Tools and apps

The right tool changes what is practical. A thermal stencil printer makes transferring a client reference a two-minute job; a home inkjet plus carbon paper does the same for a fraction of the cost with more steps. Software matters just as much: an AI converter, a threshold filter, a vector tracer and a cutting-machine app all produce different line work from the same photo. This category reviews the tools honestly by method and type rather than by brand hype, explains how to print a stencil at home at the right size and darkness, and includes the full manual for Stencil AI itself: what each editor tool does, when to reach for line weight versus smoothing, how to use the mirror and ink colour options. If you are choosing between buying hardware, subscribing to software or doing it by hand, start here.