What do you want to decorate?
The same stencil works very differently on a window, a cookie or a board, so start from the job. Choose the size for it under Size and paper, then a design, a greeting on the Text tab, or your own clip art on the Picture tab.
Windows and mirrors (snow spray, window paint, chalk markers)
Choose Window pane (12 in) or Large window or door (18 in); the large one comes on several sheets that you tape together along the red dashed lines. Glue the print to thin card before cutting, so it stays flat against the glass. Flip the Painted preview on to see the design as white on a dark pane, which is how it will read from the street. Bold shapes such as the tree, star, bell and stocking read best from a distance. Spray in light passes and lift the card straight off.
Glass etching
Etching cream needs a stencil that seals to the glass, so use the printout as a template for adhesive vinyl or contact paper rather than etching through the paper. Small sizes work well here: a 3 in snowflake or candle on a glass jar, a 5 in wreath on a mirror tile. Leave every bridge in the vinyl, and follow the instructions on the cream.
Cookies, cakes and drinks
Cookie or latte prints a 3 in stencil. Simple, chunky designs survive at that size: the star, candy cane, mitten, stocking and Santa hat. Bridges shrink to about 1⁄16 in so they don’t swallow the shapes, and anything too small to cut is left out and listed under the preview. Cut it from a material sold as food-safe, hold it just above the surface, and shake icing sugar or cocoa through a fine sieve.
Wood signs, pillows and tote bags
Sign, pillow or jar prints a 7 in stencil that still fits on one sheet. Greetings look best here: tap Merry Christmas, Noel or Joy on the Text tab, or type a family name. Pick Bold block letters for painting, because thin serifs bleed. Use very little paint on a stencil brush and dab straight down.
Paper ornaments and gift tags
Switch What to print to Ornament sheet for baubles, teardrops or gift tags, one to six on a page. A Cut-out design turns each ornament into a small lantern for a window. A Coloring outline is an afternoon activity for children. Tick A different design on each ornament to mix the gallery on one sheet.
When the tool warns you
The line under the preview is worked out for the size you chose, not for the design in general. The snowman keeps its eyes and buttons at 3 in, but on a six-to-a-page ornament they are smaller than you can cut, so they are left out and the summary says so. When a strip of the sheet would be thinner than 1⁄16 in, the tool says so and offers the next size up (or fewer ornaments per page) at which every part can be cut. Other warnings come with their own one-tap fixes: too many tiny holes (raise Smoothing), or most of the sheet cut away (swap cut and keep).
On a phone, use Save image: each sheet goes to your photos as a full page, which most phones print at the right size more reliably than a PDF. Before cutting, measure the scale bar in the sheet’s bottom corner against a ruler.
More holiday printables
Count down to Christmas with the printable advent calendar maker, fold and cut snowflakes with the paper snowflake maker, or play Christmas bingo at a party. A cutting machine needs vector lines: download the PNG and trace it with the PNG to SVG converter.
All designs were drawn for this site.