Question 1

How do I add text or a picture to an STL?

Accepted Answer

Open your STL with “Choose a file”, or let an AI agent such as Claude in Chrome make a model for you. Then press “+ Text” or “+ Image” and move the mark to where you want it, on a flat or a curved surface. Press the tick ✓ and the mark is carved into the mesh; the download button saves an STL ready to slice and print.

Question 2

Can I use a screen reader and the keyboard?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Every step works from the keyboard and is spoken by a screen reader such as VoiceOver, NVDA or TalkBack. Before a mark is added, a Tab towards the 3D view first opens a row of the six faces — Top, Bottom, Front, Back, Left and Right — where the arrow keys turn the model to face you, as a click on a face does; the next Tab is the view itself, where the arrow keys turn it 5° (15° with Shift). While a mark is being placed the arrow keys move the mark 1 mm (5 mm with Shift), the square bracket keys, [ and ], turn it 5°, Return cuts it and Escape throws it away.

Question 3

How do I write in Braille on a 3D model?

Accepted Answer

Add text, then open its tile on the panel — the door to the design editor — and choose the font: Braille stands at the top of the list whenever the design is a single line of words. With a screen reader or the keyboard there is no need for the editor: the Tab after the words lands on a checkbox, “Write it in Braille”, and Space or Return turns the words into Braille. The words become raised dots at the signage standard (Marburg Medium, ISO 17049): a dome 1.5 mm wide and 0.7 mm high, dots 2.5 mm apart, cells 6 mm apart, lines 10 mm apart — so the size and the depth are fixed by the standard and their handles are put away.

Question 4

Is it safe to use?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your model is never uploaded: your own browser opens the file, cuts the mark and writes the new STL or SVG, all on your device. No accounts, logins, cookies, or personal data. Page views, file opens, downloads, errors, and feedback are recorded anonymously, so I can see overall whether this is helping anyone.

Question 5

Is STL Emboss free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. It runs in your browser, changes a copy of your model and never touches your original file. It is offered as is, without any guarantee, so open the result in your slicer and check it before you print. Your models stay yours; nothing here claims any right to what you make.

Question 6

What is STL Emboss built on?

Accepted Answer

three.js (MIT) for the 3D view, Manifold (Apache 2.0) for the solid geometry, and 40 typefaces for the text marks, every one of them under the SIL Open Font License with its own licence file travelling beside it. You can also open a font file from your own computer: it is read in your browser, like the model, and never uploaded.

Question 7

How do I get in touch?

Accepted Answer

For any question you can write to stlemboss@gmail.com.

This service grew out of personalising gifts for people, and is shared gladly. A few words about how it went for you would help make it better — you can leave them in the box below. Kind regards, Kostya.

See how it works with Claude

Make your learning cube

This is a big file

Add text or a logo to any STL file

Opening

Download the selected area

Braille learning cube