Stencilling

M

MaxSwing

Rookie
So my biggest pet peeve with stringing is the stencilling after the fact. Specifically two things - firstly white ink, and secondly 'slick' strings. I always thought stencilling the logo was a really quick and easy thing - like spray painting. Just put the logo on the strings, a few quick swipes with the ink and hey presto!

  1. White ink has been my biggest annoyances, I have tried unbranded, Yonex, Wilson standard tubes. I even bought one of those Yonex felt tip pen styles and none of them seem to do a good finish on almost any string. Finally found OTP through a recommendation and they are better but still not quite as quick or perfect as I always imagined. In contrast the black and reds seem to be perfect almost immediately and just as I imagine.
  2. Slick strings - so I dont have many to be fair but Wilson sensation and Babolat Syn Gut are probably my most hated, no ink seems to be able to easily stick immediately, normally takes quite a few dabs and generally turns out worse than most other strings.
I am guessing my technique is awful but also think this is just one of those things I have to accept as being a bit painful.

On the plus side I am getting really good at creating my own stencils using OHP transparent sheets, either copying an existing logo or printing out a design and just cutting out. So at least a small win I guess...
 
I quit stenciling a long time ago:
  • Too messy
  • I hate ink lines on the balls
  • Many clients don’t want stencil
  • No benefit
  • Waste of time
 
I stencil on request. I have a lot of stencils and assorted colors of ink. I agree with you, white is basically the biggest PITA.i have 5 or 6 guys who like their strings stenciled.
Personally I go back and forth. I’m currently stenciling my Gravity’s with the head stencil Agassi style: black ink for the ski red for the dot.
 
For the white color, I would use water-based paint.
It’s also available in small cans or bottles.
Dab it on with a brush, and after a few minutes, apply a second coat—it will provide perfect white coverage.
You can find this paint at any craft store for very little money.
 
esgee48 said:
Totally agree. I tell my clients to stencil their frames themselves. OVER THE KITCHEN SINK! After one or two stencil attempts, they give up cuz they make a mess in the sink OR their SO gets mad at them.
Click to expand...
-you mean you dont want them to stencil over "the stringing machine!?", right after restringing,,
-its in such a convenient spot already!!

-no joke, i went into a tennis club near my house, they were using the stringing machine mounts to stencil the racquet!
-the splatter from all the ink was all over the turn table, and all other places..
-i would not have believed it if i hadn't seen it myself!! :eek:(n)
 
Almost all sponsored professional players with a contractual obligation would remove the stencils if they didn't have to, meaning nearly 100% of players who only do it for their sponsors would skip it. [1, 2]

Why Pros Dislike Stencils
    • No performance benefit: The ink adds zero value to how the string bed plays or feels.
    • Mess and transfer: Wet or fresh stencil ink can smudge, dirty the tennis balls, or transfer onto the player's clothing.
    • Strictly business: The logos exist purely for television marketing and brand visibility, managed through gear endorsement contracts. Unsponsored touring pros almost never bother stenciling their strings.
 
MaxSwing said:
On the plus side I am getting really good at creating my own stencils using OHP transparent sheets, either copying an existing logo or printing out a design and just cutting out.
Click to expand...
40 years ago when I was stenciling I call the manufacturers and they were happy to send me all the stencils I wanted. After all they’re the only ones that get any benefit.

Only pay for what you need
 
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When I did stencil I use some of that 3’ wide brown paper than come on a roll for Home Depot to stencil on. Since I quit stenciling 40 years ago no one has ever asked for a stencil. Not 1 single request in 10s of thousands of rackets.

EDIT: I’ve had hundreds of requests for grommets, dampeners, grommets, grips, over-grips, dampeners, lead tape, Teflon tape, and head protection tape. My guess is if you buy ink and stencils and don’t push it you ink will dry up in the bottle.
 
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Well I feel its a nice finish to the restringing. Most of my customers comment on it looking better and whilst I could easily just not do it I like how it turns out.

Unfortunately Irvin 40 years later most companies give jack sh't out for free, stencils in the UK are around £3 or £4 a pop and so making them myself is not much hassle and therefore worth it. And paper just wouldnt last with the wet ink.
 
1HBHfanatic said:
-you mean you dont want them to stencil over "the stringing machine!?", right after restringing,,
-its in such a convenient spot already!!

