Cursive name keychain
joined, not glued
Type the name, keep Pacifico or pick another script font, and the generator fuses the letters into one connected piece on a keychain plate with a ring. Pacifico and Lobster are the safest scripts at key ring size. Corinthia and Meddon are too thin for it.
By Philipp Baldauf · Updated September 29, 2026
Pacifico in keychain mode is preset. Try Lobster or Yellowtail next to it and compare the stroke weight in the preview.
Why cursive names need help
Script fonts look joined on screen, but many store each letter as its own outline. The connections only touch, or stop a fraction of a millimetre short. Export that as an STL and the slicer sees six loose letters, or letters linked by a sliver thinner than any nozzle. On a plate they'd still print, but the joins show as hairline gaps and the tips of thin strokes chip off.
The generator fixes this before export. It closes the gaps between script letters by sliding the letter bodies into each other until they overlap properly, then merges the outlines into one watertight solid. That happens for all 9 script fonts: Corinthia, Meddon, Dancing Script, Pacifico, Great Vibes, Yellowtail, Kaushan Script, Satisfy and Lobster. Dots on the i and j stay separate, but in keychain mode they sit on the plate, so nothing falls off.
Which script fonts work on a keychain
Stroke widths for the name Emma with the whole tag scaled to 80 mm long, ring included. Approximate values computed from the font outlines: the main stroke is where most of the letter sits, the thinnest parts are the hairlines and tips. A 0.4 mm nozzle draws about 0.45 mm per line, so strokes under 0.8 mm get patchy.
| Font | Main stroke | Thinnest parts | On a keychain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacifico | about 1.7 mm | about 0.6 mm | best pick, round and heavy |
| Lobster | about 1.8 mm | about 0.6 mm | best pick, bold and upright |
| Kaushan Script | about 1.4 mm | about 0.45 mm | good, brushy look |
| Yellowtail | about 1.4 mm | about 0.5 mm | good, retro sign style |
| Satisfy | about 1.1 mm | about 0.35 mm | fine from 80 mm up, prefer PETG |
| Dancing Script | about 0.9 mm | about 0.3 mm | better on 90 mm+ bag tags |
| Great Vibes | about 0.8 mm | about 0.25 mm | elegant, needs a bigger tag |
| Meddon | about 0.65 mm | about 0.25 mm | too thin at keychain size |
| Corinthia | about 0.7 mm | about 0.3 mm | too thin at keychain size |
Meddon looks bold in the picker, but it's a very wide font. A name that fits on a keychain has to be scaled to about half, and the strokes shrink with it. Save Meddon and Corinthia for wall signs, cake toppers and other prints you can make large.
Settings that suit a script keychain
Thickness 3 mm
The letters stand 2.5 mm above the plate, 5 mm in total. Script strokes are narrow, so taller letters don't add strength; they just make thin walls taller and wobblier.
First letter at 1.2 to 1.4x
A slightly bigger capital looks like handwriting. Past 1.5x the capital's swash makes the plate much taller, and the tag gets clumsy.
Plate padding 3 to 4 mm
Scripts have long tails and swashes. A bit of extra padding keeps a descending g or y from ending right on the plate edge.
Light letters on a dark plate
Thin script strokes read best in white, cream or gold on black or navy. For the colour swap, see two colours without an AMS.
From name to printed keychain
- 1
Type the name and pick the font
Pacifico is preset. Short names of 4 to 7 letters look best in script; a long name makes a long tag.
- 2
Set thickness, capital and colours
Thickness 3 mm, first letter 1.2x, then text colour and plate colour. The preview shows the fused name exactly as it will be exported.
- 3
Download the 3MF or STL
Designing is free. A single download is $4.99 for personal use; Unlimited from $9.99 a month adds commercial use (see pricing). The 3MF keeps letters and plate as separate parts.
- 4
Scale X and Y in the slicer
Around 70 to 80 mm long works for keys. Leave the height at 100% so the plate stays 2.5 mm thick. The keychain size guide has the numbers per name length.
- 5
Print flat, 4+ walls
No supports. With 4 or more wall loops the script strokes print as solid lines of plastic. Use the Arachne wall generator or thin wall detection, so the slicer doesn't skip the narrowest strokes.
Cursive with or without a plate
This page uses the keychain base: a rounded plate with a ring. It's the strongest choice, because the plate carries every stroke and the ring takes the pull. If you'd rather have just the name, switch the base to none. The fused script then prints as one free-standing piece, which works for a name on a gift box or a wall. It won't survive a key ring, though: without a plate there's nowhere solid for a ring to go, and a 1.5 mm stroke on its own snaps.
The cursive text guide goes deeper on letters-only script prints, and best fonts for 3D printing compares the block fonts too. If you want a name tag that follows the letter shape, the outline base does that, but it has no ring hole.
Limits of script keychains
Gap closing moves letters a little closer together, by up to a couple of millimetres where they almost touched. Most people don't notice, but a name set in Kaushan Script comes out a touch tighter than in a word processor. The keychain plate is always a rounded rectangle, not a contour. And the thin scripts stay thin: no setting in the generator turns Corinthia into a pocket-proof keychain. If the tag is for a child's bag, a round block font like Baloo 2 on the backpack name tag page holds up better.
Questions people ask
How do I make a cursive name keychain?
Type the name in the generator, pick a script font such as Pacifico and select the keychain base. The letters are fused into one piece on a plate with a ring. Download the STL or 3MF, scale it to about 70 to 80 mm long and print it flat.
Why do cursive letters come apart when I 3D print a name?
Many script fonts store each letter separately, and the joins only touch or leave a tiny gap. Slicers read that as loose parts. The generator slides the letters into each other and merges them into one solid before export, so the name prints as one piece.
What is the best cursive font for a 3D printed keychain?
Pacifico and Lobster. Both keep a main stroke of about 1.7 to 1.8 mm on an 80 mm tag, so they print cleanly with a 0.4 mm nozzle. Kaushan Script and Yellowtail are good second choices; Corinthia and Meddon are too thin at that size.
Can I turn cursive text into an STL?
Yes. The generator works as a text to STL converter for script fonts and exports a watertight STL or a 3MF with separate colour parts. It handles up to 5 rows of text, so you can add a second line like a date. See the text to STL converter for letters-only files.
Can I print a script name without the plate?
Yes, set the base to none and the fused name prints as one free-standing piece. For a keychain that's too fragile, since a single script stroke of about 1.5 mm snaps under a ring's pull. Keep the plate for anything you carry.
Does gap closing change how the name looks?
Only slightly. Letters that almost touched move a little closer so they overlap, usually by a millimetre or two. The shapes themselves don't change, and the preview shows the exact result before you download.