What to send a fabricator, and what to ask them

Most families hand a fabricator a sketch and a list of words, and the fabricator's draughtsperson turns it into a cutting file over the following weeks. If you have already designed the memorial, you can hand over something much better: a dimensioned plan and the artwork itself. This article explains what to send, what each file does, and what to ask in return.

The files

An export pass from the studio produces six files for a design. You will not need all of them for every fabricator, but each has a job.

Dimensioned PDF plan. A printable Letter-size sheet with the face artwork, the front and side elevations with every dimension labelled, the material, the top profile, the angles, the engraving depth and the ornament settings, all in the units you chose. This is the document the cemetery office approves and the fabricator quotes from. If you send only one file, send this one.

Editable face SVG. The front face at physical size, with the inscription as live text, the fonts embedded and any photographs included. A fabricator's drawing software can open it, correct a spelling, convert the text to outlines, and build a sandblast stencil from it.

Full-colour face SVG. The same face with the stone texture behind it, for the proof you show the family.

Engraved STL mesh. A 3D model of the stone with the lettering recessed to the chosen depth. Useful for CNC engraving and for fabricators who want to check the design in their own software. STL files are unitless by convention, so the units are recorded in the file name and header; the fabricator selects them on import.

CSV dimension sheet. The dimensions and settings as a spreadsheet row, for the fabricator's order system.

Project JSON. The complete design, for reopening in the studio or for a fabricator who wants the exact numbers behind the drawings.

What to say in the covering message

1. The units ("all dimensions in inches").
2. Which dimension is which: in the plan, width is the bottom width, height is the overall height including the top profile, and thickness is measured front to back.
3. Whether the lettering should be cut to the depth in the plan or to the fabricator's standard.
4. Which of the stone colours in the plan is the real one, since the on-screen texture is a photograph of a similar stone, not of your slab.
5. Who will set the stone and when the cemetery expects it.

Engraving methods

Fabricators choose among three main methods, and the design can suit one better than another:

• Sandblasting is the standard for lettering. A rubber stencil is cut from the artwork, the exposed stone is blasted away, and the result is deep, durable and weatherproof. Lettering depths of roughly an eighth to a quarter of an inch are common; polished black granite is often cut shallower and left "frosted" for contrast. Fine detail is limited by the stencil.
• Laser etching burns the polished surface of dark granite to produce portraits, scenes and very fine script. It is shallow, and long-term weathering is less proven than sandblasting, so most fabricators reserve it for artwork and keep names and dates sandblasted.
• Hand carving, including V-cut lettering, is the traditional method and the most expensive. It gives beautiful, crisp letters and is still the first choice for calligraphy on a few stones.

Ask which method the fabricator proposes for each element, and ask to see an example of that method on your stone colour.

Questions that prevent surprises

• "Will you send a full-size proof before cutting?" Insist on it, and have someone who reads each language check it. Our note on Arabic, Urdu and Farsi inscriptions lists what to look for.
• "Will the text stay as text until the stencil is made?" Connected scripts are safest when they are converted to outlines only once, in software that shapes them correctly.
• "Is the lettering filled?" Lithochrome paint or gold leaf in the cuts improves legibility on light stones; some cemeteries restrict it.
• "How are the edges finished?" Polished, sawn, or "rock pitch" (rough) edges change the look and the price.
• "What is included in the quote?" The stone, the engraving, the base, the foundation, delivery, setting and the cemetery's fees, each listed separately. See what a headstone costs.

If you would rather hand it all over

Muslim Serenity Stones & Grave Markers takes a studio design through consultation, cemetery approval, fabrication and setting, and keeps the family informed at each step. The design remains yours either way, and the files are yours to send anywhere. Design the memorial first; the rest follows from it.