Free Nail Template Maker for String Art — Circle & Square, Full-Size PDF

Your frame

Shape

Circle Square

Diameter Measured through the nails (the line the nails stand on). Number of nails Nail 0 position

Numbers go

Clockwise Counter-clockwise

Numbers shown A short line at every 5th nail and a long line at every 10th. First nail number PDF page size One page with the whole template at full size (1:1). Pick a paper size only if your print shop asks for one. Scale Keep full size unless the template is very large (see the tips below). Download full-size PDF

True size on screen (after calibrating below)

Frame
Circumference / perimeter
Nail spacing along the frame
Nail spacing, straight
Angle between nails
Template with numbers
Poster print at home

Calibrate your screen (optional)

To see the template at its real size on screen, hold a bank card (85.6 x 54 mm, 3.37 x 2.13 in) against the box below and move the slider until the box matches the card exactly. This only changes the on-screen view; the PDF is always full size.

Printing your template at full size.

The PDF is one page with the whole template. Print it at 100%: "Fit to page" or "Shrink oversized pages" make it smaller and the nails land in the wrong places. Measure the 10 cm bar on the template with a ruler before you hammer a single nail.

How to print a large PDF over several pages (Poster print)

The easiest way to print a large PDF at full size over several pages is with the free Adobe Acrobat Reader: get Adobe Reader (check whether you want the "optional offers" before installing).

Download your template with the button above, then open the PDF in Adobe Reader (look in your Downloads folder). Make sure the whole template is visible in Adobe Reader (scroll to check). If it isn't, choose a bigger PDF page size above and download it again.
Choose Print from Adobe Reader's File menu. In the window that opens, click the Poster button.
Set Tile Scale to 100%, and set an Overlap if you want the printed pages to overlap for easy gluing or taping.
Adobe Reader's print window: click Poster, set Tile Scale and Overlap. The preview on the right shows how the pages fit together.
The preview shows the whole template with lines showing how the pages fit together. When it looks right, click Print, then put the pages together into one large template.

Very large templates: make the template at a smaller scale and scale it back up with Tile Scale when you print. For example, choose Scale 20% above and enter 500% in Tile Scale (20% x 500% = full size). The PDF says which Tile Scale to use.

Or one large sheet from a print shop

Send the PDF to a copy or print shop for large-format ("plan" or "engineering") printing on a single sheet, and ask for "100%, actual size, no scaling". The page-size box above shows which paper sizes are big enough. Check the 10 cm bar before you leave the shop.

Putting it on the frame

Tape the template flat on your board, centered: the dashed lines cross at the center mark.
Hammer a nail through the center of each dot, keeping the nails straight and at the same height, then tear the paper away.
Printing on vellum (tracing paper) lets you see the board through the template.

Paper sizes

Size	mm	inches
Letter	215.9 x 279.4	8.5 x 11
A4	210 x 297	8.27 x 11.7
Tabloid	279.4 x 431.8	11 x 17
A3	297 x 420	11.7 x 16.5
A2	420 x 594	16.5 x 23.4
Arch C	457.2 x 609.6	18 x 24
A1	594 x 841	23.4 x 33.1
Arch D	609.6 x 914.4	24 x 36
A0	841 x 1189	33.1 x 46.8
Arch E	914.4 x 1219.2	36 x 48

Bought a StringPhoto digital download? Your downloads include a "Nail template" PDF for your design, numbered to match your winding plan.