Chinese Red Envelope Maker

Shop-bought red envelopes are cheap, so the reason to make your own is the personal touch: a child's name across the top, a particular character, a color that isn't red. Chinese Red Envelope handles the design on screen and gives you a template to print, cut and fold.

The choices are focused. There are three sizes, six colors, patterns with lucky coins, a gold border or nothing at all, a set of characters and phrases such as 福, 春, 大吉 and 恭喜發財, several brush fonts, and greetings like Gong Xi Fa Cai or 新年快樂. You can add a to and from line and a 羊 seal for the Year of the Goat, which starts on February 6, 2027.

The PDF is the download that matters. It holds the full envelope outline with solid cut lines and dashed fold lines on one sheet of A4 or US Letter, and the page explains assembly in plain steps. Cut the outline, fold and overlap the side flaps, glue the bottom flap, then add the gift and tuck in the top. The PNG is only the front panel, handy for a digital card but not for folding.

The print advice goes further than most template sites bother to. It tells you to choose 100% or Actual size instead of Fit to page, to measure the printed panel, which should be 90 mm wide for the classic size, and to try a folded slip the size of your banknote before making a batch. The stated sizes are panel dimensions, not a promise that every note fits. Paper around 120 to 160 gsm is suggested.

A short section covers running it as a class or family craft. Let children choose a name and greeting, explain the greeting before printing, use play money or a written wish, and have an adult handle scissors and glue. The FAQ says you can print as many as you like for family, classroom or business use.

The site also explains what red envelopes mean and how they're given, with both hands, usually from elders to children and unmarried relatives. Fonts load through the site's own server, so your browser doesn't contact Google, and nothing on the maker asks you to sign up.