Zebra Print Pattern

Make a zebra-style print from smooth, wavy stripes that bend together and never cross or touch. Set the stripe width and spacing, how wavy the stripes are, how many forks there are (a stripe that splits in two and joins again), and the direction; the same seed always gives the same pattern. Every stripe edge is one line of a single smooth wave field that repeats exactly, so the tile has no seam, and the page reports how much of the pattern is dark (the share is worked out from the drawn shapes). Download a seamless SVG tile, a background PNG for a phone, desktop, tablet or square post, a 300 DPI PNG or a PDF at full size. Nothing is uploaded.

100% private — everything runs in your browser. Everything runs in your browser; nothing is uploaded.

How to make a zebra print pattern

1. Choose a preset, or set the stripe width, the spacing and the number of stripes in one repeat.
2. Set the waviness and the number of forks; change the seed for a new arrangement.
3. Choose the direction and your two colours.
4. Check the line under the preview: repeat size, forks and dark share.
5. Download the SVG tile, a background PNG, or the PDF; print at 100% and check the 1 in test square.

What you can use it for

• Phone, desktop and tablet backgrounds
• Website and slide backgrounds (SVG tile)
• Fabric, gift wrap and scrapbook paper
• Party invitations, cards and packaging
• Costume and craft templates at full size (PDF)
• Black-and-white prints for cutting or vinyl

The 14 presets

#	Preset	Stripes × width / spacing	Waviness	Forks	Seamless repeat	Dark share
1	Classic black on white	12 × 0.25 / 0.5 in	1.2	3	6 × 6 in	48.49%
2	Charcoal on cream	10 × 0.3 / 0.6 in	1.4	2	6 × 6 in	48.73%
3	Bold wide stripes	6 × 0.6 / 1 in	1.1	2	6 × 6 in	56.35%
4	Fine stripes	20 × 0.11 / 0.25 in	1.5	4	5 × 5 in	43.34%
5	Gentle waves, no forks	12 × 0.25 / 0.5 in	0.5	0	6 × 6 in	50%
6	Strong waves and forks	12 × 0.26 / 0.5 in	2.4	5	6 × 6 in	49.32%
7	Stripes running across	12 × 0.25 / 0.5 in	1.2	3	6 × 6 in	48.49%
8	Black on pink	12 × 0.24 / 0.5 in	1.3	3	6 × 6 in	46.62%
9	Navy on pale blue	12 × 0.24 / 0.5 in	1.3	2	6 × 6 in	46.91%
10	Gold on black	12 × 0.2 / 0.5 in	1.2	3	6 × 6 in	38.76%
11	White on black (reversed)	12 × 0.22 / 0.5 in	1.2	3	6 × 6 in	42.61%
12	Brown on beige	10 × 0.3 / 0.6 in	1.6	2	6 × 6 in	48.42%
13	Fabric repeat in cm	12 × 0.75 / 1.5 cm	1.2	3	18 × 18 cm	48.49%
14	Black on lime	15 × 0.2 / 0.4 in	1.4	3	6 × 6 in	49.11%

Each preset only fills in the fields; change any setting afterwards.

Stripe width and dark share (0.5 in spacing)

Width ÷ spacing	Width	Dark share, gentle waves, no forks	Dark share, classic (waves + 3 forks)
15%	0.08 in	15%	14.55%
30%	0.15 in	30%	29.1%
50%	0.25 in	50%	48.49%
70%	0.35 in	70%	67.88%
85%	0.43 in	85%	82.42%

Shares are worked out from the drawn shapes; forks take a little dark area away.

Background sizes (classic preset)

Background	Pixels	Area at 96 px per inch	Repeats across × down
Phone 1080 × 1920	1080 × 1920 px	11.25 × 20 in	1.88 × 3.33
Desktop 1920 × 1080	1920 × 1080 px	20 × 11.25 in	3.33 × 1.88
Large screen 2560 × 1440	2560 × 1440 px	26.67 × 15 in	4.44 × 2.5
Square post 1080 × 1080	1080 × 1080 px	11.25 × 11.25 in	1.88 × 1.88
Tablet 2048 × 2732	2048 × 2732 px	21.33 × 28.46 in	3.56 × 4.74

Which tool to use

You want	Use
Wavy zebra-style stripes that never cross	Zebra Print Pattern (this page)
Straight stripes at any angle	Stripe Pattern
Blob camouflage layers	Camo Pattern Generator
Zigzag stripes	Chevron Pattern Generator
Tapered tiger-style stripes	Tiger Print Pattern

Also handy: the Camo Pattern Generator, the Chevron Pattern Generator and the Phone Wallpaper Maker.

Frequently asked questions

Will the stripes ever cross or touch?

No. Each stripe edge is a level line of one smooth wave field, set up so the field always rises in one direction (in the classic preset it rises at least 54.28% as fast as an unbent stripe would). So every edge is a single curve, and two different edges can never meet. Our tests check this on every preset and many seeds.

Will the tile repeat without a seam?

Yes. The wave field repeats exactly after one repeat in both directions, so the stripe edges at one side of the tile continue at the other. Our tests compare the edges at both ends of every path and compare 3 × 3 copies of the tile with the pattern drawn once, by pixels.

What is a fork here?

A light slit inside one dark stripe: at one end the stripe splits in two around the slit, and at the other end the two parts join again. Slits stay inside their stripe and never overlap another slit (tested). Set the number per repeat from 0 to 8.

What does the dark share mean?

The part of the pattern covered by the stripes, worked out from the drawn shapes (stripes minus fork slits). The classic preset is 48.49% dark. Our tests check it against a count of dark pixels in the tile.

How do stripe width and spacing work?

The spacing is the distance from one stripe to the next where the stripes run straight; the width is the dark part of that. Stripes get thinner and wider as they bend, but the share stays close to width ÷ spacing (see the table).

What size are the background PNGs?

Phone 1080 × 1920, desktop 1920 × 1080, large screen 2560 × 1440, tablet 2048 × 2732 and square 1080 × 1080 pixels, drawn at 96 pixels per inch of the sizes you set.

How is this different from the stripe pattern and camo pages?

The stripe pattern maker draws straight, evenly spaced stripes at any angle, and the camo generator stacks blob shapes in layers. This page draws wavy zebra-style stripes that bend together, fork and never cross.

Is it free?

Yes. There is no sign-up, no watermark and no limit.

Is anything uploaded?

No. Everything is drawn by JavaScript in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.