How to Make Cookie Cutters for Beginners

A beginner friendly guide to making cookie cutters with BakePress, including when to upload clean outline art and when to start in Dreamboard.

Published May 24, 2026

The beginner path

Making a custom cookie cutter sounds like it should require CAD skills, but the beginner workflow is much simpler in BakePress. Start with a clean idea, get it into outline form, open it in the 3D Workspace, adjust the cutter settings, and export an STL file for printing.

The main thing to understand is that cookie cutters are built from outlines. A cutter needs a clear outside shape to follow. Clean clip art, SVG files, logos, and black line drawings are usually good direct uploads. Real photos, portraits, pets, product photos, screenshots, and shaded artwork usually need to become clean outline art first.

Step 1: Choose the right starting point

• Use direct upload when you already have clean clip art, an SVG, a logo, a simple silhouette, or a black line drawing.
• Use Dreamboard first when you have a real photo, a pet picture, a person, a product photo, a screenshot, shaded artwork, or a rough idea.
• Keep the first design simple. Strong outside shapes print and cut better than tiny details.

Step 2: Open the 3D Workspace

Once the outline is ready, open it in the 3D Workspace. This is where the flat shape becomes a cutter. You can adjust size, cutter depth, wall thickness, and other settings before exporting.

For your first cookie cutter, choose a design with a strong silhouette. Avoid tiny text, very thin details, and lots of separate small pieces inside the shape. Those details can be hard to print and even harder to use with dough.

Step 3: Pick a beginner friendly size

A good first size is around 3 to 4 inches wide. That is large enough to show the shape clearly, but not so large that it wastes filament or becomes hard to handle.

• Very small cutters can lose detail.
• Very large cutters take longer to print and may flex more.
• A middle size makes testing easier.

Step 4: Export and test

When the preview looks right, export the STL file and open it in your slicer. Check the size before printing. Print one test cutter before making a full set.

After printing, press it into dough and look at the shape. If the cutter feels too thin, increase thickness. If small details do not show clearly, simplify the art or make the cutter larger.

Upload a Cutter Outline