You have a list of names and a table number next to each one. You need a sign by the door that lets guests find their table without asking anyone. That's the whole job, and it shouldn't take an afternoon in a design app.
This is the step-by-step version, using our free find your seat sign maker. It runs in your browser, needs no account, and gives you a print-ready PDF. If you want the background on sizes, fonts and materials first, the sizing guide covers that in more depth. Here we just make the thing.
Before you start: get your list into two columns
The sign needs two pieces of information per guest: a name and a table. Nothing else. If your seating lives in a spreadsheet, you want it to look like this:
| Name | Table |
|---|---|
| Priya Sharma | 4 |
| Daniel Okafor | 4 |
| Margaret Whitfield | 2 |
A few things worth fixing in the spreadsheet before you copy, because they're faster to fix there:
- One guest per row. "Rohan & Kavya Sharma" on one line shows up as one entry on the sign. If you want guests to find both names, split them into two rows.
- Use the name people know themselves by. Guests scan for their own name. "Bill Hargreaves" works better than "William J. Hargreaves" if everyone calls him Bill.
- Check for blanks. A guest with no table number will print with a dash instead of a number. That's easy to spot on the preview, but easier to fix now.
If your seating is still on sticky notes or in your head, do that part first. Our guides on table math for 150 guests and building a chart in Google Sheets or Excel will get you to a finished list.
Step 1: Paste your names
Open the sign maker. It loads with sample names so you can see what a finished sign looks like. Press Clear the sample, then paste your list into the box.
It reads most of the ways people write a name and table:
Priya Sharma, 4(comma)Priya Sharma - Table 4(dash, with or without the word "Table")- Two columns copied straight out of Google Sheets or Excel (tab-separated)
- A CSV with a
Name,Tableheader row, which it skips
Under the box it counts how many names it found. Check that number against your guest list. If it's off, something in the paste didn't split the way you expected. Scan the preview for a name with a dash where its table number should be.
Step 2: Write the heading
The heading defaults to "Find your seat". Change it if you like ("Please find your seat", "Welcome", your names). The subheading is the right place for your names and the date, for example "Priya & Daniel · 14 June 2026". Leave the subheading blank and it disappears from the sign.
Keep the heading short. On a 24x36 board a long heading takes room the names need.
Step 3: Choose how the names are sorted
Sort by last name unless your guests mostly know each other by first name (a small family party, say). Sorting by last name keeps families together on the sign, so the Sharmas are all in one place.
Leave Group under first letters switched on for anything past about 60 names. It puts a large letter above each block (A, B, C...) so a guest looking for "Okafor" jumps straight to O instead of reading from the top. Every name is printed as a row with dotted leaders running across to the table number, so the eye can follow the line.
Step 4: Pick the size and columns
The sign maker offers four sizes: 18x24 in, 24x36 in, A1 and A2. The page size is set in the PDF itself, so the print shop gets the real dimensions without resizing anything.
A rough guide:
- Under about 120 guests: 18x24 in, or A2 if you're printing in the UK or Europe.
- 120 to 250 guests: 24x36 in, or A1.
- More than that: two signs side by side, split A to L and M to Z.
Then choose two or three columns. Three fits more names at a readable size; two looks calmer for a short list.
The preview bar above the sign shows the size and the name size in points, for example "24 × 36 in · names at 38 pt". The tool fits the names to fill the sheet. If the list pushes them below about 24 pt, it shows a warning and suggests a third column or a bigger sheet. From six feet away, 24 pt is where people start leaning in, so take the warning seriously.
Step 5: Pick a type style and colour
Three type styles:
- Classic serif (Fraunces): the safe default. Reads well at any size.
- Modern sans (Figtree): plainer, very legible, good for a large list.
- Script heading (Great Vibes): a script heading with the names still in a readable face. Script is only on the heading, which is where it belongs.
Four colours: ivory, sage, plum and black. Ivory prints dark text on a light ground and uses the least ink, which matters if you're printing at home. Plum and black are dark boards with light text. They look good on foam board, but ask the print shop for a proof first, because dark grounds show banding on cheap printers.
Step 6: Print or save as a PDF
Press Print / Save as PDF. In the print dialog:
- Choose Save as PDF as the destination.
- Set margins to None.
- Set scale to 100%.
That gives you a PDF at the real poster size. The sign carries one small "Made with Seatwise" line at the bottom next to the guest count, and no watermark.
Send the PDF to any shop that prints posters: Staples, FedEx Office, Vistaprint, Costco Photo, or a local print shop. Ask for matte or uncoated stock so the sign doesn't glare under venue lights. Foam board mounting costs more but is what keeps it standing on an easel.
One warning: the sign maker doesn't save your list. Close the tab and it's gone. Keep your spreadsheet, and save the PDF as soon as you're happy with it.
Where the list comes from
The sign maker only lays out names you already have. It doesn't decide who sits where. If you're still working that out, Seatwise is the seating chart tool that does: paste the guest list, set who must sit together and who must not, press Auto-seat, and move anyone you like by hand. Planning there is free.
When the seating is done, you have two ways to get the sign:
- Free: copy each guest's name and table into the sign maker above.
- With a $12 Pro key: print the "Find your seat" board straight from your seating plan in 18x24, 24x36 or A1, with no retyping. The same key prints the floor plan, per-table lists and an escort-card CSV.
If you're deciding between a board, escort cards and place cards in the first place, escort cards vs. place cards vs. a seating board sets out what each one does.
FAQ
Is the template really free? Yes. The sign maker costs nothing, needs no account, and the PDF has no watermark. There's one small credit line at the bottom.
Can I edit the PDF afterwards? It's better to change the list in the sign maker and save a new PDF. The names are fitted to the page as a whole, so adding a guest in a PDF editor will throw the columns off.
Can I print it at home? Yes. Save the PDF, then print it in tiles across several sheets of Letter or A4 using your PDF viewer's poster or tiling option, and tape them together. Pick the ivory colour to save ink.
Should the sign be sorted by name or by table? By name. Guests know their own name and nothing else. A sign sorted by table makes everyone read every table.
Is my guest list uploaded anywhere? No. The page has no server behind it. The list stays in that browser tab.