You'll need: FontCreator (Windows and macOS), plus basic experience with drawing, selecting, moving, and reordering contours or components in the Glyph Edit window.

Most font editors let you subtract shapes, but many workflows make you commit too early. You remove overlap, the outlines change, and the original parts are gone. FontCreator gives you a more flexible way to design cut-outs with the Mask flag. If you have used layer masks, vector masks, or clipping masks in graphic design software, the idea will feel familiar: a mask hides or subtracts part of the visible shape while keeping the original artwork editable. In FontCreator, masks work on glyph contours and components. The visible glyph looks cut out, but the original shapes remain editable in your FontCreator project, and the final exported font contains normal outlines.

Masks are ideal for counters, stencil bridges, badges, rings, punched-out icons, decorative inlines, and other shapes where you want to keep experimenting before committing to final outlines.

This tutorial explains what masks are, how element order controls the result, how to make compound holes such as rings and donuts, how to reuse cuts with components, and what happens when you export your font.

What is a mask?

A mask is not a special layer. It is a flag you set on an ordinary contour or component.

That means a single layer can contain normal contours, normal components, mask contours, and mask components. Masks can also be used on master layers, background layers, and helper layers.

A mask subtracts from the non-mask geometry that comes before it in the layer's element order. FontCreator draws mask elements with a distinct outline so you can see which parts are doing the cutting.

The important idea is this: a mask does not destroy your drawing. It changes the visible result while keeping the original contour or component editable.

You can still move the mask, resize it, change its nodes, or edit the shape it cuts. FontCreator updates the result live.

When to use masks instead of Remove Overlap

Use masks while you are still designing.

Masks are best when you want to keep the cutting shape editable. For example, use a mask when you are testing the width of a stencil bridge, adjusting the position of a diagonal slash, or experimenting with the size of an inner counter.

Use Remove Overlap or Decompose with Mask when you want final plain outlines.

A good rule is: use masks for design. Bake or export when the geometry needs to become final.

This is especially useful for logos, symbols, display fonts, stencil fonts, icon fonts, and experimental lettering where you may want to change the subtraction later.

Create a simple mask

Let's build a stencil O. The classic stencil O has four gaps in the ring — these gaps are called bridges — and there's a neat economy to it: you don't need a separate shape for every gap. Two crossing bars make all four.

1. Open the glyph for O (or an empty glyph) in the Glyph Edit window.
2. Draw the letter O — an outer circle and an inner circle for the counter.
3. Draw a horizontal and a vertical bar across the middle of the glyph, long enough to reach past both sides of the ring.
4. Select each of the bars, right-click, and choose Mask.

The bars are now masks. They cut the ring on all sides — while the middle of the bars passes harmlessly through the empty counter (a mask only subtracts where it overlaps real geometry).

Two mask contours, four clean gaps. Move either bar and its pair of gaps moves with it; everything stays editable and nothing is destroyed.

This is the main advantage of masks: you can see the finished subtraction while keeping the design flexible.

Order matters

If a mask does not seem to work, check the element order first.

A mask only subtracts from non-mask elements that come before it in the same layer. In practice, the shape you want to cut must be earlier in the order, and the mask must come after it.

In the stencil O, the O must come before the bars. If the O is moved after a bar (Bring to Front), the mask no longer has the O to cut, and the gaps disappear.

Use the order commands, such as Bring to Front and Send to Back, to change which elements are affected.

Tip: Think of a mask as a cutter that acts on the shapes already placed before it. When the result looks wrong, first ask: "Is the mask after the shape it should cut?"

Make a ring, donut, or frame

Masks become especially useful when you need compound holes.

Suppose you want to make a ring-shaped cut-out. If you subtract two separate circles one after another, you may not get the result you expect. FontCreator solves this with compound masks.

Consecutive mask elements are treated as one group. This allows rings, donuts, frames, and counter-style holes to subtract as a single compound shape.

To make a ring-shaped cut-out:

1. Draw the main filled shape, such as a large circle or rectangle.
2. Draw the outer contour of the ring-shaped mask.
3. Draw the inner contour of the ring-shaped mask.
4. Select both ring contours and flag both as Mask.
5. Keep the two mask contours next to each other in the element order.

Because the two mask contours are consecutive, FontCreator treats them as one compound mask. The result is one clean ring-shaped hole instead of two unrelated cut-outs.

Tip: Keep all contours that belong to one compound mask together. If a normal contour or component sits between mask parts, the compound mask is split and the result may change.

Make stencil cuts

You've already built one stencil glyph above. The same idea scales to a whole stencil alphabet — A, B, D, P, R, 0 and many icon glyphs — and two habits keep it clean:

• Reuse the cutter. Make the bridge/bar once and drop it into other glyphs as a mask component (see "Use components as masks"), so every letter's gaps stay consistent and you can retune them all from one source.
• Let the mask overshoot. Extend the mask a little past the edge it cuts; a mask that lands exactly on an edge can leave fragile geometry after export.

Export normally when finished, or use Decompose with Mask if you need plain authored outlines.

Tip: Let the mask overlap the target shape a little. A mask that only touches an edge exactly can leave fragile geometry after export. A small overshoot usually gives a cleaner result.

Use components as masks

A whole component can be flagged as a mask.

This is useful when the same cut-out appears in several glyphs. For example, you might design one reusable diagonal slash, notch, sparkle cut, or stencil bridge, and then use it as a mask component in multiple glyphs.

Workflow:

1. Create a glyph that contains the shape you want to reuse as a cutter.
2. Insert that glyph as a component in another glyph.
3. Select the component.
4. Right-click and choose Mask.
5. Position, scale, or transform the component as needed.

The component now subtracts from the geometry before it.

This keeps your design more consistent. If the cutter shape needs to change, edit the source glyph and reuse the updated component.

