Free paper cutting templates

Patterns for cutting paper with a knife, scissors or a machine: papel picado banners, Chinese paper cuts, snowflakes to fold and cut, mandalas, borders and frames, and layered scenes built from five or six sheets. Each is drawn as clean closed shapes, so there is one line to follow round every hole.

211 designs in 12 sets. Free for personal and commercial use, no sign-up. What you can do with them.

Papel picado SVG 15 designs

Chinese paper cutting 16 designs

Paper snowflakes 16 designs

Mandala SVG 22 designs

Snowflake SVG 24 designs

Butterfly SVG 20 designs

Leaf SVG 26 designs

Border SVG 16 designs

Frame SVG 20 designs

Garland SVG 12 designs

Paper doll SVG 10 designs

Bookmark SVG 14 designs

Layered paper cutting templates

A layered paper cut is several sheets, each cut with part of a picture and stacked with a gap between them. Every scene here comes as one file for each sheet, checked so that each sheet cuts as one piece, and can be changed in the scene maker before you download it.

See all the shadow box scenes

Printing a template to cut by hand

Every design page has a PNG as well as the SVG. Print the PNG at the size you want and cut along the edge of the black shape with a craft knife on a cutting mat. Cut the smallest holes first and the outside edge last, so the sheet stays stiff while you work.

For a PDF, open the SVG in the SVG to PDF tool. The lines stay sharp at any size, because the PDF holds the shapes themselves and not a picture of them.

Paper and blade

Paper of 80 to 120 gsm cuts easily by hand and suits single-sheet designs. Card of 160 to 220 gsm suits layered scenes, which have to stand in a frame. Change the blade as soon as it drags: a blunt tip tears fine paper.

On a cutting machine

The SVG files open in the software for Cricut, Silhouette (Designer Edition or above) and Brother ScanNCut machines. Each design page gives the narrowest part of the design at seven sizes, so you can see how small it will cut before you load the mat.

Questions

Can I print these as a PDF?

Yes. Download the SVG and open it in the SVG to PDF tool, then save the PDF. The PNG on each design page also prints directly.

Which are easiest for a beginner?

Designs that are one piece with a narrowest part of 2 mm or more at the size you want: the simpler snowflakes, leaves and borders. Papel picado and the Chinese paper cuts have many small holes and take patience.

Are there layered templates?

Yes. The shadow box scenes are layered paper cuts, each a stack of five to seven sheets, and the maker on each scene page lets you change the scene before you download it.