-no joke, i went into a tennis club near my house, they were using the stringing machine mounts to stencil the racquet!
-the splatter from all the ink was all over the turn table, and all other places..
-i would not have believed it if i hadn't seen it myself!! :eek:(n)
Click to expand...
Yikes! I have seen on a couple of 'bad' videos where people do that too. I have a thin paper backing, cardboard and then paper towels I put out whenever I stencil - if I got any ink on the table my wife would kill me :-D
 
MaxSwing said:
paper just wouldnt last with the wet ink.
Click to expand...
The heavy brown paper rolls last a surprisingly long time. Some like old newspaper is not a good idea.

You’re probably right about the manufacturers not giving away anything. A rep on the other hand might. I was just trying to identify why you may be able to pick up high quality stencils free. If you would rather pay for them do it.
 
I have some newspaper that I put on the desk in my office when I stencil. It works great. I’ve had the same paper for 10+ years. It holds up just fine.
I don’t have a problem stenciling for my players. I also include a new over grip.
 
Irvin said:
Almost all sponsored professional players with a contractual obligation would remove the stencils if they didn't have to, meaning nearly 100% of players who only do it for their sponsors would skip it. [1, 2]

Why Pros Dislike Stencils
    • No performance benefit: The ink adds zero value to how the string bed plays or feels.
    • Mess and transfer: Wet or fresh stencil ink can smudge, dirty the tennis balls, or transfer onto the player's clothing.
    • Strictly business: The logos exist purely for television marketing and brand visibility, managed through gear endorsement contracts. Unsponsored touring pros almost never bother stenciling their strings.
Click to expand...
Source for this? Currently Stefanos Tsitsipas isn’t sponsored and he still stencils.
 
Rabbit said:
Source for this? Currently Stefanos Tsitsipas isn’t sponsored and he still stencils.
Click to expand...
Surprsing to hear. (maybe...)

Perhaps he is attempting to gain sponsorship via added measures?

I don't stencil anything as it's all for the rec crowd. If they want the look, they can DIY.
 
@struggle - speaking of which, Tommy Paul stenciled Yonex before he signed a contract reportedly out of respect for the company.

And a number of years ago, Mats Wilander got some Yonex frames from Pernfors. Volkl had ended their sponsorship of seniors. Wilander took a sharpie and lined out Yonex on the frames then had them stenciled Volkl.

I just hate to see rampant speculation.
 
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-i remember back in the 80s (from watching tv),
-they use to stencil the racquet company brand & the string company!
-so you could/would see a HEAD racquet and BABOLAT logo on the same racquet! :) (y) :eek:
 
^^^^ That's likely why Babolat went to the two stripes, as previously they would just put the "VS" stencil in the main spot, middle of the stringbed so no room
for a racket brand and string brand. That was typically on standard/wooden rackets, so minimal space.
 
Tsitsipas major sponsors are:
    • Adidas: Provides his on-court apparel and shoes through a long-standing partnership.
    • Wilson: Supplies his professional tennis racquets and gear.
    • Rolex: Serves as a high-profile luxury watch partner and ambassador.
    • Canali: Acts as his global luxury menswear and fashion brand ambassador.
    • Red Bull: Sponsors the tennis star as an energy drink and lifestyle backer.
    • Vanda Pharmaceuticals: Partners with him for health and science initiatives.
    • Aston Martin: Collaborates on select high-performance brand alignments.
    • Vuarnet: Supplies precision eyewear and optical gear.
 
I stopped stenciling my sticks years ago when I no longer had a contract that required it. Gets on balls and if u stencil in my area of FL where it’s virtually non-existent you look a bit like a fool (tool?)! I string for a couple of Head sponsored players who request it, but not one other request in decades.
 
Irvin said:
Tsitsipas major sponsors are:
    • Adidas: Provides his on-court apparel and shoes through a long-standing partnership.
    • Wilson: Supplies his professional tennis racquets and gear.
    • Rolex: Serves as a high-profile luxury watch partner and ambassador.
    • Canali: Acts as his global luxury menswear and fashion brand ambassador.
    • Red Bull: Sponsors the tennis star as an energy drink and lifestyle backer.
    • Vanda Pharmaceuticals: Partners with him for health and science initiatives.
    • Aston Martin: Collaborates on select high-performance brand alignments.
    • Vuarnet: Supplies precision eyewear and optical gear.
Click to expand...
How about everyone on TTW stop spouting AI horsecrap. We all have smart phones.
 
