Improver · about 12 minutes · 2 strokes
Block letters practice sheet (tip 3, free PDF)
Quick answer
The block letters sheet is free to download and print. It is an improver sheet for round tip 3 with 2 strokes of letters and takes about 12 minutes: print the A4 or US Letter PDF at 100%, pipe over the grey shapes in the numbered order, then photograph it for a score out of 100.
Spell CAKE and LOVE in plain capital letters. Practise stopping, lifting and starting again cleanly.
You need a piping bag with tip 3 (round).
Free for personal practice. Print at 100% scale ("actual size").
What the block letters sheet trains
This sheet spells CAKE on one line and LOVE on the other in plain capital letters, piped with the same fine round tip as the line sheets. It is less about pretty writing and more about clean starts and stops: every letter is made of several separate strokes, and each one needs its own touch-down and lift.
Pipe the letters in order. Stop squeezing at the end of each stroke, lift away, and start the next one fresh rather than dragging the icing across. On LOVE, pipe the round letter first and keep the O smooth, then finish with the straight strokes.
- On the sheet
- 2 strokes of letters, 85 cm of piped line
- Bead size
- 3 mm wide
- Speed
- 12 mm a second
- Bag angle
- at 45°
- Squeeze rhythm
- steady
- Separate starts
- 13: every line, unit or letter stroke begins with a fresh squeeze
Stroke by stroke
Bead is how wide the icing should be (or how big each unit is); speed is how fast to move along the line.
| # | What you pipe | Bead | Speed | Bag angle | Squeeze rhythm | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 pen strokes of lettering, 443 mm of line in all | 3 mm | 12 mm/s | 45° | steady | Pipe each letter in order. Lift and start fresh for every new stroke. |
| 2 | 5 pen strokes of lettering, 409 mm of line in all | 3 mm | 12 mm/s | 45° | steady | Round letters first: keep the O smooth, then finish with straight strokes. |
Print the PDF at 100% and check the bar at the bottom measures 10 cm, fit tip 3, pipe strokes 1 to 2 in order, then photograph the sheet from straight above with all four corner squares in view. Printing and photo tips.
Watch the ghost nozzle
Press play and pipe along with the green ghost: it moves at each stroke's target speed.
Stroke 1 of 2
Pipe each letter in order. Lift and start fresh for every new stroke.
Mistakes to watch for on this sheet
Check the joins where strokes meet, such as the corners of the E and the point of the V. A blob there means you kept squeezing while you stopped; a gap means you lifted too early.
- Wobbly line
Most likely on strokes 1 and 2 (letters). Lift the tip about 1 cm and let the icing fall onto the line while you move a little slower.
- Gaps and breaks
Most likely on strokes 1 and 2 (letters). Keep the same gentle squeeze all the way and only stop squeezing at the very end.
- Drifting off the line
Most likely on strokes 1 and 2 (letters). Hold the bag at 45 degrees and aim the tip right on the grey line, not beside it.
- Icing off the template
Most likely on strokes 1 and 2 (letters). Pipe only on the grey shapes and wipe off stray drips before you take the photo.
The block letters sheet in the 30-day challenge
The 30-day piping challenge uses this sheet on days 9 and 25. It comes after loops and before rosettes.
- Day 9 · New sheetLift and start fresh for every stroke. Round letters first, then the straight ones.
- Day 25 · RepeatRepeat of day 9. Smooth the O, then finish with the straight strokes.