Free Printable Bunting Templates: Triangle, Scallop, and Pennant Shapes
A printable bunting template takes care of the fiddly part: getting the shape symmetrical and the point centred. Download one, print it, cut it out once, and you have a reusable master for paper, card, felt or fabric. No measuring, no wobbly freehand triangles.
The three shapes below cover almost everything you might want to hang, and each one scales easily from a 3-inch cake garland to a 12-inch flag for a doorway or garden. The two things that matter most are printing at the correct size and picking a shape that suits the occasion.
Three Shapes, Three Different Looks
Triangle
The classic. A flat top with two straight sides meeting at a point. A comfortable working proportion is roughly 1.4 times as tall as it is wide, so a 7-inch-wide flag comes out about 10 inches tall. Narrow the angle for something sharper and more formal; widen it for a chunkier, more playful flag. Triangles are the fastest shape to cut in bulk because every edge is straight — a rotary cutter and a ruler will do a whole stack in minutes.
Scallop
A rounded bottom edge, either one half-circle or a gentle wave with two or three bumps. Scallops read as softer and more decorative, which is why they turn up at baby showers, nursery parties and afternoon teas. They are slower to cut than triangles, so give yourself small snips rather than long strokes and turn the paper as you go, keeping the scissors moving. If you are sewing fabric scallops, clip the curves in the seam allowance before turning so the edges sit flat.
Pennant
Long and narrow, like the flags along a race track or a sports ground. The width-to-length ratio usually sits somewhere between 1:2 and 1:3, which means you get more flags from the same sheet of paper. Pennants are the best choice if you are working through a scrap stash or want a garland that reads as sporty rather than sweet. A notched or swallowtail end is traditional but entirely optional.
Choosing a Size That Works
Size is mostly about viewing distance. A flag that looks generous on a mantel disappears on a garden fence, and a flag that suits a hall looks clumsy above a cake.
- Mini, 3 to 4 inches wide: cake toppers, gift wrapping, tiered trays, shelf styling.
- Small, 5 to 6 inches wide: mantels, windowsills, highchair trays, dessert tables.
- Standard, 7 to 8 inches wide: the safe default for walls, doorways and party rooms.
- Large, 10 to 12 inches wide: gardens, marquees and halls where people stand well back.
Leave roughly 1 to 1½ inches between flags so the ribbon shows and the shapes stay readable. A row of twelve standard 7-inch flags with 1½-inch gaps runs about 8 to 9 feet, so add extra ribbon at each end for tying and a little slack for the sag.
How to Print Templates at the Right Scale
- Open the file in a proper PDF reader rather than a browser preview, which often quietly shrinks pages to fit margins.
- In the print dialog, choose Actual size or 100%. Avoid "Fit to page" and "Shrink oversized pages" — they trim a few percent and you will not notice until the flags are pinned up unevenly.
- If the template includes a 1-inch test square, measure it with a ruler before cutting anything. If it does not, measure the widest part of the flag and compare it with the stated size.
- Check your paper. Most templates are drawn to sit inside the printable area of both A4 and US Letter, but if the widest flag runs past the margins, print on a larger sheet or switch on tiling.
- Run one test page on cheap paper before you commit the good cardstock.
- To resize, divide the size you want by the size you have. 5 inches up to 7 inches is 140%. 5 inches up to 10 inches is 200%. 8 inches down to 4 inches is 50%.
- For anything bigger than your printer can handle, use the poster or tile option and let the software split the design across sheets with crop marks. Overlap the sheets by about half an inch, tape on the reverse and cut the outline as one piece.
Scaling a Template Up or Down by Hand
The grid method works when you have no printer, no power or simply a shape you want bigger than any paper you own. Draw a 1-inch grid over the printed template with a pencil and ruler. Decide your scale — doubling means 2-inch squares on the new sheet — then count squares across and down and mark the same points on your larger grid before joining them. It takes ten minutes and works on card, fabric and even a wall.
Photocopiers usually enlarge from around 25% to 400%, which covers most household jobs. For a really large flag, a print shop can run the file at A2 or A1 size for a modest cost, and that single enlarged sheet becomes a sturdy master you can trace around for years.
Cutting and Assembling Without the Fuss
Cardstock around 160 to 250 gsm holds its shape indoors and is still easy to cut. Felt keeps a firm edge with no fraying, which suits scallops. Cotton needs two layers sewn right sides together and turned, so add a seam allowance all round — a quarter inch is plenty — plus an extra inch or so at the top if you want a fold-over tab instead of punched holes.
Cut the straight sides of triangles and pennants with a rotary cutter and ruler, and save the scissors for curves. Stack no more than three sheets at a time; beyond that the edges creep and your flags come out slightly different. Cut the bottom point last, and use the offcut to test your hole punch before you commit.
For hanging, either punch two holes about half an inch in from each top corner and thread ribbon through, or fold the top edge over the ribbon and glue it — a cleaner finish for fabric and felt. Reinforce holes with tape or eyelets if the bunting is going outside, and weight both ends so it does not twist into knots in the wind. Lay the whole row out on the floor first and nudge the gaps even before you thread anything.
Print, Cut, Hang
Pick one shape and one size, print the template at 100%, and cut a single master from card. Write the finished width on the back of it and keep it in a folder with your other patterns — next time you will not have to think about scaling at all. Trace around that master for every flag in the row so they match perfectly, and if you want to mix shapes, alternate a triangle and a scallop rather than changing the size. Start with a short run of six flags to check the proportions on your wall; it is far easier to print two more pages than to unpick a length of ribbon.
