Fingerprint tree guest book: how to make one

A fingerprint tree guest book is a print of a bare tree that guests fill with leaves: each person presses an inked thumb on a branch and writes their name next to the print. You need the tree, a few ink pads, fine-tip pens, plenty of wipes and a small sign, and afterwards you frame it.

What you need

• The tree: a drawing of a bare tree with wide, open branches. Our free printable is in the download box above.
• Ink pads in three or four colors that suit the party.
• Fine-tip pens for the names, in black or dark brown.
• Wipes, more than seems reasonable, and a small bin for the used ones.
• A sign with one line of instructions. The download has a small one.
• A frame with glass for afterwards.

Paper and size

Print the tree on heavy matte paper or cardstock. Ink sits on top of glossy photo paper instead of soaking in, so prints smudge when the next guest leans over them.

Size the tree to the guest count. A letter-size print suits a baby shower or a birthday. For a wedding, print it at 11 by 14 or 16 by 20 inches, which are standard frame sizes, so there is room for everyone. Before you order the big print, press ten test prints of your own on a copy and write a name next to each. It shows you how much space one guest really takes.

Ink that works

Read the label on the ink pad. Washable pads come off fingers with a wipe, which matters when guests are dressed up. Pads sold as archival or pigment ink are made to last on paper, and they last longer on skin too.

If you choose washable ink, hang the finished print out of direct sun, since strong light fades ink over time. Whichever you pick, let the print dry overnight before it goes into the frame, because some inks stay tacky for hours.

Pick colors from the season or the flowers, such as greens and yellows in spring or oranges and reds in fall. Three or four colors give the tree depth, and more than that starts to look busy.

Setting up the table

1. Lay the print flat on the table, or tape it to a board. An easel looks nice, but pressing a thumb onto a print that stands upright is awkward.
2. Put the ink pads in front of the print, the pens beside it and the wipes at the far end, where hands go next.
3. Start the tree yourselves. Two prints at the trunk, your initials or a small heart means the first guest is not the one who has to go first.
4. Stand the sign behind the print, where people read it before they reach the ink.

Sign wording

A few lines that fit a small sign:

• “Leave your mark: press your thumb in the ink, add a leaf to our tree and sign your name.”
• “Help our tree grow. One print and one name from each of you, please.”
• “Every leaf is a guest. Press, sign, then grab a wipe.”
• “Help Baby Park’s tree grow with a thumbprint and a wish.”

The last one suits a shower, and our list of baby shower guest book ideas has more like it. For other wording and six free printable signs, see our guide to guest book sign wording.

Other shapes for the same idea

The tree is the classic, but the method works with any drawing where a print can stand in for something:

• Hot air balloons, with a basket drawn under each print
• A heart filled with prints, for a smaller party
• A map, with each print near the place the guest came from
• Flowers, with prints as petals around a drawn center

For guest books that skip the ink, our list of wedding guest book ideas has 14 of them.

After the party

Frame the print behind glass with a mat, so the glass does not press on the ink. Hang it somewhere you pass every day, not in a guest room.

Guests who could not come can’t add a print, but they can sign a digital wedding guest book from a link, and you can print their messages to keep next to the frame.

Quick answers

Is it a fingerprint tree or a thumbprint tree? Both names describe the same thing. Most guests use a thumb, because the print is bigger and easier to read.

How many guests fit on one tree? It depends on the print size and the handwriting. Press ten test prints with names on a copy, measure the space they take, and size the tree from there.

Can children join in? Yes. Small prints make good buds or birds on the branches. Keep the wipes close.