How to Set Up Lettering and Carving

Set up lettering and carving in Step 4: Sketch & Inscription of the New Quote wizard. Open a decedent line and click Lettering & Carving to choose how that person's text and decorative work will look on the stone.

Each decedent line has its own Lettering & Carving window, so you can set different styles for different people on the same monument.

Lettering Style

Pick how the letters are cut into the stone. Two main styles:

• Sunk Lettering: the letters are cut into the stone (recessed). This is the most common style and works on every stone color.

• Raised Lettering: the surrounding stone is cut away so the letters stand out from the surface. More expensive and labor-intensive, typically used for high-end memorials.

If you select Sunk Lettering, five sub-styles appear:

• Standard: flat-bottomed cut, most common. The recessed area has a flat floor.

• V-Sunk: the cut tapers down to a point in the center, giving the letter a sharper, more dramatic shadow.

• U-Sunk: the cut has a rounded floor instead of flat or V-shaped. Softer look.

• Skin Frost: only the surface is frosted, leaving the polish below intact. Subtle, lower contrast.

• Outline: only the outline of each letter is cut, leaving the inside of the letter polished.

Raised Lettering doesn't need a sub-style because the technique is the same regardless of font.

Litho Color

Litho is the paint or finish applied to the recessed letters to make them stand out against the polished stone. Pick whichever the customer wants:

• Black: the standard. Black paint filled into the cut letters. Highest contrast on lighter stones (gray, pink, mahogany).

• Natural: no paint applied. The recessed letters show the raw, unpolished surface of the stone. Most subtle option.

• Highlight: silver or aluminum leaf finish that catches the light. Best for darker stones (black, dark blue, dark green) where black paint would be invisible.

• White: white paint. Strong contrast on dark stones; uncommon on light stones.

• Other: pick this for any custom finish (gold leaf, custom paint color, multi-color, etc.). When you select Other, a text field appears so you can describe it. The description shows up on the Shop Ticket so the engraver knows what to do.

Carving Type

Carving Type is a single-select 2×2 grid, set per decedent line. It controls how decorative elements (roses, crosses, scenes, emblems) and etched artwork are produced on the stone. Click an option to select it; click the active option again to clear it. Four choices:

• Flat/Sandblasted: the design is etched into the stone surface using a stencil and sandblaster. The design is flat, not three-dimensional. This is the standard for most monuments because it's faster, cheaper, and works for any artwork you can produce as a stencil.

• Shaped Carving: the design is hand-carved in 3D relief, with depth and contour. Used for sculptural elements like raised flowers, religious icons, or portraits. Significantly more time and skill required.

• Laser Etched: the artwork is laser-engraved into the stone. Best for fine detail and photo-style images, typically on dark polished granite.

• Hand Etched: the artwork is etched by hand, giving a softer, more artistic line than laser. Also used on dark polished stone.

Your choice shows in that decedent line's summary as Flat, Shaped, Laser Etched, or Hand Etched, and it carries through to Review & Create. Because Laser Etched and Hand Etched are etching techniques, these options can cover both decorative carving and etched text on the line.

Carving Type vs. Accessories Etching

MonuDesk has two separate places that mention etching. To avoid charging or producing the same etching twice, set it in only one of them:

• Per-line Carving Type (this Lettering & Carving window, Step 4): use Laser Etched or Hand Etched when etching is the carving technique for a specific decedent line's artwork or lettering.

• Accessories Etching (Step 3, Items & Configuration → Accessories): the standalone Etching accessory, with its own in-house vs. vendor pricing. Use this when etching is priced as a separate add-on rather than the line's carving style.

Don't enter the same etching in both spots. Pick the per-line Carving Type for line-specific etching, or the Accessories Etching item for a priced add-on, not both, so the order doesn't double-count it.

Related articles:

• How to Use Sketch and Inscription

• How to Add Accessories

• How to Configure the Monument Type, Color, Size and Finishes

• How the Pricing Panel Works