASA, 120 mm or more so they read from the street.
Single letters as gift tags or bookends, printed thick and stood up on a shelf.

Questions people ask

How do I 3D print large letters?

Export the letters with no base, split them into separate objects in your slicer and print one per plate. If a letter is taller than your bed, cut it with the slicer's Cut tool and add connectors, then glue the parts. An A1 mini fits about 170 mm, an A1 or P1S about 245 mm.

Where can I get a 3D printable letters STL?

Type the letters in the generator on this page, pick one of 18 fonts and download the STL or 3MF. Designing is free; the download is $4.99 for one design or included in Unlimited. You can try the sample file on the example page before you pay.

What font is best for 3D printed wall letters?

Heavy block fonts like Anton, Oswald and Baloo 2 print the most solid letters with no thin parts. Script fonts look great as a connected word but make fragile loose letters. More detail is in our guide to the best fonts for 3D printing.

How thick should 3D printed letters be?

About 6 mm for 50 mm letters, 8 to 10 mm for 100 to 150 mm and 12 to 15 mm above that. Letters that should stand on their own need more depth, roughly 15 mm or more for anything taller than 100 mm.

Can I sell 3D printed letters made with NameSTL?

Yes, with the Unlimited plan. It includes commercial use, so you can sell the prints. The single download is for personal use only. See pricing for the details.

Can you make hollow LED channel letters?

No. The letters are solid parts without a cavity or lid. You can still light them from behind with an LED strip and spacers for a halo effect, but for real channel or marquee letters you need a different model.

More in this series

Desk name plateStanding office and cubicle name plates with a name and job title, sized for real desks.Door name signName signs for kids' rooms, offices and front doors, with a flat back that sticks or screws on.Teacher name plateDesk plates and door signs for classrooms, with name and grade, and a class gift idea that costs under a dollar to print.House name signOutdoor house name and address signs, the filaments that survive sun and rain, and sizes you can read from the street.Locker name tagLocker, cubby and shelf labels that stick with magnets or tape, for school, the gym and the workplace.

Print your first letter tonight

Type it, check it in 3D and export when it looks right. No account needed to design. Browse more name plates and signs or see how to print STL files.