Giraffe Print Pattern

Make a giraffe print pattern from patches separated by a light net. Each patch starts as the cell of a seed point (every spot closer to that seed than to any other) and is moved in by half the gap on every side, so the net between two patches is never narrower than the width you set. Set the patch size in inches or centimetres, the net width, rounded, straight or jagged edges and how evenly the seeds are spread. The seeds are placed from a seed number, so the same seed always gives the same pattern, and the cells wrap across the edges of the tile, so it repeats without a seam. Choose 2 to 4 colours and download a seamless SVG tile at real size, a phone, desktop, tablet or square background PNG, a 300 DPI PNG or a PDF at full size with a patch key. Nothing is uploaded.

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

How to make a giraffe print pattern

1. Choose a preset, or set the patch size and unit.
2. Set the net width, the edge style and amount, and the spreading steps (0 random, 5 even).
3. Set the repeat size and a seed (change the seed for a new arrangement).
4. Pick 2 to 4 colours: the net and up to three patch colours.
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

• Fabric, gift wrap and scrapbook paper (real-size tile)
• Phone, desktop and tablet backgrounds
• Website and slide backgrounds (SVG tile)
• Party invitations, cards and packaging
• Costume, craft and nail-art reference at true size
• Painting and stencil layouts (full-size PDF)

The 14 presets

#	Preset	Patch size	Net	Edges	Repeat	Patches	Patch share	Colours
1	Natural cream net, brown patches	1.5 in	0.12 in	Rounded	6 × 6 in	16	83.85%	3
2	Dark patches, narrow white net	1.5 in	0.05 in	Straight	6 × 6 in	16	93.68%	2
3	Golden net, caramel patches	1.5 in	0.14 in	Rounded	6 × 6 in	16	81.75%	4
4	Large rounded patches	2.5 in	0.18 in	Rounded	8 × 8 in	10	85.26%	3
5	Small patches	0.75 in	0.07 in	Rounded	4 × 4 in	28	82.02%	2
6	Jagged edges, chestnut	1.5 in	0.12 in	Jagged	6 × 6 in	16	72.8%	2
7	Black on white	1.5 in	0.12 in	Rounded	6 × 6 in	16	83.85%	2
8	White on black	1.5 in	0.12 in	Rounded	6 × 6 in	16	84.44%	2
9	Grey and charcoal	1.5 in	0.12 in	Rounded	6 × 6 in	16	83.79%	3
10	Pastel pink and rose	1.5 in	0.12 in	Rounded	6 × 6 in	16	83.74%	3
11	Pastel mint and sky	1.5 in	0.12 in	Rounded	6 × 6 in	16	83.9%	3
12	Wide cream net	1.5 in	0.25 in	Rounded	6 × 6 in	16	69.99%	2
13	Even patches (5 spreading steps)	1.5 in	0.12 in	Straight	6 × 6 in	16	85.04%	2
14	Fabric scale: 4 cm patches	4 cm	0.3 cm	Rounded	16 × 16 cm	16	84.97%	3

Each preset only fills in the fields; change any setting afterwards. Patch share = the part of the repeat covered by patches (the rest is net), worked out from the shapes.

Edge styles

Edges	How the patch is made from its cell	Edge amount
Straight	The cell moved in by half the net width	Not used
Rounded	Moved in by half the net plus a corner radius, then grown back by that radius with round corners	Corner radius = amount × patch size ÷ 4
Jagged	Points along each side pulled in toward the middle; corners stay put	Up to amount × 30% of the way in

Background sizes (first 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
Patches with an even light net	Giraffe Print Pattern (this page)
Large wavy patches on a plain ground	Cow Print Pattern
Cells edge to edge, stained glass or a lattice	Voronoi Generator
Camouflage blobs	Camo Pattern Generator
Rosettes or solid spots	Leopard and Cheetah Print Patterns

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

Frequently asked questions

What makes it a giraffe print?

Patches with a light net between them. The zoo source we use (dated in our notes) describes the reticulated giraffe as having a dark coat with a seeming web of narrow white lines. Here every patch is a cell moved in by half the net width, so the light lines run between all the patches; the shapes are our own drawings in that style.

Is the net between the patches really even?

It is never narrower than the width you set. Our tests measure the exact distance between every two patches of every preset, copies across the tile edges included, and check it is at least the net width (0.12 in for the first preset). Rounded corners make the net a little wider where three patches meet.

What do the spreading steps do?

Each step moves every seed to the middle (the centroid) of its own cell, then works the cells out again. With 0 steps the seeds are scattered at random and the patches vary a lot in size; with more steps they become more even. Our tests check that 5 steps give more even patch areas than 0.

What are the edge styles?

Straight: the cell moved in by half the gap. Rounded: the cell moved in a little further and grown back with round corners, so it still never crosses the half-gap line. Jagged: points along each side are pulled in toward the middle of the patch while the corners stay put.

Will the tile repeat without a seam?

Yes. The cells are worked out on the tile as if its edges joined up, and a patch that runs over an edge is drawn again from the opposite edge. Our tests compare the pattern one and two repeats over, by pixels and by path.

Is the tile the exact size I set?

Yes. The SVG tile is written in inches or centimetres (for example 6 in square with 16 patches for the first preset), and the PDF prints the pattern at full size with a 1 in test square to check your printer.

What size are the background PNGs?

Phone 1080 × 1920, desktop 1920 × 1080, large screen 2560 × 1440, tablet 2048 × 2732 and square 1080 × 1080 pixels. The pattern is drawn at 96 pixels per inch of the size you set, so a 1.5 in patch is about 144 pixels across.

Can I get the same pattern again?

Yes. The seeds are worked out from the seed number: the same seed and settings give exactly the same pattern; a new seed gives a new arrangement.

How is this different from the Voronoi generator?

Both start from cells round seed points. The Voronoi generator draws cells as coloured cells, outlines, stained glass or a laser-cut lattice. This page moves every cell in to leave an even net, rounds or roughens the edges, wraps the cells across the tile edges for a seamless repeat, and comes with coat-colour presets and a full-size print.

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.