# How to make photo print and cut standees

> printed figures that stand in a slotted base or slot together in a cross

A standee is a flat figure that stands up on a desk or shelf. The print carries the picture and the cut file carries every piece: the figure with its tab, and the base it slots into.

## What you need

- A JPG, PNG, WebP or SVG up to 20 MB, or a piece from the Art Library.
- Sheet material for print and cut, such as clear or frosted acrylic, card or thin plywood.
- Calipers to measure the sheet thickness, so the slots fit.
- A printing and cutting workflow with a jig or registration method to line up the files.

## 1. Add your picture and choose a cut



- Follow transparency: cut around the edge of a transparent PNG or SVG.
- Remove plain background: for artwork on white or plain paper. The tool reads the background colour from the image edges and removes it. Raise the tolerance for paper with shading.
- Remove photo background: sign in and let the browser find the subject of a photo. Check the outline before cutting.
- Cut to shape: keep the whole photo inside an arch, rectangle, circle or heart.

## 2. Size the figure



Set the artwork height and the outline border. The border joins small separate details into one piece and leaves a clear rim on acrylic. A backdrop puts a rectangle, arch or circle behind the lower half of a silhouette, so a character stands in front of its own scene.

## 3. Choose the stand



A slot base gives the figure one tab, or two legs for wide designs, and cuts a matching slot in an oval, rounded or round base. A cross slot cuts two copies with slots to the middle, one from the top and one from the bottom, so they slide together and stand without a base. Enter the measured thickness of your sheet and a small clearance, about 0.1 mm for a snug fit.

## 4. Download and line up the files



Download SVG for one file with the print image and the red cut lines for every piece. On the MLT website, the ZIP adds a separate cut SVG and a 300 dpi print PNG and PDF on the same page. Keep the full page size and origin when importing, print at 100% and cut only the red lines.

## Print and cut

### Make the standee



1. Cut a test base from scrap and try a tab in the slot. Adjust the clearance if it is too tight or too loose.
2. Print the artwork and line it up with the cut file using your machine's jig or registration workflow.
3. Cut the red lines, peel any masking and push the figure's tab into the base, or slide the two cross-slot halves together.

## 3D print

### Print it in colour



Switch Make it on to 3D printer with SVG artwork. Each colour becomes its own part in the 3MF and sits flush in the face of the figure, and the base prints beside it. Photos need the print and cut version.

## Make it yours

Try a pet photo with Remove photo background, or open a bird or a rose in the Art Library and choose Make it into, then Standee. Clear acrylic with an unprinted border looks like a shop-made character stand.

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Open the Photo Print and Cut Standee Generator: https://www.mylasertools.com/photo-standee-generator
Read online: https://www.mylasertools.com/learn/guides/photo-standee-generator