Your model, ready for the page.

1. Make your first sheet

1. Choose Import a model, or drop an .stl file onto the preview.
2. Choose your paper and the views you want to show.
3. Adjust the grid, borders and title information.
4. Drag the turquoise handles between views to rebalance the layout.
5. Review dimensions and hidden edges, then export. Choose Cricut Pen Layers for pen plotting.

Start with a simple model. It makes it easier to see what each setting changes before trying a detailed mesh.

2. Bring in your model

BlueprintPlotter supports ASCII and binary STL files. Export an STL from your modelling software, then open it in BlueprintPlotter. It creates drawing views from the mesh; it does not edit the original 3D design.

Very detailed meshes can take longer to process. If an import is slow or rejected, try a simplified copy. Renaming another file format to .stl does not convert it.

STL does not carry a standard unit declaration. Check the source model's units before presenting dimensions as millimetres, centimetres or inches; do not assume a displayed unit label converts the geometry.

3. Arrange your views

Enable Front, Top, Right and ISO independently. You can also enable one custom view and adjust its name, yaw, pitch and roll.

Balanced divides the sheet into adjustable rows and columns. Hero on top gives a selected view more room. Drag the handles between panels to change their proportions. Fewer active views leave more room for each drawing.

Turning off the title block returns its reserved space to the views. Check the result whenever you change paper size or title layout.

4. Choose useful dimensions

Overall dimensions describe width and height in Front, width and depth in Top, and depth and height in Right. ISO does not show overall dimensions: its horizontal and vertical picture extents are not the model's real-world axes.

1. Enable Feature dimensions.
2. Choose Choose dimensions on drawing.
3. Click a highlighted visible edge to request a dimension.
4. Review the label and guide lines. Enlarge the view if there is not enough room.

Feature values come from source-model edges, not the size of their image on the sheet. Hidden, very short or crowded edges may not be selectable, and a callout may be omitted if there is no clear placement.

Hover over a dimension label and use its eye control to hide it. Hidden dimensions are omitted from the exported file. Keep the measurements that help tell the story of the design, rather than labelling every edge.

Review the result. BlueprintPlotter is for artwork and visual documentation, not certified technical or manufacturing drawings.

5. Review hidden edges

Visibility is calculated separately for each view. Use the Hidden edges menu to choose None for a cleaner silhouette, or Dashed or Solid styling.

Complex or imperfect meshes can cause ambiguous visibility. If a line looks wrong, check another view and report a small example through support. Dashed hidden lines in pen exports are separate drawing segments, so the pen can leave actual gaps.

6. Give the sheet its character

Choose fine, standard or coarse grid spacing, or disable the grid. The grid in a pen-layer export is drawable geometry: denser grids take more plotting time.

Choose your border and view-frame options, including None, Simple, Standard or Title Strip where offered. Review the title spacing after resizing views.

Use the metadata controls for model name, title, date, drawing number, revision, scale, units, dimension note, author, notes and copyright. Use a bottom band for a wider title area or the bottom-right layout for a compact block. Keep notes brief and check that all text fits.

7. Try a free export, or unlock once

Choose Export, then Export one free view to save one view and check how it works in your plotting workflow. The free file includes a small “Made with BlueprintPlotter · Free export” credit in the title block.

The optional one-time Export Unlock removes the credit and enables complete multi-view SVG export with your current settings. It is a non-consumable App Store purchase: buy it once, then use Restore Purchases on another Mac with the same Apple Account. No BlueprintPlotter account is required.

8. Choose the right export

For pen exports, By pen colour keeps related drawing parts together for tool assignment. By view keeps each drawing view together. Choose the organisation that makes your next step easier; neither option automatically configures the machine.

8. Set your pen and lettering

Lettering pen width controls the spacing of fill strokes, not the physical pen in your machine.

• 0.3 mm: extra fine.
• 0.4 mm: fine point; the default.
• 0.8 mm: glitter gel.
• 1.0 mm: gel or marker.
• 2.5 mm: permanent marker.

These are tip-width presets, not a guarantee that a pen fits your machine. Check the pen packaging and any adapter requirements.

Enable Fill large lettering to add parallel strokes inside larger text and designated headings. Small labels remain outlined. Wider pens require fewer passes, but coverage varies with ink and paper.

Keep the exported physical size in Design Space. Resizing changes the fill spacing too. If you want a different paper size, set it in BlueprintPlotter and export again.

9. Set up the SVG in Design Space

1. Export a fresh Cricut Pen Layers SVG from BlueprintPlotter.
2. Upload it into Design Space and add it to your canvas.
3. Check its physical size before proceeding.
4. Expand the groups and set the drawing layers to Pen, not Cut. Assign the pen colours you intend to use.
5. Hide or remove any grid, border or other drawing groups you do not want.
6. Select the layers whose relative placement must stay fixed and choose Attach.
7. Review the mat preview and follow your machine's pen-loading instructions.

BlueprintPlotter does not control Cricut hardware. A white canvas in Design Space can simply be the workspace; check the layer list before assuming there is a filled background shape.

10. Before the full drawing

• Are the title, units and metadata correct?
• Do hidden lines and dimensions make sense?
• Are labels clear of the model and borders?
• Is the grid the density you intended?
• Are all wanted layers set to Pen and attached appropriately?
• Does a small lettering sample fill well with your chosen pen?

Save your exported SVG somewhere you can find it. Keep the original STL too; the SVG is a drawing, not an editable 3D model.

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