There are two useful component workflows:

• Flag the component itself as a mask when you want the whole component to cut the host glyph.
• Put mask paths inside a reusable glyph when the source glyph has its own internal non-destructive cut-outs.

In both cases, FontCreator keeps the design editable in the project and resolves the final geometry on export.

Use masks on background and helper layers

Masks can also be used on background layers and helper layers.

That makes them useful for experimentation. For example, you can keep an alternate cut-out idea on a helper layer, compare it with the main design, and only move it into the master layer when you are satisfied.

A background layer can also contain mask geometry. This is useful when you want to compare a previous design or trace an earlier version without turning it into final output.

For serious design work, keep your masks organized:

• Use helper layers for experiments.
• Keep production masks on the master layer.
• Name helper layers clearly.
• Use visibility and color to avoid confusing reference masks with final design masks.

Exporting fonts with masks

Masks are a FontCreator design feature. Standard font formats do not store a Mask flag.

When you export a font, FontCreator automatically flattens masks into plain geometry. You do not have to manually remove them before export.

This applies when exporting to formats such as TrueType, OpenType, CFF2, and UFO. The exported font contains the final subtracted outlines. Your FontCreator project still keeps the editable original shapes.

That means you can safely design with masks, export the font, test it, then return to the project and keep editing the original mask setup.

Decompose with Mask

Most of the time, you do not need to manually bake masks. Export already does that for the generated font.

Use Glyph → Decompose → Mask only when you want the authored glyph inside FontCreator to become plain post-subtraction geometry.

This can be useful when:

• You want to hand the glyph to another tool that does not understand FontCreator masks.
• You want to simplify a glyph after the design is final.
• You want to inspect or manually clean the actual resulting contours.
• You are preparing a copy of the glyph for a workflow that needs ordinary outlines.

Decompose with Mask applies the subtraction, removes the mask flags from the surviving geometry, and leaves you with normal contours.

Tip: Save your project before baking masks into authored outlines. That way you can return to the editable mask version later.

Masks and variable fonts

Masks can be used while designing variable fonts, but you need to be careful.

Variable fonts require compatible masters. If masks flatten differently in different masters, the resulting outlines may have different point counts or contour structures. That can break interpolation.

For example, one master might produce a clean single contour after flattening, while another master produces two contours because the mask intersects differently. Both may look fine as static outlines, but they may not interpolate correctly.

Before shipping a variable font that uses masks:

1. Check compatibility between masters.
2. Test the variable font across the design space.
3. Inspect glyphs where masks intersect differently in different masters.
4. Consider baking or simplifying masks only after you have verified the interpolation.

Tip: Keep mask structures as similar as possible across masters. If a glyph uses a mask in one master, use a corresponding mask in the other masters too. See Variable Fonts: Fix Compatibility Problems Between Masters for fixing interpolation issues.

Troubleshooting

Problem: The mask does not cut anything. Likely cause: The mask comes before the shape it should cut. Fix: Reorder the elements so the mask comes after the target shape.

Problem: The cut-out disappears after using Bring to Front or Send to Back. Likely cause: The element order changed. Fix: Put the normal shape before the mask again.

Problem: A ring or donut does not produce the expected hole. Likely cause: The mask contours are not adjacent. Fix: Move all contours that belong to the compound mask next to each other in the element order.

Problem: The exported shape has tiny artifacts. Likely cause: The mask only touches the target edge or creates fragile intersections. Fix: Let the mask slightly overshoot the target shape, then export again.

Problem: A variable font reports compatibility problems. Likely cause: Mask flattening creates different point counts or contour structures between masters. Fix: Check master compatibility and keep mask structures consistent across masters.

Problem: Another font editor does not show the mask setup. Likely cause: The other tool does not support FontCreator's mask flag. Fix: Export the final font, or use Decompose with Mask on a copy before handoff.

Best practices

• Use masks early in the design process, not only at the end.
• Keep mask elements close to the shapes they affect in the element order.
• For compound masks, keep all related mask contours adjacent.
• Use components for reusable cuts, especially in stencil and icon fonts.
• Use helper layers for alternate mask ideas.
• Avoid exact edge-to-edge contact when a mask should cut through a shape; let the mask overshoot slightly.
• Before exporting a variable font, check compatibility and test the full design space.
• Use Decompose with Mask only when you truly want to turn the editable mask setup into plain outlines.

Frequently asked questions

How do I make a stencil font? Draw each letter, then add mask-flagged contours — such as two crossing bars across an "O" — to cut the bridge gaps that keep the stencil connected. Masks subtract non-destructively while you keep editing, and FontCreator flattens them into plain geometry automatically when you export to TTF or OTF.

What are stencil bridges? Bridges are the small gaps that break a letter's outline so the enclosed parts of a stencil stay physically connected. In FontCreator you create them by flagging a contour or component as a mask, which subtracts from the geometry in front of it.

Can I make a stencil font for Cricut or laser cutting? Yes. Once you export, the exported TTF or OTF contains the final subtracted outlines and works in any cutting or design software — Cricut, laser cutters, vinyl cutters, and so on — exactly like a normal font.

What to read next

Working with Background, Helper Layers, and Reference Artwork — Learn how to use FontCreator's layer model for sketches, alternates, and tracing.

Smart Components: Reuse One Shape in Many Glyphs — Use parametric components for repeated design parts that need variation.

Path Decorations: Reusable Corners and Caps — Attach reusable decorative shapes to outline points.

Export Fonts Correctly — Understand how FontCreator prepares final TTF, OTF, CFF2, web fonts, UFO, and .glyphs output.

Variable Fonts: Fix Compatibility Problems Between Masters — Learn how to solve interpolation issues before shipping a variable font.