How to add text
to an STL file
The fastest way to add text to an STL file is your slicer: PrusaSlicer and Bambu Studio both have a text tool that puts raised or engraved letters on any model in about a minute. For more control over fonts and placement, use Tinkercad in the browser or Blender on your desktop.
By Philipp Baldauf · Updated September 29, 2026
The short answer
An STL is only a mesh of triangles. It has no editable text layer, so you can't open it and type. You add a second body made of letters, then either print it on top of the model (raised text), cut it into the model (engraved text) or keep it flush and give it another colour.
If you slice in PrusaSlicer or Bambu Studio, do it right there: right-click the model, add a text part, done. If you use Cura, there is no built-in text tool, so you make the text in Tinkercad or Blender and bring it back as one file. Meshmixer still works for quick letters but is no longer developed.
Before you pick a depth, read raised, embossed or engraved text. A good default: letters at least 5 mm tall, 0.6 to 1 mm raised or 0.6 mm deep when engraved, and strokes no thinner than two nozzle widths (0.8 mm on a 0.4 mm nozzle). The text size guide has the full numbers.
Add text to an STL in Tinkercad
Free, runs in the browser, needs an Autodesk account. Best for beginners and for placing text on flat faces.
- 1
Import the STL
Create a new design, click Import at the top right and pick your STL. Check the units (mm) and the scale in the import dialog so the model keeps its real size.
- 2
Drop a Text shape
From Basic Shapes, drag Text onto the workplane. In the shape panel, type your words and pick a font. You get a handful of fonts (Sans, Serif, Multilanguage and a few more), which is the main limit of Tinkercad.
- 3
Need another font? Use Custom Font Text
Search the shape library for Custom Font Text. It accepts a font file converted to SVG. It works, but converting the font is an extra step and complex script fonts can come out broken.
- 4
Size and place it
Set the height with the corner handles, then the depth with the top handle (1 mm is plenty). Use the Align tool to centre the text on the model. For raised text, let it sink 0.2 mm into the surface so the two bodies overlap.
- 5
Engrave instead: switch to Hole
Select the text and click Hole in the shape panel. Push it about 0.6 mm into the surface. The hole only cuts once you group it.
- 6
Group and export
Select everything, click Group (Ctrl+G), then Export and choose .STL. For two colours, skip the group and export the text and model separately, or select them one at a time.
Add text to an STL in Blender
Free, desktop, the most control and the steepest learning curve. Worth it for curved surfaces, custom fonts and exact placement.
- 1
Import the model
File > Import > STL (.stl). Blender works in metres by default, so an STL made in mm may look 1000 times too big or small. Scale it once, or set the scene unit scale to 0.001.
- 2
Add a text object
Add > Text (Shift+A). Press Tab to enter edit mode, delete the word "Text", type yours, and press Tab again to leave.
- 3
Pick any font
In Properties > Object Data (the "a" icon), open Font and load any .ttf or .otf file from your computer. This is Blender's big win: every font you own works.
- 4
Give it depth
In the same panel, under Geometry, set Extrude. Extrude grows in both directions, so the total depth is twice the value you type. Rotate and move the text onto the surface.
- 5
Convert to a mesh
With the text selected, Object > Convert > Mesh. Now it is geometry, like the STL.
- 6
Join or cut with a Boolean
Select the model, add a Boolean modifier, set the object to your text and pick Union for raised letters or Difference for engraved ones. Apply the modifier and hide or delete the text object.
- 7
Export
File > Export > STL (.stl). Tick Selection Only if other objects are in the scene. For two colours, export model and text as two files, or leave the Boolean out and load both into your slicer.
Add text in PrusaSlicer
Since version 2.6, PrusaSlicer has a text tool that works on the loaded model, flat or curved. No extra program, no export.
- 1
Open the text tool
Load the STL, right-click it and choose Add part > Text, or select the model and press T. The text lands where your mouse was.
- 2
Choose added, subtracted or modifier
Added makes a new part and embosses the text. Subtracted makes a negative volume, which engraves it. Modifier keeps the surface flush and lets you give the text area its own settings or filament.
- 3
Font, height and depth
The font list reads the TrueType fonts installed on your computer. Set the text height and depth in mm, rotate it and move it along the surface.
- 4
Curved faces: Use surface
Tick Use surface so the letters follow a curve. It works up to about 90 degrees of curvature; past that the text distorts more and more.
- 5
Change your mind later
Right-click the text in the object list and pick Change type to switch between part, negative volume and modifier. Double-click to edit the words. For text on its own, right-click the empty platter and choose Add shape > Text.
Add text in Bambu Studio
Bambu Studio has a text tool too: select the model, press T or right-click to add a text part, negative part or modifier, then set font, height, depth and embedded depth. It reads fonts installed on your system and can wrap text onto a surface.
