Hangers to cut out and put over a handle. Two to a sheet as it opens, each one a rounded rectangle with the keyhole cut out of the top as part of the same closed line. The greeting prints Santa Stop Here unless you type something else, and there is a ruled name line at the foot of every hanger.
The keyhole is the part that has to be right
The cut line is one continuous path: down the slot from the top edge, round the circle, back up the other side of the slot and on round the outside of the hanger. That matters because a keyhole drawn as a circle with two lines over it leaves you guessing where to stop cutting.
At two to a sheet the hanger is about 86mm by 230mm with a 36mm hole, which clears a standard round handle and most levers. At three to a sheet it narrows to about 56mm by 230mm and the hole drops to 26mm, which fits a slim lever but will not go over a large round knob. Check the handle before you print the three-up version.
Printed or colour in
Printed is the default. The hanger gets a fine decorated frame in the design you picked, the greeting set in a serif face, a grey motif in the middle and the name rule at the bottom. That is the version to hand over finished.
Colour in drops the frame, thickens the cut line and redraws the picture as a bold open outline for a child to fill in. One thing to know about it: the greeting still prints as solid type, so only the picture can be coloured. If you want the words coloured in as well, leave the Greeting box empty and have the child write them.
Typing your own greeting
The Greeting box above the sheet replaces Santa Stop Here on every hanger at once. The type shrinks to fit the width, so a long greeting still sits on one line rather than running over the cut edge, though it ends up small at three to a sheet.
Things people actually put there: a child's name, Reindeer Parking, Do Not Open Until Christmas, Elf Crossing, or the number of sleeps left. Keep it to three or four words at three-up.
Card, cutting and hanging
The sheet itself asks for about 250gsm, and that is the right call for something hanging on a door that gets opened. A hanger in 80gsm paper folds over on itself the first time the door swings. If your printer will not take 250gsm, 160gsm works and will curl at the corners after a week.
Cut the outside of the hanger first. Then push a scissor point through the middle of the circle, cut round it, and finish by cutting the two sides of the slot in from the top edge to meet it. Doing the slot last is what stops the narrow strip beside it bending while you work.
Questions
- How many door hangers print on a sheet?
- Two as it opens, at about 86mm by 230mm each, or three at about 56mm by 230mm. Both options print on one sheet with the keyhole cut marked on every hanger.
- Will the keyhole fit my door handle?
- The two-up hanger has a 36mm hole, which clears a standard round knob and most levers. The three-up hanger drops to 26mm, which fits a slim lever but not a large round handle.
- Can I change the Santa Stop Here wording?
- Yes. Type into the Greeting box above the sheet and it replaces the wording on every hanger at once. The type shrinks to fit, so a longer greeting still stays inside the cut line.
- Can children colour the hangers in?
- Yes. Switch Artwork to Colour in and the picture is redrawn as a bold open outline. The greeting still prints as solid type, so leave the Greeting box empty if you want the words written by hand too.
- What card should I print on?
- The sheet asks for about 250gsm and that is the weight to aim for. Ordinary paper folds over the first time the door swings. 160gsm works if your printer will not feed anything heavier.