10 Free Printable Christmas Bunting Ideas With Harlequin Flags, Candy Stripes and Tartan

A mantel or a window looks half dressed without something strung across it, and bunting is the fastest way to fix that for the price of a sheet of cardstock. This set gives ten looks, five paper chains of patterned strips glued into rings and five strings of cut shapes, so the mix covers a proper harlequin party as well as a quiet tartan one.

Every garland here comes with its own printable sheet: print it flat, no shadows or mockups to squint at, cut along the solid lines and you are done. A shape sheet holds two large motifs lying on their side so nothing is wasted, and a chain sheet is a column of patterned strips ready to loop and glue.

None of these need a trip to the craft shop. A pack of cardstock, a glue stick, scissors and a length of string or cotton twine covers the whole list, and one garland takes a lazy half hour in front of a film to cut and assemble.

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Harlequin Diamond Looks

Harlequin reads as more grown up than a candy cane and sits well in a room that already leans toward cocktail party rather than cartoon Christmas. These two use the same diamond shape two different ways, one as a cut flag and one as a printed strip.

Red and Pink Harlequin Diamonds Bunting

Each flag is a single large diamond, rotated on its point, filled edge to edge with a smaller checkerboard of harlequin diamonds in cranberry red and blush pink. Strung along a mantel or a party doorway, it reads instantly as a grown up Christmas rather than a child’s one.

Print the sheet, cut around both diamonds, pierce a small hole near the top corner of each and thread them onto string in a loose repeating rhythm. Leave a hand’s width of plain string between flags so the pattern gets room to breathe.

One sheet gives two flags, so a six foot length needs three or four sheets depending on spacing. Thin card holds the point of the diamond better than thick cardstock, which tends to curl at that sharp tip.

Green and White Harlequin Bunting

A paper chain of interlocking rings, each strip carrying a different scale of green and white harlequin diamond: large bold diamonds on some strips, a tiny diamond grid on others, so the finished chain has rhythm rather than one flat repeat. It drapes well along a bannister or looped across a window.

Cut along each strip, curl it into a ring through the last one made, and glue the overlap. Ten strips make a chain of about three feet, so double the sheets for a full doorway.

The honest note: green ink on white paper shows every smudge, so let glue dry fully before handling the next ring, and keep a damp cloth nearby for sticky fingers.

Candy-Shop Classics

Solid colour blocks and stripes are the easiest bunting on this list to get right, because there is no pattern to line up, only clean colour. They suit a kitchen doorway or a kids’ table as happily as a formal hallway.

Solid Red, Green and Mint Mix Bunting

No pattern at all, just classic triangle pennants in three flat colours: cranberry red, forest green and a soft mint that keeps the whole string from reading too heavy. It is the bunting to reach for when everything else in the room is already busy.

Cut the triangles, pierce a hole in each top corner and string them in a loose rotation, red then green then mint. Print the sheet twice to get a true three colour mix rather than just two per page.

Solid colour shows every uneven cut, so a paper trimmer gives a straighter edge than scissors if the string is going somewhere people will stand close to it.

Candy Cane Stripes Bunting

A paper chain where every strip is a different width of red and white diagonal stripe, so the finished rings look like a box of candy canes tipped out and strung up. It is the easiest one on this list to get a child to help with.

Roll each strip into a ring, loop it through the previous one and glue the overlap flat. Ten strips give a chain of roughly three feet, enough for one side of a doorway.

It pairs naturally with a candy cane striped tree if the room is already leaning peppermint, and it eats paper fast since every ring needs its own strip, so print a full set before starting rather than running out halfway.

Gingham and Tartan Countryside

Check and plaid give a bunting a country house feel without a single sprig of holly, and both print beautifully flat since the pattern is just straight lines crossing. Good for a room already working a tartan tree or tweed-heavy decor.

Red Gingham Bunting

A scalloped half circle flag rather than the usual point, filled edge to edge with a classic red gingham check. The rounded edge softens the whole string and suits a kitchen window or a table runner more than a formal mantel.

Cut around the scalloped outline, pierce a hole near the flat top edge and thread onto string or thin red ribbon. The check pattern hides a slightly uneven cut better than a solid colour would.

One honest skip: do not try to match the checks exactly where one flag meets the next, nobody looking at a strung garland from across a room will ever notice, and chasing it wastes paper.

Green Tartan Bunting

Tartan plaid strips in forest green, the scale of the check shifting from strip to strip so the finished chain has some movement instead of one flat repeat. It sits comfortably in a room already working a plaid or old money look, including beside an old money style tree.

