MappSmith — Words, text & art

  • Can I drag text and art on the plate?

    Yes. Click a text or art piece on the 2D plate to select it. Drag the box to move it, or drag a corner to scale it. Click the empty plate or press Escape to put the handles away. Hand placement is switched off while registration marks are on; use the Place it grid instead.

  • Can I engrave a message on the back?

    Yes. Type it in "Message on the back" in the Words section. It is engraved on the bottom sheet, mirrored, so it reads the right way when you turn the piece over.

  • How do I add my own logo or artwork?

    Open a layer, press "+ add piece...", choose Engraved art, then "Upload your own (SVG)". The art is added to the map and kept in your art library on your account, so it shows in the picker next time. To remove it from your library, press the small X on its tile in the picker.

  • How do I add text anywhere on the piece?

    Open a solid layer and press "+ add piece...". Choose Text, then "Text label". Type your words, pick a font, and set Size (2 to 80 mm) and Letter spacing. Set Align and Sits, then place it with the 3 x 3 grid or nudge it 1 mm at a time with the arrows.

  • How do I size, turn or flip art?

    Open the art piece on its layer. Use Size, Turn (or the 0, 90, 180 and -90 degree buttons) and Mirror. Place it with the grid and arrows, or drag it on the plate.

  • What are the small chips under a text piece?

    One-tap suggestions from what the Studio already knows: Place, County, State, Max depth, High point and Coordinates. Tapping one fills the text. After that it is ordinary text you can edit.

  • What art is built in?

    Compass rose, North arrow, Anchor, Heart, Star, Pine tree, Mountains, Sun, Waves, Fish, Sailboat, Map pin, Paw print, Leaf, Cabin and Antlers. Add them from "+ add piece..." under Engraved art.

  • What does "Put the words on a band, clear of the streets" do?

    Words burned into the land sit under the street layer, so the streets run through them. This moves the text onto a solid name bar across the top sheet, so the words get a clean surface. Untick it to put the words back on the map.

  • What do the operations do to art?

    Engrave burns it in as a filled shape. Score draws a light line around each shape. Cut goes right through, so the art drops out as a stencil. Weld in cuts it as material joined to the piece.

  • What is "A separate piece to glue on"?

    Tick it on an art piece to cut the art from its own stock and glue it on top, instead of burning it into the map. Pick the piece's material from the chips. The map stays whole under it, and the piece gets its own cut file in the download. The heart map uses this for its walnut heart.

  • What is the Words section under the product?

    Every line of text the product carries, in one place: the words on the frame, the name bar lines and the text on the map. Some products offer ready-made wording, such as "WHERE WE MET" on the memory poster or "Home Sweet Home" on the key holder. Fonts, sizes and placement are on each piece.

  • Why does my text or art disappear on some layers?

    On a "pieces only" layer or a relief sheet, engraving only lands on the material that is left, so most of it falls in the gaps. Put the text or art on a solid layer. Cut and weld-in text still work on pieces layers.