How to make paper minis for D&D
Paper minis print in minutes, cost next to nothing and store flat. And since any image will do, your players get a mini that really looks like their character.
Short on time?
- Drop your images in 2DMinis and give each mini a size.
- Print the PDF at 100% and check the ruler on the first sheet.
- Cut, fold, glue, and put them on the table.
Pick the art
Any image will do: a character portrait, a monster from the bestiary, a sketch. Art on a plain or transparent background works best, but don't worry if yours isn't: 2DMinis can remove the background for you.
You can use a different image for the back, or reuse the same art, faded or as a silhouette.
Size them at scale
D&D and most tabletop RPGs use minis at roughly 1:60, the scale of 28 to 32 mm figures. A 6 ft human is then about 30 mm tall, on a 1 inch base that fills one square of the battle map.
Three heroes, from small to large, printed at scale. Art by puttisx.
Pick a size category (small, medium, large…) and the mini prints at that size's average height, or type in the creature's exact height if you know it. Playing something else? Make your own game system, with its own scale and sizes, whether it's for a wargame, board game tokens or your own bases.
Before you print, line your minis up in Size compare and make sure the ogre really does tower over the halfling.
| Size | In-game height | Printed height | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | < 2 ft / < 0.6 m | 8 mm / 0.30 in | 1 in / 25 mm |
| Small | 2-4 ft / 0.6-1.2 m | 15 mm / 0.60 in | 1 in / 25 mm |
| Medium | 4-8 ft / 1.2-2.4 m | 30 mm / 1.20 in | 1 in / 25 mm |
| Large | 8-16 ft / 2.4-4.9 m | 61 mm / 2.40 in | 2 in / 51 mm |
| Huge | 16-32 ft / 4.9-9.8 m | 122 mm / 4.80 in | 3 in / 76 mm |
| Gargantuan | ≥ 32 ft / ≥ 9.8 m | 244 mm / 9.60 in | 4 in / 102 mm |
Print at actual size
2DMinis lays your minis out on the page, fitting them around each other to waste as little paper as possible, and gives you a PDF.
Straight out of a home printer. Each mini is one piece with half a base at each end, and they're packed tight together.
A small ruler is printed on the first sheet: measure it. If it's off, your printer resized the page. Remove the margins and print the page again at 100%.
Print shop: Choose CMYK in the print settings and you get a PDF/X-4, the format print shops ask for.
Cut, fold and stand
A mini as it comes out of the printer. Cut around the base first, glue the two sides together, then cut around the art.
Cutting machine: If you have one, you can put the scissors away. 2DMinis can make a PDF with a cut layer for a print shop's cutter, SVG and DXF cut files for each sheet, or one image per mini for Cricut's Print Then Cut.
Cut the base
Score the folds and cut carefully around the base. Don't cut around the art yet.
Glue the mini
Turn the mini over and glue the front and back of the art together. Be careful not to glue the base at this step.
Cut the mini
Fold both ends of the base down, then finish cutting around the art. A precision craft knife helps with the inside cuts.
Glue the base
Unfold the two base halves and glue the tabs underneath. Your mini is ready for the next session!
Tips
- Glue a coin or a metal washer under the base, so a bump of the table doesn't knock your party over.
- Printing a whole band of goblins? Add a text with a counter to the mini: each copy gets its own number, so you know which one took the hit.
- Use cardstock or a laminator. The mini stands straighter and lasts longer.
- Colors come out too dark? Tick Home printer colors on the print page. Home printers print darker and duller than a screen, and this brightens everything a little.
Make your first minis
It's free, there's no account, and your images never leave your browser.