What prints with the starting settings
| Paper | US Letter — 215.9 × 279.4 mm (8.5 × 11 in) |
|---|---|
| Peg pitch | 5 mm |
| Pegs per board | 841 (29 × 29 max) |
| Board size | 145 × 145 mm |
| Margins | 1/2″ |
| Line weight | 0.18 mm (bold 0.35 mm) |
| Print setting | Scale 100% / Actual size |
What pegboard templates are for
Fuse beads, also called melty beads or ironing beads, are placed one by one on a plastic pegboard and then ironed so they fuse into a solid design. Pegboards are a grid, so every project is really a small piece of pixel art. A printed template at the same spacing lets you plan on paper first, and if your pegboard is clear, you can slide the finished drawing underneath and simply follow it.
Parents and teachers print blank templates for children to color in, which turns bead time into a design activity and saves frustration when a pattern doesn’t fit. Hobbyists sketch characters, coasters, keyrings and ornaments before committing hundreds of beads. Classroom and library craft leaders use stacks of templates so each child can plan a design in advance. Mini-bead crafters, working at less than 3 mm per bead, find a printed template especially helpful because counting pegs by eye is hard.
Choosing the board and bead size
Bead size sets the peg spacing:
- Midi (5 mm) — the most common bead size and the standard choice for children’s crafts. See square midi boards.
- Mini (2.6 mm) — smaller beads for detailed designs and jewelry; a 29 × 29 mini board is only about 75 mm across. See mini templates.
- Maxi (10 mm) — big beads for toddlers, printed at double the midi spacing.
Board shape matches the boards you own: the 29 × 29 square, the 49 × 69 large rectangle, a circle for coasters and badges (see circle templates), or a hexagon for snowflakes, flowers and tiles. Many square boards link edge to edge for bigger pieces; print several templates and tape them together the same way.
Peg style changes how each peg is drawn. Rings look like the real board and are easy to color inside. Dots are minimal and light on ink. Grid squares make the template look like pixel-art graph paper, which is handy if you are copying from a pixel image.
Design tips
- Outline your shape first, then fill large areas. Leaving a one-bead border in a contrasting color makes the finished piece look crisp.
- Remember that adjacent beads must touch to fuse, so single beads joined only at a corner will fall off.
- For keyrings and ornaments, plan where the hanging hole goes before you design the rest.
- If you plan to cross-stitch the same design later, your colored-in template converts directly, one bead to one stitch.
Setting it up in the generator
Choose Bead pegboard template as the paper type, then the board shape, bead size and peg style. Leave Fit as many boards as possible on for mini boards, or turn it off to center one board on the page. Turn on True size in the preview to compare the layout with your real pegboard.
In Advanced options, a lighter line color makes colored-in designs stand out, and a title field is useful for naming a pattern. You can print several pages at once for a group activity, and copy the link to share the exact setup with other parents or teachers.
Printing tips
The template only lines up with pegs if it prints at true size. Choose Actual size or 100% in the print dialog, never Fit to page. Then check: on a midi template, ten pegs should span exactly 50 mm; on a mini template, 26 mm. If it is off, run the printer calibration once.
Ordinary copy paper works under clear boards. Heavier paper or card stock is easier for children to color on and holds up to repeated use, but make sure it still lies flat under the board.
Popular fuse bead pegboard template sheets
Frequently asked questions
Will the template fit under my pegboard?
It is printed at the real peg spacing: 5 mm for midi beads, such as Perler®-compatible midis, and 2.6 mm for minis. A standard 29 × 29 square midi board measures 145 mm (about 5.7 inches) across, which is what the template prints. Slide the sheet under a clear board and the circles line up with the pegs, as long as you print at actual size.
How many pegs are on a square board?
A standard large square pegboard has 29 × 29 = 841 pegs. The circle template has 665 pegs inside a 29-peg diameter, and the hexagon template has 631 pegs with 15 pegs along each side. The spec table above shows the count and board size for whatever you choose.
How many boards fit on one page?
With Fit as many boards as possible on, one midi square board fits on a Letter or A4 page, while mini boards are small enough that six fit on the same sheet. Turn it off to print a single board centered on the page.
What is the large rectangle board?
A 49 × 69 peg board (3,381 pegs) for big projects. At midi size it measures 245 × 345 mm, which is larger than Letter or A4, so choose Tabloid (11 × 17 in) or A3 as the paper size to print it at true scale.
Can I use the templates for designing, not just tracing?
Yes. Color in the circles with felt-tip pens or colored pencils to plan a design before you pick up any beads, then place the beads to match. The grid squares style is easier to color in quickly; rings look most like the real board.
Do the templates work with maxi beads?
You can choose maxi (10 mm) beads, which doubles the board size compared with midi. A full 29 × 29 maxi template is 290 mm square, so it needs a large paper size; most maxi projects use smaller shapes, and the spec table shows the exact board size so you can pick suitable paper.
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