How do I make a raised-letter sign: carving the background away cleanly?

The concept

Instead of carving letters IN, you pocket the background away, leaving text, logo and border standing proud. It reads better at a distance (real shadows), and it is the commercial dimensional-sign standard.

The setup

1. Vectors: text or graphics plus a boundary vector (the sign edge or an inner border). Select the boundary AND the lettering together. The Pocket toolpath machines between them, leaving the letters as islands.
2. Pocket toolpath: depth typically 1/8" to 1/4" (deeper gives a bolder shadow). Use two tools: a large clearance end mill plus a small detail tool for tight areas between letters (see the pocket entry).
3. The crisp-edge trick: the round pocket tool leaves slightly rounded inside corners against the letters. For sharp letter edges, add a V-carve toolpath with the letters and boundary selected and Flat Depth equal to the pocket depth. The V-bit cuts crisp angled walls against every letter (the classic "raised letter with V-carved walls" combo, giving hand-carved-look bevels).
4. Textured background upgrade: run a Texture toolpath in the pocketed field. Sandblasted or wood-grain textures hide tool marks and look professional (see the Texture Toolpath entries, whose settings are starting points to test on scrap).
5. Font advice: bolder, thicker fonts survive as raised islands; thin scripts get fragile (see the font entry).

Cleanup and finishing

• Background tool marks: texture hides them, or take a light final pocket pass at full depth
• Fuzz on letter walls: seal and brush (see the sanding entry)
• Finish with the base plus dry-roll two-color workflow (see that entry), with raised faces rolled in an accent color

Pro tips

• Pocketing a whole background takes real machine time, so quote it. A bigger clearance tool and a texture instead of a smooth floor both cut time.
• Keep letters connected to the base at full width. Avoid fonts with hairline serifs that become fragile standing ridges.
• Border plus raised text plus textured field is the complete classic look, all from three toolpaths.