How To Make 3D Printed Cookie Cutters

Armando shows you how he uses free software to create 3D Models for cookie cutters before printing them on a 3D Printer.
We offer cookies and cookie cutters on our Website:
www.armstinascookies.com
Software Used:
Gimp (Photoshop)
www.gimp.org/downloads/
Cura (Slicer)
ultimaker.com/en/resources/51...
Tinkercad (Modeling Website)www.tinkercad.com
Online SVG Image Converter
image.online-convert.com/conv...
Tinkercad (3D Designing Website)
www.tinkercad.com
Main Steps:
I. Gimp
- Turn image into silhouette shape
- Scale image to desired cutter size
- Make extra layers
- Save first layer image (Hole)
- Grow image by 1 mm and save second image (Blade)
- Grow image by 6 mm and save third image (Handle)
II. SVG Converter
- Convert images to .svg files
III. Tinkercad
- Import first image and scale to size
- Increase height of first image to be taller than desired cutter height and turn into a Hole
- Import second image and increase height to desired cutter height (we do 16 mm)
- Import third image and make height desired handle height (we do 2 mm)
- Group layers together and mirror horizontally
- Export model as .stl file
IV. Cura
- Import .stl file into Cura and make sure scale is appropriate
- Set 3D Printer settings
- Save to memory card
Hope this helps!
Keep up to date on social media:
KZbin
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Facebook
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Music:
• Olivaw - Too Young to ... .
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[@krissiacothran481]

I can’t believe how helpful this was. I followed it step by step and got exactly what I wanted. I was very nervous and intimidated by this but you made it so clear and easy. Thank you!!!!!

[@gkneeus45]

You were absolutely what I needed to finally get our image changed into an STL. Thank you so much!!!!! 10/10

[@user-wq6ot9iw8z]

I am a very new beginner at this and I got a printer 3 weeks ago....its a jigsaw puzzle and I have been trying for 3 weeks to figure out how to use it and the settings so I could make my own cookie cutters. I was about ready to scrap the whole thing and then I came across your video! Not only did you provide settings in Cura but you also provided the process for MAKING cookie cutter stl files!! I wish I had found the video 3 weeks ago! Thank you soooooooooo very much for making it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@myuhpants]

This tutorial was so helpful, thank you! I was working directly in Illustrator with the graphics, so vectors were quick and easy. I've attempted to model and print cutters before, and they always seemed tedious; this tutorial has me realizing how difficult I was making it for myself!

[@justshrug1]

Perfect tutorial. Easy to follow and precise. Thank you!

[@Spoodge]

this video is super helpful, ive made alot of cookie cutters for my wife and i keep coming back to this video for the Gimp edit part, thanks man!

[@armstinasfamily]

Glad we can help!

[@innocentiuslacrim2290]

This was excellent, thank you. I have wanted to make a custom cookie cutter for a friend of mine who is a big fan of one old comic. I first looked at ready made options, but there is just nothing available. I think I can do this now. Huge thanks to you.

[@CraigFleek]

Amazing tutorial. Worked almost perfectly for me the first try! I didn't pay enough attention to handle length vs. blade length so I came up short. Easy to fix though! Thank you!

[@M.Hapizul]

Very helpful and thanks a lot!!!. I will surprise my wife since we already buy creality ender-3 printer a year ago..but didn't know how to create our own cookies cutter. May God bless you.,👍👍👍

[@sarahl9545]

Thank you so much for this tutorial!! I have now two new cookie cutters ready to be printed!! Thank you!!!!!

[@armstinasfamily]

Yay!! Glad we were able to help ❤️

[@heavenwaits5192]

Great walk through! Cut my ghost cookie cutter by following these steps then went back and did a different one the next day. Thank you!!

[@armstinasfamily]

Glad to hear!

[@seanward7775]

Learned a lot! Thanks for sharing!

[@isamariacontrerassandoval6591]

Thank you very much! Doing my first cutter right now.

[@kathikellenberger424]

Thanks for this. It's so helpful!

[@kjjdll0125]

Great video, i just bought a Alta + for my wife's cookie business and i have never messed with 3D printing and this is the only video that made the process so easy, THANK YOU.

