Paper Ornament Maker

How to make paper photo ornaments

1. Pick a shape and a design, type the name and choose a year line. For a photo ornament press Use my photo, then drag the picture on the preview and zoom until the face sits above the ribbon. Several names, one per line, give one ornament each.
2. Download the PDF and print it at 100% (“Actual size”, not “Fit to page”). Card of 160–250 g/m² (60–90 lb cover) makes ornaments that hang flat; ordinary paper works for the folded ball and the woven heart.
3. For two-sided ornaments, print page 1, put the same sheet back in the printer and print page 2 on its other side with “flip on long edge”. The backs are printed in mirrored positions on purpose, so each lands behind its own front. Try it once on plain paper and hold the sheet up to a window first.
4. Cut on the thin grey line, punch the small circle with a hole punch or the tip of a skewer, and thread a ribbon or a loop of thread. The colour runs 1.5 mm past the cut line, so a back that prints a millimetre off still covers the edge.

Questions

How do I make a photo ornament from a free printable template?

Add the photo above and it fills the shape you pick; the name and year sit on a ribbon across the lower part, so drag the picture until faces are clear of it. A phone photo is more than sharp enough: a medium 75 mm bauble needs only about 890 × 1,030 pixels for 300 dpi. Print the fronts on card, add the backs if your printer prints both sides, and cut. Grandparents get one with a grandchild’s face and the year; a class can each bring a photo and make their own.

Is there a printable Christmas ornament template as a PDF?

Yes, every download is a PDF in A4 or US Letter (the page picks Letter for US and Canadian browsers), plus a 300 dpi PNG of page 1 if you would rather print from a photo app. Small fits 9 to 12 ornaments on a sheet, medium 4 to 6, large 4 to 6, depending on the shape. Everything stays at least 6 mm from the paper edge so home printers do not clip it.

What makes a good “Baby’s first Christmas” ornament?

Use the round or bauble shape, the baby’s name on the name line and the “Baby’s first Christmas 2026” year line, which shrinks to fit. A close photo of the face works better than a whole-room picture, because the ornament is only 6 to 9 cm across. For a keepsake, print on heavy card and laminate it, or slide it into a clear plastic ball from a craft shop.

Which are the simplest Christmas decorations to make with children?

The two colour-in designs print black outlines on white: children colour the stars, hearts and baubles, then an adult cuts. The folded ball is a good next step from about age 8: eight circles make a pointed ball in 20 minutes, twenty make a rounder ball and take closer to an hour. Each circle has its fold triangle and the folding steps printed on the sheet. The woven heart is the Danish paper heart basket; weaving the first one is fiddly, and from the second it clicks.

Why does my back not line up?

Most printers shift the second side by 1 to 2 mm, which is why the colour bleeds past the cut line. If it is further off, check that you flipped on the long edge (on a short-edge flip the backs land upside down), and that scaling is 100% on both pages. Without a duplex printer, feed the sheet back by hand with the printed side the way your printer needs it, or print a second copy and glue the two back to back.

Can I cut these on a Cricut?

Yes. Press Cut file (SVG) for Cricut / Silhouette under the preview. The file is true size, with its width and height written in millimetres, so a medium bauble comes in at exactly 75 mm wide and needs no resizing. Cut lines are red, in a layer called cut: every outline and its hanging hole, the circles of the folded ball, and the woven heart’s two pieces, their slits and the handle. Fold lines are blue and dashed, in a layer called score: the ball’s triangles and the heart’s centre folds. With names in the list you get one ornament per name, otherwise a printed sheet’s worth; the line beside the button says whether it needs a 12 × 12 in or a 12 × 24 in mat (20 medium or large ball circles need the long one).

Cricut Design Space: New Project, Upload, Upload Image, pick the .svg, then add it to the canvas and check the size panel matches the size on the button’s line. For the ball and heart, ungroup, set the score layer’s Operation from Basic Cut to Score, then select everything and press Attach so the folds stay on their circles. A Cricut Joy has no scoring tool: delete the score layer and fold along a ruler. Silhouette Studio needs Designer Edition or higher to open an SVG; give the score lines a scoring tool or a light perforated cut.

Plain cut or Print Then Cut? The SVG carries cut and score lines only, no colours and no names: it has no print layer. That suits plain card, glitter card and patterned scrapbook paper, and you can write or stamp the names after cutting. For the printed designs with names, print the PDF at 100% and cut by hand, or upload the PNG to Design Space as a Print Then Cut image and trace it; Print Then Cut prints at most about 6.75 × 9.25 in, so do a few ornaments at a time. Card weight: 65 to 80 lb cover (about 176 to 216 g/m²) for flat ornaments, with the “Medium Cardstock” setting; 80 to 120 g/m² paper for the woven heart and 120 to 160 g/m² for the ball, which fold cleanly at those weights. Use a fresh blade for the 3.2 mm hanging holes, or punch them afterwards.

Is it free, and is my photo uploaded?

It is free, with no sign-up and no watermark. The photo is opened and drawn inside this page on your own device and is never sent anywhere; the PDF and PNG are made by your browser. The PDF fonts cover Western European letters; others (for example Greek or Chinese) are left out, and the page tells you when that happens.