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Guide · Choosing a machine

Find the machine to cut your stencils

Your answers (tap one to change it)

Some links on this page are affiliate links, each one labeled. If you buy through one, the manufacturer pays us a commission; you pay the same price. The ranking is computed first, without knowing which brands pay us: models with no link follow the same rules.

What your Cricut Maker 4 can do

No buying advice: here is what your machine cuts for stencils, up to what thickness, and where it stops. The data comes from the manufacturer's site; where the manufacturer states nothing the judgment is ours, cautious, and we say so.

Blade cutterA blade that follows the drawing, like a printer that cuts. No smoke; thin, soft materials only.

Stencil materials and thickness

Clear PET film (Mylar)its ideal material
A blade cuts the film cold: no fumes and no melted edge.
fine up to 190 µm · at the limit at 250 µm · not enough at 350 µmthe manufacturer states no maximum: our own cautious judgment. Make a test cut
Frosted, white or light-blue PET film (Mylar)its ideal material
A blade cuts the film cold: no fumes and no melted edge.
fine up to 190 µm · at the limit at 250 µm · not enough at 350 µmthe manufacturer states no maximum: our own cautious judgment. Make a test cut
Dark, opaque PET filmits ideal material
A blade cuts the film cold: no fumes and no melted edge.
fine up to 190 µm · at the limit at 250 µm · not enough at 350 µmthe manufacturer states no maximum: our own cautious judgment. Make a test cut
Cardstockits ideal material
Cuts cardstock with no burn marks on the edge.
fine up to 0.3 mm · at the limit at 0.6 mm · not enough at 1.5 mmthe manufacturer states no maximum: our own cautious judgment. Make a test cut
Adhesive vinyl / PVCits ideal material
Adhesive vinyl is what a blade cutter does best, and a blade is the only safe way to cut it.
Plywood or MDFdoes not cut it
A blade does not cut rigid or thick materials such as plywood.
Acrylicdoes not cut it
A blade does not cut rigid or thick materials such as acrylic.
Thin steeldoes not cut it
A blade does not cut rigid or thick materials such as thin steel.

How big the stencil can be

20 × 28 cmin one piece
28 × 40 cmin one piece
40 × 60 cmsplit into 3 parts
45 × 100 cmsplit into 4 parts

What it cannot do

Does not cut plywood, MDF, acrylic or metal.
Tiny holes and sharp inside corners: the blade drags, so keep details a little wider than for a laser.
Thick stencil film (250–350 µm): the manufacturer does not rate it; in our view it is at or beyond the limit.
Without the mat it only cuts the maker's own “Smart” materials; film and cardstock need the mat.

SVG files

Opens the StencilVector SVG at no extra cost.

Software: Design Space

Now prepare the stencil file

In the Stencil Maker you upload an image, check the bridges (the tabs that hold inner parts in place) at real size and download the SVG or PNG to open in your machine's software.

Open the Stencil Maker

Full guide: materials, settings, model comparison →

Seven short questions. You get one recommended machine and two alternatives, each with the reasons tied to your answers, the trade-offs and what it cannot do. Diode lasers, CO2 lasers and blade cutters (craft cutters such as Cricut and Silhouette, and roll-fed vinyl cutters), judged by the same criteria.

36 models · specs and prices read on the manufacturers' sites on October 14, 2026

The brands we compare · 17 brands

Brother
Cricut
Graphtec
Roland DG
Silhouette
Siser
VEVOR
LaserPecker
WeCreat
OMTech
ComMarker
Glowforge
Sculpfun
Longer

Photos and logos appear only where the manufacturer lets us use them; they do not affect the score.

How we work out the recommendation

No artificial intelligence and nothing left to chance: a score from 0 to 100 made of fixed rules. The same answers always give the same result.

01Material first. A machine that cannot cut it does not enter the ranking, whatever else it offers; one that cuts it only with serious limitations can be a fallback among the alternatives, never the recommendation. Adhesive vinyl and PVC are cut with a blade only: in a laser they release hydrogen chloride, so for that material every laser is excluded.
02A blue diode laser does not cut clear materials: the manufacturers say so themselves. xTool states that it does not cut white or blue acrylic either: to be safe we treat frosted, white and light-blue film the same way. With a diode only dark, opaque film is fine. CO2 and blade have no such limit.
03Thickness decides. We compare the one you chose with the maximum the manufacturer rates the machine for: within 60% is fine, up to the maximum is at the limit, beyond is not. Where the manufacturer states nothing the judgment is ours and cautious, we say so in the first line, and the material mark counts for 90%. For hobby blades on film: fine up to 190 µm, at the limit at 250, beyond at 350.
04Size is a constraint. First come the machines that hold the stencil in one piece, then those that hold it with an accessory; only if there are none do we suggest the closest one, saying how many parts it takes, and never with more than 70 points. Roll feed and pass-through count only if the manufacturer states their length.
05Budget is a ceiling, in your region's currency. A machine more than 10% above it cannot be the recommendation; if none is left we say so and show you the cheapest. An alternative is never more than half again above the ceiling. Where opening SVG takes a paid edition of the software, that cost is added to the price.
06An open-frame laser or a CO2 laser in a lived-in room with no outside vent is excluded. An enclosed diode laser with no vent is marked down, because it needs a purifier. A model that is out of stock on the manufacturer's site is never the recommendation; one the manufacturer does not sell in your region does not enter the ranking.
07Ease of use and fitness for production are our own ratings, 1 to 3, based on the software, the machine type and the use the manufacturer states. We have not tested every machine: where data is missing, we say so. For everyday production hobby machines drop out of the top three and mid-duty ones never score above 85.
08The top three never holds two machines from the same product line and, where possible, the brands differ. An alternative never has more points than the recommendation. On equal points the cheaper one wins, then the one with the larger area: when that happens we say so. Steel has no recommendation: the answer is a cutting service.
09If you do not know the material yet, you can tell us what you want to decorate: we suggest the stencil material and thickness (our own judgment) and each machine is rated on the first one, in order, that it cuts well. Without this answer we keep the average of the most common materials.
10At school, or around children or the public, we keep blade cutters and enclosed lasers the manufacturer rates as Class 1; when the size fits both, the recommended machine is a blade cutter. Open-frame lasers and lasers with no stated class are excluded.
11Starting cost, warranty and returns are facts read on the manufacturers' sites, with the date: they do not enter the score and do not move the budget.
12A machine that would have to split the stencil into more than 6 parts never enters the advice, neither as the recommendation nor as an alternative. If that leaves fewer than three machines, we say so.