[@armstinasfamily]

Happy we’re able to help! 3D printing is fun, just requires a lot of patience. Biggest hurdle is when something goes wrong, identifying the issue, and learning to fix it. 🙌🏻

[@MrPhantom302]

Kjjdll01 , ? for you your printer Alta from Silhouette ? if so how is it working for you . if not have a link to the one you have . My cousin is looking to get one for his wife as well , thanks

[@kjjdll0125]

@@MrPhantom302 www.amazon.com/dp/B086BD57WV/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_FtR6Eb00F7WQK it's great, no problems right out of the box

[@MrPhantom302]

@@kjjdll0125 kool thanks

[@aaronsultana3050]

Thanks it really helped me out and great explanation

[@beadingwomanjensen8549]

Awesome video, I´ll go try right away ;-) Thank you ever so much !!!

[@jacquiangus2498]

Thanks for your help I'm looking at a 3d printer but learning more first.

[@JasonSimondsMagic]

Thank you for the great tutorial.

[@NaomNuella]

You are wonderful for sharing this. Thank you

[@armstinasfamily]

Hope it helps! ❤️

[@aModernGirlMakes]

Thank you so much for making this video. I learned a lot. I was specifically looking for slicer settings. I have been using cookiecad to make the cookie cutter stl files.. but now I think I could make my own.

[@armstinasfamily]

Awesome!! Slicer setting are always tricky. Lots of trial and error. Good luck!

[@jerryinman6636]

great tutorial! thank you very much!

[@trishhart6161]

Thank you so much for sharing this - super easy to follow! I couldnt understand how to get my cutters to print with the right thickness, but you have helped me understand the need to layer the image up. Very generous of you to share your method. Thanks!

[@carlasilva4328]

Thanks very much for this video! 💕🙏🏼

[@armstinasfamily]

Thank you!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@charoalvarez-profesionaliz5167]

Thank you so much!!! I bought my printer to make my own cookie cutters but I ´m trying to understand all the process, it seems so complicated!!! but your video is so helpful!!! I will definitely try to do it tomorrow!!! thank you so much!!!!!

[@armstinasfamily]

Awesome!! Good luck and happy printing.

[@BlenderRender1]

Christmas is around the corner, and so imma make a ton of 3d printed cookie cutters for my grandma.

[@globalbakes]

Wow, thank you! This is soooo helpful!!

[@armstinasfamily]

Awesome to hear!! Good luck and happy printing!

[@globalbakes]

@@armstinasfamily OK, you were soooo helpful last time, I was wondering if I could ask another question? I printed a couple of cutters with various settings. We keep getting a split in the wall of the cutter (like, the part the actually cuts the dough - it's like there are 2 walls that don't totally fuse all the way around.) It is only happening on certain parts of the cutters but no matter what settings we use, it keeps happening! Have you ever had this problem?

[@armstinasfamily]

@@globalbakes sounds like there's a chance one of the axis belts may be a bit loose.

[@marksneyd1262]

Not boring at all, nicely explained. You mentioned your Cura settings, would you share those please?

[@addmeonwazonezombiesleyr1413]

Great easy to follow tutorial, can you do one on how to print icing nozzle

[@SaltandPepper8010]

Thank you so much for this awesome video. I had ordered some 3D printed cutters and my husband told me I could just make them and print but I didn’t know how. I do have a question, the ones I ordered, the cutter gradually grows right before the “handle” part making it have this nice curve outward. Would you have to make more layers for that or can you tell it to print outward until it reaches you handle dimensions. So informative. Thank you!

[@barbaraanderson8]

This is an awesome tutorial. I'm brand new to ALL of this! In using Gimp, my screens do not look like yours. I do not see all the tool icons and when I click on one I'm not seeing the same thing as you. I figured out how to click on one via the few that I see. Where can I set up my Gimp to look like yours?

[@jessicaster3765]

This was an awesome tutorial! I watch another but it’s not quite as good when it comes to scaling and making it an actual cookie cutter

[@armstinasfamily]

Thank you, hope it helps!

