One snowflake taking up the whole page, arms running almost to the margins, with the six pointed star cut out of the middle. It is the size for a window, a display board or a classroom wall. Switch the layout and you get six matching snowflakes on one sheet for a garland instead.
One to a sheet
At A4 the snowflake comes out about 16cm across, which is roughly the size of a side plate and big enough to read from the other side of a room. Sent to A3 from the print dialogue it comes out at about 23cm, and because the drawing is vector geometry rather than an image the line stays crisp rather than going soft.
The star in the middle is a real hole, not a decoration. On a window it is the part that lets the most light through, and on a hanging snowflake it is where the thread goes.
Garland of six
The second layout puts six copies of the same snowflake on one sheet with a line at the foot telling you to run a thread through the hole in the middle of each. They are all the same pattern, which is the point: a garland of matching shapes reads as a garland, while a garland of six different ones reads as a muddle.
Print two or three sheets for a decent length. Thread them with the snowflakes face on rather than edge on, spaced a hand's width apart, and they turn as the air moves.
Detail level and cutting
Simple, Medium and Detailed change how much is cut out of each arm. At this size Detailed is manageable with ordinary scissors in a way it is not on the smaller sheets, because every notch is far wider.
Cut the outside line all the way round first, then do the centre star last. For a window, 80gsm paper is better than card: it lets light through and it is easier to tape flat against glass.
Questions
- How big is a large snowflake template?
- About 16cm across on A4, filling the page from margin to margin. Printing the same PDF onto A3 takes it to roughly 23cm, and the drawing stays sharp because it is vector artwork rather than an image.
- Can I make a snowflake garland?
- Yes. Switch the layout control to Garland of six and the sheet prints six copies of the same snowflake, each with the centre hole for the thread. Print two or three sheets for a useful length.
- Why are the six garland snowflakes identical?
- Because a garland reads better when the shapes repeat. The single large snowflake and the garland both come from the same generated pattern, and Regenerate gives you a different one.
- What paper suits a window display?
- Ordinary 80gsm printer paper. It lets light through, lies flat against glass and takes tape without buckling. Card blocks the light and tends to lift at the corners as the window cools overnight.