How to make printable place cards
Place cards put each guest’s name where they sit. They are quick to make once you have the list, and slow to make by hand, because every name and table has to be right on every card. Type the guests and their tables here, or start from the seating chart and press “Use my seating chart”; the preview shows the first eight cards and the PDF holds all of them.
Folded place cards or flat escort cards
| Card | Size and sheet | Where it goes |
|---|---|---|
| Folded place card | 3.5 × 4 in before folding, 4 per Letter or A4 sheet; name on both halves, one upside down; dashed fold line | On the table, at the guest’s seat |
| Flat escort card | 3.5 × 2 in, 10 per Letter or A4 sheet (2 columns by 5 rows) | Handed out or displayed at the entrance |
Folded cards are sorted by table, so you can set a table out in one go. Escort cards are sorted by surname, so guests can find theirs in alphabetical order.
Step by step
- Put one guest on each line: name, then table, then meal if you print meals. A bare number such as “3” means “Table 3”.
- Choose folded or flat cards, and Letter or A4.
- Pick a style and look at the preview. Long names shrink to fit the card before they are cut short.
- Download the PDF. Print one sheet on plain paper first and hold it against your card stock.
- Cut along the crop marks, or choose pre-cut sheets if your stock is already cut (Event Pass).
Meals on the cards
With the Event Pass, a small coloured dot and the meal in words appear in the top corner of every card, one colour per meal. The words are there so the card still reads on a black-and-white printer. The free version leaves the meal off.
When place cards are not enough
Cards do not decide who sits where. If you have not seated your guests yet, make the seating chart first and bring the list here. Guests without a table get no card, and the page says how many lines were left out. Letters that none of the included fonts cover, such as Arabic or emoji, are left out of the PDF.
Place cards, table numbers and a poster
A seating poster at the entrance and a table number on each table help guests find the room; the place card is the last step and the one that stops two guests from taking the same chair. The planner makes all three from the same list.
Frequently asked questions
How do I make place cards from a list of names?
Type or paste one guest per line as “name, table” and add the meal as a third column if you want it. Each line becomes one card with the name large and the table under it. If you already made a seating chart in the planner on the home page, press “Use my seating chart” and the guests and tables are filled in for you.
What is the difference between folded place cards and escort cards?
A folded place card sits on the table at the guest’s seat: the name is printed on both halves, one upside down, so it reads from either side once folded. An escort card is flat and handed out at the entrance to tell the guest which table to go to. Both show the name and the table.
What paper do the sheets fit?
US Letter and A4. A Letter sheet holds 4 folded cards (3.5 × 4 in each) or 10 flat cards (3.5 × 2 in each, 2 columns by 5 rows). Crop marks show where to cut on plain paper. Print one sheet on plain paper first and hold it against your card stock before you print the rest.
Are the place cards free?
You can make and download cards for any number of guests for free. Free cards carry a small “Made with seating-chart-generator.com” line on each card, in the Proof style. The Event Pass removes the line, prints each guest’s meal on the card, lets you leave out the crop marks for pre-cut stock, and adds four styles.
What happens to a guest without a table?
A card needs a table, so a line with no table gets no card. The page tells you how many lines were left out.