[@darcyk9043]

Your video helped alot the only thing I can't figure out is when they print I get jagged edges I'm guessing from the picture. Basically if you zoom in on a picture the edges are jagged that's the way the print is coming out am I missing a step to smooth that

[@Darkjuvex89]

This helped me to put text in my cutters. Current problem I’m running into is the wall having a gap in my cookie cutters. Not sure what to do

[@user-fd6xo2lx3u]

Your video was very helpful. Gimp has been great for creating the cookie cutter layers. I love hove you show how to adjust the layers in tinkercad. How can you make a sharper edge on a cookie cutter. The edge is as tick as the whole blade of the cutter. Thank you for the video

[@sandydee4342]

That was an awesome video, I learnt a lot. I’m wondering, do you use a PLA filament? If so, do you use the cookie cutter straight from the printer or do you smooth it or finish it somehow first? I plan on reusing the cookie cutters I print quite a bit and I want to make sure that they are food safe and completely clean and I read that the printer doesn't create completely smooth edges so bacteria can grow in the groves. Is that true?

[@Fawaii]

Muy interesante, se ve complicado.

[@amandapaquette4262]

So I have followed along and your tutorial was awesome. However when I make my cutter in tinkered, when it is all finished there is a portion that doesn't seem to be attached to the rest of the cutter. So when it rites there will be a gap in the side. What did I do wrong? it doesn't show until the end when I combine all layers. Please help.. thanks!

[@worldschaos2181]

Can you still use this method for more complex cutters? Like spiderman face for the lines of the eyes and mask?

[@joanneblack255]

Thank you for this tutorial, we learned alot from you. Would you be able to tell the viewers what filament you use to make these wonderful cutters? A link would be fantastic. Thanks in advance ☺ *edit, I went and read some comments and it said Hatchbox PLA

[@samanthajarrett2009]

Does the Cura software work with flashforge 3d printers?

[@CJAE4]

I’m thinking of buying a 3D cutter, the Alta plus from silhouette.I’m trying to make the stamp cookie cutters have you made one that you can guide me to it 😩

[@luiscortes6246]

Me podran ayudar que equipo osea nombre de algun equipo para poder hacer esos moldes me interesa comprar una.pero desconosco nombres

[@adrifuentes2794]

having some trouble, when i go to import to tinkercad it tells me the file cannot be read, or it might be corrupted, how do i fix this.

[@johannahefer1097]

Hi Armando, how are you doing? I want to thank you for this tuotorial🙌 I have just bought a 3d printer because I want to make my own cookie cutters. I am so new to this, I have absolutely NOOOO idea what I am doing, lol. I am not very tech savy🙈 I have followed you step by step. Downloading everything beforehand so that I could work alongside your video. When it came to downloading the images in Tinkercad it said this zip file is not supported. So needless to say I am stuck there, because I have no idea what it means. I hope you can advise me what I am doing wrong. Thank you so much❣️

[@sammyg1966]

Great video. Do you know of a way to sharpen the cutting edge of the cookie cutter, so it actually cuts and not just squash?

[@armstinasfamily]

We’ve played around with it for a bit but the results were inconsistent and didn’t have much of an impact when using on dough. We found as long as the blade is at most 1mm thick it cuts the dough easily.

[@devinallensen6493]

Hey! Awesome job. I make cutters for my wife's cookie biz as well. I use a CR-10s Pro. I use Procreate on an iPad to get my image, then use cookiecad or sometimes Fusion 360. Anyways here is my question. What version of Cura are you using?

[@armstinasfamily]

Thanks! We’re using version 2.5.0

[@miffitron]

Do your cookie cutters have a smaller edge at the cutter to provide a sharper cut? If so what setting do you use to do that? Or is it preloaded?

[@armstinasfamily]

Negative. The entire blade wall is the same thickness. We make ours 1mm thick, which provides us with a sharp cut and isn’t flimsy.

