How does the photo bunting maker work?
Each photo you add becomes a photo flag: your picture cover-cropped into the flag shape, with a 4 mm white frame so the cut outline never runs through a face. Each character of your banner text becomes a letter flag, and a space becomes a blank flag — the word gap on the string. The default arrangement alternates letters and photos along the garland; you can also put the name first and the photos after it, or hang photos only. Three shapes print: triangle pennants, rectangle flags, and scalloped flags with a rounded bottom edge — all on the same 92 × 122 mm piece, so the sheets and the string length do not change.
Four flags print per sheet, and the last page is a one-sheet how-to with the string length computed for your banner. The preview strip above the form is the print order itself: what you see hanging there is what the PDF lays out, flag for flag.
| Paper | Flags per sheet | Flag size | Photo on each flag |
|---|---|---|---|
| A4 | 4 | 92 × 122 mm (14 mm fold tab) | 84 × 100 mm |
| US Letter | 4 | 92 × 122 mm (14 mm fold tab) | 84 × 100 mm |
How do I print the flags the right size?
- Download the PDF — it is built on your device, in your browser.
- In the print dialog, choose the paper you picked (A4 or Letter) and set scaling to 100 percent or actual size, never fit-to-page.
- Cut along the solid outlines — scissors are fine, a trimmer is faster.
- Fold each flag’s top tab back along the dashed line, over the string, and fix it with tape or a staple. The two small dashed circles in the tab are punch marks: punch through the folded tab and thread the string through both holes instead, if you would rather not tape.
Fit-to-page is the one mistake that spoils the size: it shrinks every flag a little, and the fold line stops marking the fold.
| Flags | String to cut |
|---|---|
| 4 | about 0.8 m |
| 8 | about 1.2 m |
| 12 | about 1.7 m |
Ribbon, twine, yarn and parcel string all work. Thicker string fills the punched holes better; thin thread is happier taped.
Which photos work best?
The crop takes the middle of the photo and fills the flag with it, so a subject near the centre works best: a face looking at the camera, the birthday child, a pet, a cap-and-gown portrait. On the triangle flags the shape narrows towards the point — if the important part sits low in a wide group shot, crop the photo first with any photo app and add the cropped version.
If the photos are old or precious, fix them before they become flags: the scratch remover and the color restorer run in your browser too.
Who is photo bunting for?
Anyone hanging a banner that should show faces: a birthday banner with the birthday person’s photos and name, a 1st birthday with one photo from each month, a graduation banner with a few school pictures, a wedding or party garland across the mantel. For the 40-to-70 group it is the paper version of the photo garlands that used to be made from prints and clothes pegs — printed, not glued.
A note on what else is out there, checked October 2026: the free banner generators that rank for these searches are text-only — the one free no-account printable generator we found offers letters and decorations but no photo upload at all — and the big template galleries (Canva, Adobe Express, CapCut and the like) need an account before anything downloads. The photo-bunting results themselves are 2015-era craft tutorials, static flag downloads and Etsy kits. This page is the piece that was missing: your own photos in the flags, free, no account, nothing uploaded.
What paper works, and can I print in black and white?
Light card (160–200 g/m²) hangs best. Plain paper is fine for testing and for one evening. Colour photos want a colour printer, obviously, but black-and-white printing is not wasted: vintage and restored family photos look right in greyscale flags.
Is anything uploaded?
No. The photo crop, the flag layout and the PDF itself all happen in your browser. Nothing you add here — photos or text — is sent anywhere, and closing the tab erases it. More printables from the same camera roll, all working the same way, are on the photo gifts page: gift tags with your photo inside, a memory game for the grandchildren, an advent calendar come December.
Questions
How do I make photo bunting with my own photos?
Add up to 12 photos above, type your banner text, and click the download button. Your photos become photo flags and each character of the text becomes a letter flag, laid out four to a sheet with cut lines, fold tabs and punch marks. Print at 100 percent, cut, fold the tabs over the string and hang.
How many flags fit on one sheet?
Four, on A4 and on US Letter alike: a 2 × 2 grid of 92 × 122 mm flags, of which 14 mm is the fold-over tab. The photo area on each flag is 84 × 100 mm — 84 × 88.5 mm on the scalloped flags — with a 4 mm white frame, so the scissors line never crosses the picture.
How much string do I need?
The tool computes it for your banner and prints it on the last sheet. The rule: each flag takes 9.2 cm of string, leave 3 cm between flags, and add 15 cm at each end to tie. Eight flags need about 1.2 m.
Can I make a birthday banner with a photo and a name?
Yes — that is exactly what the default arrangement does: the letters of the name and your photos alternate along the string. The same sheet works for a 1st birthday, a graduation with a few school pictures, or any party; the flags themselves carry no occasion, the photos do.
What paper should I print bunting on?
Light card (160–200 g/m²) hangs best, and the flags keep their shape on a wall or along a table. Plain printer paper is fine for a test run or one evening. Black-and-white printing is not wasted either: vintage and restored family photos look right in greyscale flags.
Are my photos uploaded anywhere?
No. The crop, the layout and the PDF are all computed in your browser, and no request carries a photo or a name. Closing the tab erases everything. There is no account and no watermark either.