Beginner · about 8 minutes · 6 strokes
Lines and dots practice sheet (tip 3, free PDF)
Quick answer
The lines and dots sheet is free to download and print. It is a beginner sheet for round tip 3 with 6 strokes of line and dots and takes about 8 minutes: print the A4 or US Letter PDF at 100%, pipe over the grey shapes in the numbered order, then photograph it for a score out of 100.
Straight lines and round dots with a plain round tip. The first sheet everyone pipes: it teaches steady pressure and a clean finish.
You need a piping bag with tip 3 (round).
Free for personal practice. Print at 100% scale ("actual size").
What the lines and dots sheet trains
This is the first sheet to pipe, and the one the 30-day plan starts and ends with. The top half is three straight lines; the bottom half is three rows of dots in three sizes. Together they cover the two moves every later sheet builds on: a squeeze that stays the same along a line, and a squeeze that starts and stops on one spot.
For the lines, touch down, lift the bag a little and let the icing fall onto the grey line while your arm moves at an even pace. For the dots, hold the bag straight up, squeeze in place, stop, and only then lift. The middle row has the biggest dots, so squeeze a little longer there; the bottom row has ten small ones that should all match.
- On the sheet
- 6 strokes of line, dots, 42 cm of piped line and 24 single squeezes
- Bead size
- 3 to 8 mm wide
- Speed
- 15 to 20 mm a second
- Bag angle
- at 45° and straight up (90°)
- Squeeze rhythm
- steady; squeeze → stop → lift
- Separate starts
- 27: every line, unit or letter stroke begins with a fresh squeeze
Stroke by stroke
Bead is how wide the icing should be (or how big each unit is); speed is how fast to move along the line.
| # | What you pipe | Bead | Speed | Bag angle | Squeeze rhythm | Cue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | a 140 mm line | 3 mm | 15 mm/s | 45° | steady | Touch down, lift the bag a centimetre, and let the line fall into place. |
| 2 | a 140 mm line | 3 mm | 15 mm/s | 45° | steady | Same again: keep the squeeze steady and watch where the line lands, not the tip. |
| 3 | a 140 mm line | 3 mm | 15 mm/s | 45° | steady | Stop squeezing first, then pull away to end the line without a tail. |
| 4 | 8 dots, each about 7 mm across | 7 mm | 20 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | squeeze → stop → lift | Hold the bag straight up, squeeze in place, stop, then lift. |
| 5 | 6 dots, each about 8 mm across | 8 mm | 20 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | squeeze → stop → lift | A bigger dot: squeeze a little longer, still without moving the tip. |
| 6 | 10 dots, each about 6 mm across | 6 mm | 20 mm/s | 90° (straight up) | squeeze → stop → lift | Small dots: a short squeeze, and keep them all the same size. |
Print the PDF at 100% and check the bar at the bottom measures 10 cm, fit tip 3, pipe strokes 1 to 6 in order, then photograph the sheet from straight above with all four corner squares in view. Printing and photo tips.
Watch the ghost nozzle
Press play and pipe along with the green ghost: it moves at each stroke's target speed.
Stroke 1 of 6
Touch down, lift the bag a centimetre, and let the line fall into place.
Mistakes to watch for on this sheet
Look along each line from the side of the sheet: a wobble or a drift shows up at once with a fine round bead. On the dots, any point on top means you were still squeezing as you lifted.
- Wobbly line
Most likely on strokes 1 to 3 (line). Lift the tip about 1 cm and let the icing fall onto the line while you move a little slower.
- Gaps and breaks
Most likely on strokes 1 to 3 (line). Keep the same gentle squeeze all the way and only stop squeezing at the very end.
- Thin then thick
Most likely on strokes 1 to 3 (line). Keep the same squeeze and the same speed from start to finish, following the pacer.
- Drifting off the line
Most likely on strokes 1 to 3 (line) and 4 to 6 (dots). Hold the bag at 45 degrees and aim the tip right on the grey line, not beside it.
- Icing off the template
Most likely on strokes 1 to 3 (line) and 4 to 6 (dots). Pipe only on the grey shapes and wipe off stray drips before you take the photo.
The lines and dots sheet in the 30-day challenge
The 30-day piping challenge uses this sheet on days 1, 6 and 30. It comes before stars.
- Day 1 · BaselineDo not try to be good. Pipe the sheet as you would today and keep the score: it is your starting line.
- Day 6 · RepeatSame sheet as day 1. Look at where the line lands, not at the tip, and stop squeezing before you pull away.
- Day 30 · FinalThe sheet from day 1. Same paper, same tip, same light. Do not rush it.