[@MsDanimal84]

Hey Arm & Stina 🙃. Searching for a 3D printer (my 1st and I’m super not a tinkerer). Creality CR 10 still your fave? Bouncing btwn that (10s pro V2), the Ender 3 V2, FlashForge (just because it’s enclosed and I have a bothersome cat) and Anycubic Mega S. Any personal suggestions? I’ve watched/read dozens of comparisons which got me to these, but since you all do what I do (make cookies/cutters), you’re prob the best to ask 😃. You guys rock by the way! Christina- keep doin your thang - #inspiration

[@amanial6yb715]

Thanks I love the video it's Useful and full of information .. What is the best option? Ender 3 or Ender 3 v2

[@armstinasfamily]

We haven’t used either. I would say the v2 since there’s some quality of life upgrades to it, but we know plenty of people who have had plenty of success with the Ender 3.

[@MrPhantom302]

Hi there , Thanks that was kool litte fast . but i can rewind hahahahaha . ? is any PLA work or is there a certain PLA or filament to use for cookies ? Thanks

[@armstinasfamily]

Historically we’ve used Hatchbox PLA we bought through Amazon. But, they’ve been unavailable ever since COVID hit hard in the US. We’ve been bouncing around trying different brands. Most have been good, just make sure to print at the suggested temperature range for whichever one you use.

[@monzerratolvera7318]

do you have another alternative software to the Ultimaker ? I have a Mac Os 10.11.6 and the software isn't supported. This is a great step by step by the way!

[@armstinasfamily]

Hello and thank you. We haven’t used any other software personally, but I know I lot of people use a site called Cookiecad

[@aModernGirlMakes]

Used the holiday time off to go through the tutorial slowly. Kept having trouble getting the same results in Gimp. Did some research and found out that Gimp isn’t working running on Big Sur. Have you updated?

[@armstinasfamily]

We haven’t updated to Big Sur yet. Thanks for the heads up, since we rely heavily on Gimp

[@greatagatsby741]

How to write the name of the cookie cutter on it? Thank you so much for your time ❤

[@tookiecookie2266]

LOVE YOUR VIDEO!!! VERY HELPFUL!!!! HOW TOO EVEN USE A 3D PRINTER!!! are the plastic from the 3d printer food safe?

[@armstinasfamily]

Hello and thank you!! The filament we use is PLA, which is definitely food safe.

[@tookiecookie2266]

@@armstinasfamily HI You should do a video on how to use the 3D printer.

[@allysin2002]

I use your system all the time. LOVE IT! But I have stumbled over a glitch and sure it's just something I am doing wrong. Usually with custom cutters this problem arises. I scale it to the size I want in Gimp. Then convert to svg file. But when I go to use Tinkercad to create the cutter, the scale is WAY off. Like sometimes I have to go as small as 5%. It's a trial and error to see what percentage will give me what size. Am I creating the original picture using too high a resolution?

[@armstinasfamily]

This actually happens to me a lot as well, and I share the same theory. It’s a minor issue though, as long as you pay attention to the dimensions when importing into Tinkercad.

[@ivanlopez1142]

There was a new gimp update, it changed quite a bit :( Could you make a video on the updated version? that would be nice thanks!

[@innocentiuslacrim2290]

Not worth his time I would say as there will always be software updates. You can probably still access the old version of Gimp if you want to or just look for the similar functionalities in the new version. Good luck!

[@chondraalmeida28]

How would these steps change if I already have an outline of an image?

[@innocentiuslacrim2290]

This is a late reply, but in cases like that you either do not need the "hole" part or you you can color the inside to provide the same starting as this video had (this may be useful especially when the line art does not have equal line width)

[@PatrickOSullivanSingSongGuy]

Thank you so much for sharing this. Having a bit of trouble now though. I have followed your video step by step and made two perfect cookie cutters but since then I've been having a lot of trouble with getting Gimp to work correctly. I'm doing a slightly more complex shape that the heart and every time I try to change the background to red, it comes up gray. Then when i cut the image, it cuts to the same shade of gray so that the whole area just looks gray. Nothing I've tried seems to correct this issue, not even deleting and reinstalling Gimp. Any thoughts?

[@armstinasfamily]

The image may be in a different mode. Try going to the “Image” tab and going to “Mode” . RGB should be selected

[@PatrickOSullivanSingSongGuy]

@@armstinasfamily thank you! It worked! Was having some other problems too but I’ll keep pushing through this and see if that fixed everything. Another problem I was having was that I would get all the way to a finished looking file in Tinkercad but when I would preview the file, there was always material where the hole should be. Tried making the hole bigger and still no luck.