Its best trick is colour: turn the text into a modifier, assign another filament slot, and an AMS prints flush two-colour lettering. We cover the menus, the known quirks and the settings in the full Bambu Studio text guide.
Add text in Cura
Cura has no built-in text tool. You can't type words onto a model in stock Cura, whatever version you run.
There are two ways around it. The NameIt plugin from the Cura Marketplace adds identification text (a number or the part name) in front of each part on the build plate. It's made for labelling parts, not for decorating them. For real lettering, make the text in Tinkercad or Blender, export it as its own STL, load both files into Cura, place the text and use Merge Models so they move together. For a different colour on a single-nozzle printer, add a pause at the layer where the letters start.
Add text in Meshmixer
Autodesk stopped developing Meshmixer and no longer offers it through its own site, but the last version still runs on Windows and macOS and plenty of people keep it for mesh repair.
For text, open the Meshmix panel and find the Letters set. Drag letters onto the model one at a time. They snap to the surface and you can scale and rotate each one. The letters that ship are positive only, so you get raised text. Engraved text needs letter parts you build yourself. With one font and one letter at a time, it's fine for a short label and slow for a full name.
Which tool to add text to an STL
Rough effort for adding a short name to an existing model, for someone who has used the tool once or twice.
| Tool | Cost | Fonts | Raised / engraved | Two colours | Effort |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tinkercad | Free (account) | A handful, custom via SVG | Both (Hole for engraving) | Export parts separately | 10 to 20 minutes |
| Blender | Free | Any .ttf or .otf | Both (Boolean) | Export parts separately | 30 minutes, hours the first time |
| PrusaSlicer 2.6+ | Free | Installed system fonts | Both, plus modifier | Modifier or part per extruder, MMU | 2 to 5 minutes |
| Bambu Studio | Free | Installed system fonts | Both, plus modifier | Modifier plus filament slot, AMS | 2 to 5 minutes |
| Cura | Free | None built in | Only with text made elsewhere | Pause at height | 15 minutes plus a CAD tool |
| Meshmixer | Free, discontinued | One built-in letter set | Raised only | No | 10 minutes for a short word |
Menu names checked against current documentation and forums on 2026-09-29. They can move between versions.
Where each method falls short
Slicer text tools are fast but only as good as your system fonts, and fancy script fonts often overlap themselves or leave letters as separate islands. Thin fonts under 5 mm tall lose detail. Check our list of fonts that print cleanly.
CAD tools give control but cost time, and every edit means another export. And none of these tools checks whether a cursive name will print as one connected piece.
When you only need the name itself
Adding text to an existing model is the right job for labels, serial numbers or a name on a box lid. If the name is the print (a desk plate, a keychain, a cake topper), you don't need a model to start from.
In the NameSTL generator you type the name, pick one of 18 fonts, choose a base like a standing plate or a keychain tag and see it in 3D. Script names are joined into one piece, and the 3MF puts letters and plate on separate filament slots. Designing is free; a download costs $4.99, or $9.99 a month for unlimited files. It can't add text to your own STL, though. For that, stay with the tools above. For a quick comparison of the two routes, see the text to STL converter or the Tinkercad name keychain tutorial.
Questions people ask
Can you edit text in an STL file?
Not directly. An STL stores triangles, not letters, so text inside it is just geometry. To change it you remove or cover the old letters in a mesh tool like Blender and add new ones, or go back to the original CAD file if you have it.
What is the easiest way to add text to an STL?
Your slicer, if it's PrusaSlicer or Bambu Studio. Right-click the model, add a text part, type, set the depth and slice. It takes a couple of minutes and you never export a new file.
How do I add text to an STL in Tinkercad?
Import the STL, drag the Text shape from Basic Shapes onto it, type your words and size them. Leave it as a solid for raised text or switch it to Hole for engraved text, then group everything and export as STL.
Can Cura add text to a model?
No, stock Cura has no text tool. The NameIt plugin adds ID labels to parts, but for proper lettering you create the text in Tinkercad or Blender, load it next to your model and merge the two.
How deep should engraved text be?
About 0.6 mm is a good start on a 0.2 mm layer height, which gives three clear layers. Go to 1 mm for text you want to fill with paint. Keep letters at least 5 mm tall so the grooves don't close up.
How do I print the added text in a different colour?
Keep the text as its own part. In Bambu Studio or PrusaSlicer, assign it another filament or extruder. On a single-nozzle printer without a changer, raise the text and add a pause or filament change at the first layer of the letters.
More in this series
Related Guides
Is the name the whole print?
Type it, pick a font and a base, and see it in 3D. Free to design, paid to download. Or grab the sample STL first.