When I first got my Silhouette Alta®, I was elated. Why? Because I’ve been dreaming about making my own letterboard letters ever since this machine was released. Well, my dreams have come true because I made them! Now I can completely customize my letter boards for every holiday, birthday—you name it. I’m sure you’re just as excited as I am, so without further ado, here’s how to make DIY letter board letters!

Supplies Needed:

Step One: Create Design in Silhouette Studio®

1. Start by creating your letters in Silhouette Studio. For one design, I typed my own phrase, and for the other design, I used Design ID #234361.

2. For the tab that will stick into your board, create a tiny little rectangle for each letter. I used the ruler markers, as you can see, to make sure each tab is in the correct spot and to make sure your letters will line up on your board.

3. To make the tabs of the letters long enough to hold your letters onto the board, double-click each square on top of each other.

4. Simply select each square, hold down Control or Command + C, and then hold down Control or Command + F. That will copy the square, and then paste it right on top.

5. Now, you will need to group each individual letter with their squares. Hold the Shift, select the letter/square and group them using Control or Command + G.

6. Do that to each individual letter and its squares.

9. Flip your design horizontally (mirror the design) and save it.

Step Two: Open Design in Silhouette 3D™

1. Add just enough letters that will fit in the design area. I wanted my letters about two inches tall and .28 inches thick.

2. Hold down the Shift key and select all the letters and their tabs, and group them all together. When you hit Print, your screen should look similar to this picture. If you don’t group the letters together when you are in the Design tab, each letter will be separated into its own print job.

Step Three: Print Letters

1. Go the 3D Print tab and select the Standard (PLA) print settings.

2. Make sure you have loaded your filament and calibrated your machine, if needed.

3. I had to print my letters in three batches, so it took about three hours for all the letters to print.

Step Four: Paint Letters (Optional)

1. I wanted some of my letters to match my Christmas colors, so I simply painted them with craft paint. I left the other letters white, and they totally look like store-quality letter board letters.

I am so impressed with the quality of these letters, and with the Silhouette Alta®. It was like set it and forget it. Once it starts printing, you can take a nap, clean the house, or design your next Alta project. I actually catch myself watching the Alta print, haha. It’s pretty mesmerizing and quite relaxing. I love this machine!