[@PatrickOSullivanSingSongGuy]

Also, the background is red now, but so is the image shape when I cut it. Ugh.🤦‍♂️

[@Steve-yq5fh]

Hello How do you make a custom stamp/embosser for cookies? Cheers

[@armstinasfamily]

Hello. We have not experimented with that yet, so no.

[@rachellewis5187]

What Creality CR-10 printer...I’m looking on their site and there’s several CR-10 models.

[@armstinasfamily]

We have the original I believe, which seems to have been replaced by newer models. I know the Creality Ender 3 is very popular, just a smaller build surface. I think this is the exact one we have: www.creality.com/creality-cr-10-3d-printer-p00096p1html-p00096p1.html

[@noemid3123]

Would you know how to make a cookie cutters with a stamp embosser that are 2 pieces?

[@armstinasfamily]

Negative, we've never attempted to.

[@lisaalexander6578]

I just tried some 3D cutters I had ordered but find that the walls are thick and end up compressing and smashing the edges of my cookies which is sooo not good. I usually only use metal cutters and it gives me a crisp straight edge.. What is the most thin edge than can be made with 3D printer?

[@armstinasfamily]

The thinnest we go is about 0.9mm

[@lindahayes2868]

When I have Image in gimp and I do the threshold I can’t get it to darken as you do in the video am I doing something wrong

[@armstinasfamily]

There should be a small window that pops up so you can adjust the threshold level. May be different in other versions of Gimp, and sometimes the photo doesn’t work well with that method

[@daviddeguzman9982]

What type of Filament are you using for your cookie cutters? I wanted to make gifts but I'm worried about any potentials hazards. Is there one you've have success with that you recommend?

[@armstinasfamily]

Our favorite is Hatchbox PLA

[@daviddeguzman9982]

@@armstinasfamily thank you!

[@lucymille6882]

I can’t use the photoshop software in my country (UK) so it there any others that you would recommend, I really want to make my own cookie cutter but am really struggling! 🙈

[@armstinasfamily]

oh no! Don't have experience with any other photoshop software except for Adobe, which isn't free.

[@lucymille6882]

ARMSTINA'S COOKIES I have adobe I just have no idea how to use it! I’m terrible at stuff like that!

[@racheloverton3061]

Hi there is there any way you can do and updated version of this? I was hoping to learn how to put features inside of the cookie, if that makes sense! So ex. I’m trying to do a cookie cutter of a flamingo floaty for a bachelorette party and I don’t want the hole to be its own cookie cutter I want it attached so it cuts hole out evenly each time! I have also seen where you can add text to the side of you cutter so you know what they are! If you know how to do this I would LOVE a demonstration! This video was EXTREMELY helpful and because of this I bought my first 3D printer! Should be in a few weeks!

[@armstinasfamily]

Hello and thank you! The first example you mentioned is definitely something we can work on in the near future! As for the text on the side of the cutter, we haven’t attempted anything like that yet, so don’t know exactly how.

[@racheloverton3061]

ARMSTINA'S COOKIES that would be awesome!! I think I finally figured out how to do the text on the side of the cookie cutters from a couple other videos of how to add text in tinker cad is what I searched on KZbin and I’m pretty sure I figured it out! But yes definitely that first part would be extremely helpful I am very excited to get started!

[@kissenxundxdecke3749]

@@armstinasfamily Just sliding in to support this idea 🙈 I want to print letters like A or O (so similar to the flamingo floatie idea!) and am not sure how to do it. A tutorial like that would be much appreciated, this one already helped me so much as a beginner 🙏

[@maryacrossland-parton7587]

@@armstinasfamily Any suggestions on where we can learn how to add the text on the handle of the cutter?

[@TrevorDishongh]

i got a legit question. i am wanting to make a blade layer, you think you could help me with that

[@armstinasfamily]

We haven’t really played around with that, so not sure what the best option would be

[@marmaravillarodas1135]

Wow this is so great, can you make a Cheshire cat face Cookie cutter?

[@malifalitiko495]

Sometimes the walls become so thick how can i fix that?