Irvin said:
The heavy brown paper rolls last a surprisingly long time. Some like old newspaper is not a good idea.

You’re probably right about the manufacturers not giving away anything. A rep on the other hand might. I was just trying to identify why you may be able to pick up high quality stencils free. If you would rather pay for them do it.
Click to expand...
Literally already said I dont pay and no rep is going to give it away to a hobby stringer. Just keep spurting out information without reading buddy :)
 
Irvin said:
40 years ago when I was stenciling I call the manufacturers and they were happy to send me all the stencils I wanted. After all they’re the only ones that get any benefit.

Only pay for what you need
Click to expand...
I got Liberty insurance on my Harley in Ireland woooo! Er Emooooooo!
Also, Vuarnet is still around! Ah oui.
 
1HBHfanatic said:
-i remember back in the 80s (from watching tv),
-they use to stencil the racquet company brand & the string company!
-so you could/would see a HEAD racquet and BABOLAT logo on the same racquet! :) (y) :eek:
Click to expand...

Didn't the Bryan Brothers(tm) at one point have PD's with Solinco stencils?
 
lefty10spro said:
How about everyone on TTW stop spouting AI horsecrap. We all have smart phones.
Click to expand...

That's the thing...where do we go to find this stuff out other than the innerwebs? I mean, you can go to TW and look up Tsitsipas, but it's not gonna tell you much other than tennis stuff. Fed gained a huge part of his income endorsing and partnering outside of tennis. People wanna know sources? What source is their other than the internet? Anyone here know Tsitsipas personally?

But also, everyone's contract is different from everyone elses. Even Yonex, who famously want their pros to run all Yonex eq top to bottom have a few pros only using one of their sticks. Wasn't Shelton running an Ezone back when he was NB? Or was that Tommy and his Vcore? So, we'll see all manner of stuff like blacked out racquets, rebranded paint jobs, etc etc.

But the point is, if you aren't endorsed, stenciling is a bit juvenile. But then again, so is wearing a team jersey really. How many of us have a jersey?
I see people wearing shockingly expensive team jerseys. I am talking poor azz futbol fans(which is the majority of them, let's be honest). Middle class folks just getting by owning designer hand bags? Peacocking and tribalism are deep in our nature. So we've invented exploitive merchandising - It's amazing how deep branding gets into our cultures.
 
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Stefanos Tsitsipas' contract with Wilson has not expired, and he remains sponsored by the brand.

While reports at the end of 2025 indicated that he intended to make a permanent switch to a Babolat Pure Aero 98 racket, his contract with Wilson prevented him from openly using another brand's branding. As a result, he spent time playing with a blacked-out frame featuring a Wilson string stencil to avoid breaching his contract
 
Hrm, it looks like a dense stringbed in the USO footage...

But it's all paintjobs now. Vallejo uses an SX300 2025, but is it a paintjob over a 2020 or?
It's all a merketing.
 
I personally don't use stencils and never have.

I will say this, some beginners think the stencils make them look cool, like the pros....
 
never did like stencil

after seeing ben shelton do the ball rub to reduce the stencil paint. even more reason not to do it...
 
Its interesting how many dont do / dont like the logos. I always thought it finishes the frame off nicely but at the same time only 'because' and for no specific reason.

The only time I have had the logo actually rub off onto a ball is when I had restrung and stencilled about 2 hours before a match and it was red stencil which seems to take an age to dry properly as well as show up really well on the yellow balls!

Might start to reconsider doing the logos, although I think my customers appreciate them - hence why I find it strange that the majority (or more vocal) of you dont.
 
MaxSwing said:
Its interesting how many dont do / dont like the logos. I always thought it finishes the frame off nicely but at the same time only 'because' and for no specific reason.

The only time I have had the logo actually rub off onto a ball is when I had restrung and stencilled about 2 hours before a match and it was red stencil which seems to take an age to dry properly as well as show up really well on the yellow balls!

Might start to reconsider doing the logos, although I think my customers appreciate them - hence why I find it strange that the majority (or more vocal) of you dont.
Click to expand...
Polyester is notorious for not allowing stencil ink to "stick". You stencil poly, it's going to come off.
 
