# Text on a Cylinder

**URL:** <https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396>\
**Category:** Modeling Questions\
**Created:** [October 13, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396 "2023-10-13T14:04:29Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![jnygaard.dk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e68b1a/32.png) [@jnygaard.dk](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jnygaard.dk)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 2:04pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396/1 "2023-10-13T14:04:29Z")

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Hi forum,  
Is it somehow possible to add text to a cylinder??? I’m designing a beer mug for printing and would like to add text to the side of it.

Can it be done with several construction planes and then projectiong the text from there?? Or is there an external tool that can do this??

Please share your tips 🙂

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**Author:** ![Bob3DPO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@Bob3DPO](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Bob3DPO)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 2:30pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396/2 "2023-10-13T14:30:14Z")

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Hi Jesper,  
For 3D printing I use **PrusaSlicer** (free external tool) to wrap text on a cylinder (or irregular shape). There are limitations, but it is worth checking out.

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**Author:** ![Bob3DPO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@Bob3DPO](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Bob3DPO)\
**Post date:** [October 13, 2023, 2:46pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396/3 "2023-10-13T14:46:20Z")

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Another method expertly shown by @welshsteve is here:

> [@Create new bodies from projected text](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/create-new-bodies-from-projected-text/19952/2):
>
> Like this…
> 
> ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/7/5/75174d6aefa09a0e19c6a70531264e76a35c169b.jpeg "Text Cut from Cylinder HD 1080p")

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**Author:** ![jnygaard.dk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e68b1a/32.png) [@jnygaard.dk](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/jnygaard.dk)\
**Post date:** [October 17, 2023, 6:44pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396/4 "2023-10-17T18:44:45Z")

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Yeah, that’s right. I did notice it, when 2.6 was announced, but never got around to trying it. And kinda forgot. Thanks for reminding me!

It actually works better than I expected. I print these cups with 1.0 nozzle and just one 1.2 mm wall, so I would prefer to have the text put on, before I do the shell, so the printer can keep trucking along with it’s 1.2. But putting a 0.6 mm text on that surface actually works.

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**Author:** ![slamm\_andrews](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@slamm\_andrews](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/slamm_andrews)\
**Post date:** [October 25, 2023, 10:26pm UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396/5 "2023-10-25T22:26:32Z")

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How about embossing a logo? can we do it in Shaper so that when I slice it is already there?

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**Author:** ![Bob3DPO](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7993a0/32.png) [@Bob3DPO](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/Bob3DPO)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2023, 1:28am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396/6 "2023-10-26T01:28:14Z")

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Hi, Slamm. Yes you can, but it may take some work to get it the way you want it.

It will depend on how precise you want to be, and the sizes and geometries involved.

You can try projecting onto the curved body then off set the projected face. There will be some distortion the farther your projection is from parallel to the curved body. So if you have a small logo and project straight on, you may not notice the distortion. Here is an example with text:

 ![IMG_0353](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/uploads/shapr3d/original/3X/a/e/ae39b2de38959c352fa108fab2991abeb6c271ae.jpeg)

This has the same “logo” imprinted on a large cylinder and on a small cylinder. The one on the small cylinder has more distortion.

Shapr3d does not have a tool to eliminate distortion. For text, some go to great lengths and get great results. Here is an example from @Mike3

> [@Wrap text on curved surface](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/wrap-text-on-curved-surface/26561):
>
> A while ago I found a way to be able to get text wrapped on a sphere. Yesterday I started a new project where I need to do this again, but I completely forgot one important step and I hope someone can help me to refresh my memory. The steps are as follows: Cut out the part of the sphere where you want the text. Split this part into smaller pieces. Line them up next to each other to form as flat surface as possible. Create a new plane in front and place the text on this plane. Project the text…

Best thing to do is give it a try!

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**Author:** ![McD](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex002/user_avatar/discourse.shapr3d.com/mcd/32/15504_2.png) [@McD](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/u/McD)\
**Post date:** [October 26, 2023, 1:49am UTC](https://discourse.shapr3d.com/t/text-on-a-cylinder/28396/7 "2023-10-26T01:49:58Z")

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At the risk of repeating with another video. [https://youtu.be/chh4IcUnS3A?si=UiFlxT4fA9AhHFZj](https://youtu.be/chh4IcUnS3A?si=UiFlxT4fA9AhHFZj)