Cut paper for Día de Muertos
Papel Picado Templates: printable, adjustable cut-paper designs
Choose a motif such as a calavera, marigold, heart, bird, sun, star lattice or butterfly, then set the flag size, border and how detailed the cutting should be. The template shows black shapes to cut away and a dashed line where the top hem folds over a string. Every design is generated in your browser from simple geometry, and you can print it at actual size or download the SVG. The designs are not cut-tested on real tissue paper, so make one trial on scrap paper first.
Designs are generated in your browser, and nothing you type is uploaded or saved. Print at 100% or “actual size” and check the 1-inch bar with a ruler. An adult should handle craft knives, and young children should cut with blunt-tip scissors.
How to use the papel picado template maker
Pick a motif, a border and how much detail you want to cut. Simple uses fewer, larger shapes. Detailed uses many small ones and suits experienced cutters. Then choose a flag size. The preset that fits one page prints at 100% on US Letter or A4, and larger flags print scaled down unless you download the SVG and print it at a print shop.
- Black shapes are cut away. White paper stays.
- The tinted band at the top is the string hem. Fold it down along the dashed line; do not cut it.
- Check the 1-inch bar on the printout. If it measures 1 inch, the print is at actual size.
- Lettering uses a stencil-style alphabet with gaps so letters like O and A keep their centers.
Cutting on a fold with tissue paper
Turn on the tissue paper fold option and the sheet shows half of the flag. Fold a stack of tissue paper in half, line the dashed FOLD edge of the printout with the folded edge, secure it, and cut the black shapes. When you open the paper, the design is mirrored into a whole flag. Lettering cannot be folded this way because letters are not mirror images.
What these designs are
The motifs are original geometric designs generated by this site: a calavera, a marigold, a heart, a bird with spread wings, a sun, a star lattice, a butterfly and your own short word. They are inspired by common papel picado subjects, not copied from any artist or shop, and they are not the work of traditional artisans.
Papel picado template or papel picado printable?
People search for both, and here they mean the same thing: a printed pattern that shows where to cut. Print it on plain paper, tape it over folded tissue paper, and cut through both. The template maker lets you change the size and detail first, which a fixed picture from a craft blog cannot do.
A flag with a hem is made to hang from a string. Fold the tinted band over the string and glue or tape it down, then repeat for each flag. The banner page makes one letter per flag if you want to spell a word.
How to make papel picado from a template
Use thin tissue paper, because it cuts cleanly through several layers and its color shows when light passes through. Fold a few sheets together, tape the template on top, and cut the black shapes starting with the small inner ones, then the edges. Take the template off carefully and unfold the flags. Start with two or three layers; more layers are harder to cut cleanly with scissors.
- Make a trial flag on scrap paper first to check that the details are a size you can cut.
- Pick the simple setting for children, with an adult cutting any craft knife work.
- Press the finished flags flat under a book before hanging them.
More to make on this site
The banner page makes letter flags for a name or a phrase such as FIESTA. The sugar skull page offers outline-only calavera coloring pages. The guides explain the tradition, the colors, and how to set up an ofrenda respectfully.
More to make
A banner and a coloring page.
Papel picado banner letters: one cut-out letter per flag
Make a printable papel picado banner: type a name or phrase up to 24 characters, get one cut-out letter per flag, and print one or two per page or save the SVG.
Sugar skull template: printable calavera coloring pages
Free printable sugar skull template and Day of the Dead coloring pages: five decorated calaveras plus a blank skull to design. Print one, two or four per page.
The studio notebook
A useful place to begin.
Clear steps, considered details, and ideas you can put to use.
What papel picado is and where it comes from
Papel picado is Mexican cut or perforated paper. Learn what it is, how artisans in San Salvador Huixcolotla make it, and where the story is uncertain.
How to cut papel picado from tissue paper with kids
A practical, safe way to make papel picado flags with children: how many layers to cut, how to fold, which scissors to use and what to do when tissue tears.
Making a papel picado banner and hanging it for an ofrenda or party
How to turn flags into a banner: sizes, spacing, string, hanging at an ofrenda or party, and keeping thin paper safe from candles and drafts.
Papel picado colors and motifs and what they commonly represent
The colors and designs often seen on papel picado, and the meanings people commonly give them, with care taken to avoid claiming fixed rules.
Día de Muertos ofrenda basics, explained respectfully
What an ofrenda is, what goes on it, when Día de Muertos is observed, and how to take part respectfully if the holiday is new to you.
Papel picado beyond Día de Muertos: weddings, fiestas, Christmas and the classroom
Papel picado is used for many celebrations. Ideas for weddings, parties, Christmas and Hispanic Heritage Month classroom activities.
A few helpful answers
Before you begin.
What is papel picado?
Papel picado means “perforated paper” in Spanish. It is thin tissue paper with designs cut or punched out, hung as banners at celebrations in Mexico and Mexican American communities.
How do I use the papel picado template?
Print it at 100% scale, tape it over a few layers of folded tissue paper, and cut away the black shapes, small ones first. Fold the tinted hem over a string.
Can I print a papel picado template on regular paper?
Yes. The printout is plain paper with black shapes to cut. Lay it over tissue paper, or cut it from the paper itself if you want a paper-only flag.
What size does it print?
The default 7 by 8.5 inch flag prints at 100% on one Letter or A4 page. Larger flags print scaled down unless you download the SVG and print it at a print shop.
What does the tissue paper fold option do?
It prints half of the flag. You fold tissue paper in half, line up the dashed FOLD edge, and cut, so the paper opens into a whole mirrored design.
Are these designs traditional?
No. They are original geometric designs generated in your browser, inspired by common papel picado subjects. Traditional artisans cut stacks with chisels, which is a different craft.
Is the template safe for children to cut?
Choose the simple setting and blunt-tip scissors for children, and keep craft knives for adults. We have not cut-tested the designs on real tissue paper, so try one flag on scrap paper first.
Does the site save what I type?
No. The designs and any word you type are processed in your browser, and nothing is uploaded or stored.