MaxSwing said:
Might start to reconsider doing the logos, although I think my customers appreciate them - hence why I find it strange that the majority (or more vocal) of you dont.
Click to expand...
I was going to suggest maybe it's a cultural thing, but I'm also UK based and I never stencil. My observations have been as follows:

- Very young kids like them, but restringing for them is super rare because they outgrow the racquets faster than the strings.
- Performance juniors burn through strings (and sometimes racquets) and don't seem to care.
- Adults seem to associate logos with beginners. It's almost like a badge of honour to have reached a level where they're 'good' enough to break a string. The ones I string for range from not bothered to actively not liking them.
- The handful of sponsored players I've strung for (one touring pro, plus a handful who play ITF seniors events and have some sort of discounted package with a brand that necessitates a stencil) have all told me not to stencil it as they want to do it themselves. No idea why, I've never asked because I don't particularly want the task.

One outlier I've come across: one guy wanted to cover his entire stringbed in ink as he figured the wear over time would help him see whether his contact point was consistently in the sweet spot. I bought him some ink, but told him he could do it himself. He had a coach, got ink marks all over an entire basket of balls, and was refused further lessons until he restrung. I'll tell you: cutting and removing strings with that much ink on them causes quite the mess...

And as we're in the stringing forum, why not throw in the anecdote about why I started stringing? I'd returned tennis after sitting out in my 20s, and had discovered these forums. I bought some string from TW - at the time, the exchange rate was around $2 to £1... heady days... - and some were actually US exclusives. I found one of the coaches at the club strung, gave him a set of string. When he handed the racquet back to me it had a stencil on it. One of the other coaches was passing and said 'You've stencilled it. That's a nice finish'. And the stencil drew my attention. I wasn't until later, after hitting with the racquet, that I noticed it had six knots... I can only assume he'd intended a two-piece, mis-measured, come up short on the crosses but had a long enough piece to patch it all together. He never said anything. And that's basically why I bought a machine. And why I distrust stencils.
 
Dags said:
I was going to suggest maybe it's a cultural thing, but I'm also UK based and I never stencil. My observations have been as follows:

- Very young kids like them, but restringing for them is super rare because they outgrow the racquets faster than the strings.
- Performance juniors burn through strings (and sometimes racquets) and don't seem to care.
- Adults seem to associate logos with beginners. It's almost like a badge of honour to have reached a level where they're 'good' enough to break a string. The ones I string for range from not bothered to actively not liking them.
- The handful of sponsored players I've strung for (one touring pro, plus a handful who play ITF seniors events and have some sort of discounted package with a brand that necessitates a stencil) have all told me not to stencil it as they want to do it themselves. No idea why, I've never asked because I don't particularly want the task.

One outlier I've come across: one guy wanted to cover his entire stringbed in ink as he figured the wear over time would help him see whether his contact point was consistently in the sweet spot. I bought him some ink, but told him he could do it himself. He had a coach, got ink marks all over an entire basket of balls, and was refused further lessons until he restrung. I'll tell you: cutting and removing strings with that much ink on them causes quite the mess...

And as we're in the stringing forum, why not throw in the anecdote about why I started stringing? I'd returned tennis after sitting out in my 20s, and had discovered these forums. I bought some string from TW - at the time, the exchange rate was around $2 to £1... heady days... - and some were actually US exclusives. I found one of the coaches at the club strung, gave him a set of string. When he handed the racquet back to me it had a stencil on it. One of the other coaches was passing and said 'You've stencilled it. That's a nice finish'. And the stencil drew my attention. I wasn't until later, after hitting with the racquet, that I noticed it had six knots... I can only assume he'd intended a two-piece, mis-measured, come up short on the crosses but had a long enough piece to patch it all together. He never said anything. And that's basically why I bought a machine. And why I distrust stencils.
Click to expand...
Yeah I am UK too but just hobby stringing for local club and anyone else that finds me via Google in the area. Noone has ever said dont do logo, I have just always done logo because I have just always seen racquets with logos. I was further down south originally then moved further north but always just more amateur clubs in the local leagues with only one or two county level players. A couple of lads who play at university level and again they appear to appreciate the logo and havent asked for it to not be put on.

I love the idea of using ink to see the hitting points on the racquet :-D bonkers!

Also the 6 knots - amazing! Need to add that to my skill set...
 
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