Assemble exactly like any paper chain: roll, loop through the last ring, glue the overlap. Tartan has more lines in it than gingham, so a sharp craft blade along a ruler gives a cleaner edge than scissors on this one.

It reads darker than most of the other garlands here, which makes it the one to hang against a pale wall rather than against dark green garland greenery, where it disappears.

Winter Nights and Gold

Navy and cream are the two backgrounds that make a single colour of ink look expensive rather than flat. These two work well strung together over a drinks table, the dark one grounding the pale one.

White Snowflakes on Navy Bunting

The flag itself is cut into a six armed snowflake silhouette rather than a triangle, in deep navy card with a finer white snowflake line drawn across its centre. Strung together they look like a flurry caught mid fall rather than a row of pennants.

These are fussier to cut than a straight edged flag, so a sharp small scissor earns its keep on the inward points. Pierce each snowflake wherever feels sturdy, usually near one of the shorter arms, and thread on navy or silver thread.

The note to make peace with: the delicate arms are the first thing to tear, so cut slightly inside the line rather than exactly on it, and keep a spare sheet printed in case one snaps.

Gold Stars on Cream Bunting

A classic triangle pennant in soft cream, scattered edge to edge with small gold stars rather than one big centred motif. It is the dressiest garland on this list and suits a drinks table or a doorway for an evening gathering more than a kids’ room.

Cut the triangles, pierce near the top corner and string on gold cord or plain cream ribbon. Because the stars scatter right to the paper edge, an uneven cut is far less noticeable than on a solid colour flag.

Gold ink or gold marker over printed cream paper looks richer than a flat printed gold if the printer allows it, though plain printed gold still reads perfectly well from across a room.

Soft Florals and Woodland Holly

The gentlest pairing on the list, for a Christmas that is pink and green rather than red and gold. The floral suits a pink Christmas tree almost too well, and the holly keeps things from floating off into spring.

Pastel Florals for a Soft Pink Christmas Bunting

A paper chain built from blush pink and sage florals, each strip a slightly different scale of the same ditsy flower print, so the finished chain reads soft rather than sugary. It belongs in a room already leaning toward a pink Christmas rather than the traditional red.

Assemble exactly like any other paper chain, roll each strip, loop and glue. It pairs naturally with anyone already building a pink Christmas tree, since the palette matches without trying.

Pastel ink is thirsty on cheap paper and can look washed out, so matte photo paper rather than plain printer paper keeps the blush and sage from turning grey.

Holly and Berries Bunting

A holly leaf silhouette rather than a flag, deep green with a small cluster of red berries drawn near the stem end. Strung in a row it looks like a sprig of real holly laid along a shelf rather than printed paper.

Cut carefully around the pointed lobes of the leaf, pierce near the stem end where the paper is sturdiest, and thread onto plain green or red thread. The points are sharp on paper and catch on jumpers, so round them very slightly with the scissors if the garland hangs somewhere people brush past.

This one works well as a top layer over an existing green garland rather than alone, tucked in among the greenery it was cut to imitate.

Frequently Asked Questions

What shape should Christmas bunting flags be?

The classic is a plain triangle pennant, and it is still the easiest shape to cut cleanly and the one most printables default to. This set mixes that triangle with diamonds, scallops, stars, snowflakes and a holly leaf so a reader is not stuck with one silhouette for the whole house.

What do I need to make paper Christmas bunting at home?

Just the printed sheet, a pair of scissors or a craft knife, a hole punch if the shapes thread on string rather than fold into rings, and string or thin ribbon to hang the finished garland. A glue stick is only needed for the paper chain style, to seal each ring.

How do you hang bunting flags without drawn holes or tabs?

Pierce or punch the paper once the shape is already cut out, choosing a sturdy spot near the top or near the stem of the motif rather than the thinnest point. Doing it after cutting, rather than following a pre marked dot, keeps the hole from landing somewhere the shape later needs to flex or tear.

How many flags or strips do I need for one length of bunting?

A rough rule is one triangle flag every 4 to 5 inches of string, so a six foot length needs around fifteen flags, while a paper chain needs about ten strips for every three feet since each ring adds a few inches. Printing two or three sheets covers most doorways and mantels.

Can paper bunting be reused next year?

Plain printer paper softens and fades fairly fast, but cardstock or matte photo paper holds its colour and shape well enough to pack flat in a box and bring out again. Flags threaded on string survive better than a glued paper chain, which tends to crease at the rings once it has been coiled and stored.

What is the difference between a paper chain and bunting flags?

A paper chain is made of strips glued into interlocking rings, so the whole thing is one continuous looped line. Bunting flags are individual cut shapes threaded onto a separate string or ribbon, which is why the two look so different hanging even when they share the same colours.