Are these templates really free?

Yes. Download and use them for personal or professional events. You don’t need an account.

Can I edit the PDF posters?

You can type into them with any PDF editor that supports adding text, or print them blank and write by hand. The guest list is a normal Excel file you can edit freely.

Does the guest list work in Google Sheets?

Yes. In Google Sheets choose File → Import → Upload and select the .xlsx file, or open the CSV directly.

What paper should I use for place cards?

Card stock between 200 and 300 gsm (roughly 80–110 lb cover) gives a crisp fold and stands up well.

Free Seating Chart Templates — Excel, CSV & Printable PDF

Not every couple wants to plan seating in an app, and even those who do usually need something printed on the day. These templates are plain, well-proportioned files you can fill in by hand, print at a copy shop, or use as the data source for your own designs. All of them are free and come without a watermark beyond a small line of credit at the bottom of the posters.

Guest list template

Start here whatever tool you end up using. The Excel workbook has three sheets: Guests (empty, with frozen headers and a drop-down for meal choices), Example (five filled-in rows) and How to use. It opens in Excel, Numbers, LibreOffice and Google Sheets (File → Import).

The columns are the ones SeatFinch imports — name, household, tags and meal — so when you are done you can save the Guests sheet as CSV UTF-8 and import it straight into the planner. The guest list guide explains each column and the common import problems.

Blank seating chart posters

Each poster has a "Please find your seat" heading, a space for your names and date, and one framed box per table with ruled lines for guest names. Choose the version with the number of tables you have; if you have more, use two posters side by side.

Which size? A3 (29.7 × 42 cm, about 11.7 × 16.5 in) is good for a table-top easel or a small wedding. A2 (42 × 59.4 cm) suits most receptions of up to roughly 80 guests. A1 (59.4 × 84.1 cm) reads comfortably from a couple of metres away and is the usual choice for a welcome-board display. The files are vector PDFs, so they print sharply at any of these sizes — and US print shops can scale A2 to 18 × 24 in or A1 to 24 × 36 in with very little white space.

Filling them in. Use a fine-tipped paint pen or a calligraphy marker on the printed poster, or open the PDF in a free editor and type the names before printing. Write lightly in pencil first: names rarely fit the way you expect.

Place cards and table numbers

Tent place cards fold to 3.5 × 2 in (about 9 × 5 cm), the most common size for place-card holders and table settings. The table numbers are fold-over tents too — each page prints one number twice, upright on one half and upside-down on the other, so it reads from both sides of the table once folded.

Print on card stock of 200–300 gsm (about 80–110 lb cover). Most home printers handle up to around 250 gsm through the rear feed; for heavier card, use a copy shop.

When a template isn’t enough

Templates are perfect when your seating is already decided. They don’t help you decide it. If you are still moving names around, the free seating chart maker lets you set rules — who must sit together, who must not — and seat everyone automatically, then export a finished chart in one of three print themes. Many couples use both: the planner to work out the arrangement, and a template for the hand-lettered sign.

Still deciding who sits where? Let SeatFinch do the first draft.

Start planning free

Template tips

Count tables before downloading. Use the tables-needed calculator if you are not sure.
Name or number tables consistently. Whatever you write on the poster must match the table numbers and the place cards.
Sort names alphabetically on large posters. For more than about 100 guests, guests find themselves faster in an alphabetical list with table numbers than by scanning every table.
Print a test page at 100%. Check that "fit to page" is off when printing place cards, or the fold line will move.

Last updated 2026-11-02

Free seating chart templates