How much each answer weighs (points out of 100)
	Stencils only	Stencils and more
Material and thickness	40	30
Stencil size	20	15
Budget	13	11
Volume	7	5
Space and fumes	8	7
Experience	7	5
SVG files	5	4
The other jobs	—	23

Affiliation is not part of the calculation: the code that assigns points never receives the list of brands we have a deal with. The tracked link is added afterwards, and only where the program is active; otherwise the link goes to the manufacturer's site and earns us nothing.

The sources behind the rules

Next to each original title you see what the page is about.

The most common cases

Six situations we hear about often, with the answers already filled in. The finder calculates the result right now: it changes when the data changes.

Stencils for the walls at home
Clear PET film (Mylar) · 0.19 mm (190 µm · 7.5 mil) · Up to 28 × 40 cm (11 × 16 in) · Now and then · At home, no outside vent · $400 to $1,000
Today the finder recommends: Cricut Maker 4 96/100 · then Silhouette Cameo 5α, Siser Romeo 24"
See the result
Signs and large lettering
Dark, opaque PET film · 0.25 mm (250 µm · 10 mil) · Up to 45 × 100 cm (18 × 39 in) · Every week · Workshop or garage · $1,000 to $2,500
Today the finder recommends: Siser Romeo 24" 84/100 · then Roland VersaSTUDIO GS2-24, xTool S1 40W
See the result
At school or with children
Cardstock · Up to 0.3 mm · Up to 20 × 28 cm (8 × 11 in) · Every week · At school, or around children and the public · Up to $400
Today the finder recommends: Cricut Joy Xtra 97/100 · then Silhouette Portrait 4, Siser Romeo 24"
See the result
Vinyl for shop windows
Adhesive vinyl / PVC · Up to 40 × 60 cm (16 × 24 in) · Every week · At home, with a hose to the window · $400 to $1,000
Today the finder recommends: Cricut Venture 100/100 · then Siser Romeo 24", Silhouette Cameo Pro MK-II
See the result
Dusting cakes with icing sugar
Clear PET film (Mylar) · 0.125 mm (125 µm · 5 mil) · Up to 20 × 28 cm (8 × 11 in) · Now and then · At home, no outside vent · Up to $400
Today the finder recommends: Cricut Maker 4 96/100 · then Silhouette Portrait 4, Brother ScanNCut DX SDX125E
See the result
You already have a Cricut Maker 4
Cuts well: clear PET film, frosted or light PET film, dark, opaque PET film, cardstock, adhesive vinyl
Does not cut: plywood, acrylic, thin steel
See what it can do

Calculated right now by the finder, with manufacturer data read on October 14, 2026. Prices and stores for: USA and rest of the world ($).

Frequently asked questions

Can a diode laser cut clear Mylar?

Poorly. Blue diode light passes through clear, white or light-blue film, or bounces off it: the cut fails or comes out ragged. A diode only cuts dark, opaque film well. For clear Mylar the finder points to a CO2 laser or a cutting plotter.

Cutting plotter (like Cricut) or laser for stencils?

It depends on the material, its thickness and the size. A blade cuts thin film, cardstock and adhesive vinyl and makes no smoke; it does not cut wood or acrylic. A laser also cuts rigid sheets and thicker film, but it makes smoke. The 7 questions weigh these limits for your case.

Do I need a fume extractor or a vent to the window?

With a laser, yes: every laser makes smoke, and in a lived-in room you need an enclosed cabinet vented outside or an air purifier. A cutting plotter makes no smoke. PVC and adhesive vinyl never go in a laser: they release hydrogen chloride.

Are the prices up to date?

We read them on each manufacturer's site, and every price shows the date it was read; the data was last updated on October 14, 2026. The price that counts is the store's price when you buy.

Do you earn if I buy through your link?

Some links are affiliate links, each one labeled: if you buy through one, the manufacturer pays us a commission and your price is the same. The ranking is computed first, without knowing which brands pay us.

Why does a machine with no link sometimes win?

Because every model follows the same rules: material and thickness, size, budget, space, pace and experience. The calculation does not read links: we only learn which ones are affiliate links afterwards.

I already have a machine. Is this any use to me?

Yes. Pick «I already have a machine» in the first question: you see what it cuts for stencils, up to what thickness and where it stops, with no buying advice.

What file do I need to cut the stencil?

A vector file: the StencilVector Stencil Maker gives you the stencil as SVG and PNG. For each model the finder tells you whether its software opens SVG at no extra cost.