[@armstinasfamily]

When making the different sized silhouettes in Gimp, on the one I increased the selection by 1mm, try going a little less, like 0.8mm. Also, after the model is made and you open in the slicer program, if you scale it up at all the walls will increase in size then.

[@DadeDreamer]

do you need to use a stainless steel extruder nozzle to make the cookie cutters food safe?

[@armstinasfamily]

People tend to argue this a lot. At the end of the day, the filament comes out at a temperature that kills any bacteria that people are worried about. We use brass nozzles.

[@DadeDreamer]

@@armstinasfamily Thanks I was wondering if it really mattered or not. That sounds like copper is the better extruder for this. Also do you have a preference and PLA or any other print medium?

[@armstinasfamily]

We only use PLA, and Hatchbox is our favorite brand

[@cakesmadeeasy815]

what type of printer would you suggest?

[@armstinasfamily]

Definitely recommend printers from Creality, and the Ender 3 is a very good choice.

[@adelaideicingcookie6369]

Your video very helpful, thank you for that , can you make video tutorial 3D cookie cutter + stamp ? Please... Tq

[@armstinasfamily]

Thank you! We have never attempted to make a stamp before, so wouldn’t be able to make a tutorial for that.

[@adelaideicingcookie6369]

@@armstinasfamily Ok,thank you for your respond.

[@GlorysCookiesyAlgoMas]

Hola! Puedes hacer uno con traductor a español.👌

[@emmagilmore615]

How long does it take to print

[@armstinasfamily]

Depending on design usually 1.5-2 hours

[@sapphire125582]

HI, are you allowed to sell these cookie cutters?

[@armstinasfamily]

We sell them on our website

[@joacimpacheco4438]

Hii which 3d printer you use

[@armstinasfamily]

Creality CR-10 and Creality CR-6 SE

[@joacimpacheco4438]

@@armstinasfamily heyy thanks for the reply which is better for beginners we just want to do cookie cutters

[@rafaeldejulio5912]

this is sooooo hard

[@nkelly253]

Was really helpful. Could do without the music track in the background the whole way through, it's hard to focus on your voice when the music is playing. Thanks though, like I said, helpful. 😊

[@kimchi8022]

He decorate cookie. He love halloween. He cute. He has doggo. -Subscribes-

[@roxannegil5539]

Also very married 😂

[@smeyerphotography]

great instructional video, very helpful, but it would be SO much better without the music. I want to listen to your instructions, not music.. thanks

[@Josh-pu5xh]

Please reupload without such loud music. Can't watch due to it being so loud. I imagine the video is good other than this.

[@taz3837]

Please don't use music it just doesn't work!!!!

[@mirjamthiel]

As a neuro spicy person I cannot listen to you talking and the annoying music at the same time. Please make a video without the music. I really would like to learn.. Thank you!

[@kellysnider5138]

😢 okeydoke. Thanks for showing me I’m too old and dumb to even think about doing this on my own. Looks like 1000 steps more than I ever thought it would be - and 999 of them made zero sense to my 60 year old brain. Boomer needs a young one to just make what I want and I’ll pay the $$$ 🫣🤦🏻‍♀️🤣🤣

[@Hmillerick]

Hi there! Thank you so much for posting this video. Im such a noob, and your video is the only one I've found that makes me think I can do this!! Question - on the step where you're making the three copies, it seems like when I copy the original file, I lose the image. The whole square becomes the image, so when I try to use the paint tool to blacken the image, it covers the whole square. Any ideas what i'm doing incorrectly? Thanks

[@armstinasfamily]

Thank you for watching! Is this while using Gimp? If so, in the Layers toolbar did you right click on the image and press “Alpha To Selection” before using the paint bucket tool?

[@Hmillerick]

@@armstinasfamily Yes it is in Gimp, and yes. I am. After I crop to content and scale the new layer, yes? Then I make the original layer visible again, and that's the layer I copy three times, with a comma in the naming convention, so __, __1, and ___2 files. ___ is the first file. Then I right click on the first file, choose alpha to selection, and export. Go to layer _1, right click and choose alpha to selection. Then.. I have to select the image to grow, right? by 1 mm? then export. Do next layer, _2 ..same steps and grow by 6 mm, then export...