The wearable version
Enter a head circumference in centimetres and the cone and headband are sized to it. Fifty-two centimetres is about right for a four year old, fifty-four for a seven year old and fifty-seven for most adults, but measuring takes ten seconds and a hat that falls off gets abandoned.
The cone prints as a sector with a glue tab, and the headband as a separate strip with slots. Roll the cone, glue the tab, thread the headband through the slots and adjust. The pompom is a separate circle you cut and glue, or you can use cotton wool.
The flat version
A side profile hat at any height from 40mm to 200mm. At the small end it works as a decoration on a card or a gift tag. At the large end it goes on a classroom display, or onto a photograph of a face, which is the use nobody admits to and everybody has.
There is also a hat-and-beard combination outline, which is the one to print for a photo booth prop on a stick.
Card and construction
A wearable hat needs 200gsm. At 160gsm the cone collapses once it is worn for ten minutes. Flat hats are fine at 160gsm, and at 250gsm if they are going on a photo booth stick.
Score the cone's glue tab before rolling. Red card printed with a white trim band is the cheapest route to a hat that looks finished, since you avoid laying down a large block of red ink.
Questions
- Can the Santa hat template be worn?
- Yes. The wearable version is a cone with a glue tab plus a headband strip, sized from a head circumference you enter in centimetres, so it stays on properly.
- What head size should I use?
- About 52cm for a four year old, 54cm for a seven year old and 57cm for most adults, but measuring takes ten seconds and a hat that falls off gets abandoned.
- What card weight does a wearable hat need?
- 200gsm. At 160gsm the cone collapses after about ten minutes of being worn. Flat hats for cards and displays are fine at 160gsm.
- Is there a version for a photo booth prop?
- Yes. The hat-and-beard combined outline printed at 250gsm and glued to a stick is the one to use.