Free DM screen insert template: panel sizes and what to print
A new screen with blank pockets needs inserts you make yourself, and the first question is always the same: how big is a panel, and what goes on it? This page gives you the measurements to check, a layout that works for almost any game, and two ready-to-copy tables (travel and weather) you can paste straight onto a panel. Nothing here depends on a game system.
Step 1: measure your panels
Screens vary a lot, so measure yours before you print anything. Slide a ruler into a pocket and note the visible window, not the outside of the screen. Landscape screens usually have four panels in a row, each taller than it is wide. Typical windows are about 60 to 70 mm wide and 165 to 175 mm tall (roughly 2.4 x 6.8 inches), but yours may differ. Subtract 3 mm from each side so the paper does not buckle in the pocket.
The simplest way to print: set your page to landscape, split the sheet into four equal columns, and print one page per set of four panels. On US Letter (279 mm wide inside a 5 mm margin) four panels come out near 61 x 173 mm; on A4 (297 mm wide) near 66 x 167 mm. Cut along the column lines with a ruler and a craft knife, or a paper trimmer.
Step 2: decide what faces you
The screen is for things you look up in the middle of a sentence. A good rule is to put on it only what you checked more than once last session. For most tables that is:
- Panel 1, travel and time. Miles per day by terrain, and how long a watch or a rest lasts.
- Panel 2, weather. One d12 table for the current season, swapped when the season changes.
- Panel 3, prices. Lodging, meals and a ferry, in days of wages (see the shop template and price list).
- Panel 4, your own. The thing you keep forgetting: conditions, cover, a faction ladder, the names of the table's characters.
Print the panels the player side facing out only if they are things players need, such as a map legend. Everything else faces you.
Panel 1: travel, miles per day
Rule-of-thumb figures for story use, not historical data and not any game's rules. Miles per day is speed times hours of travel, then times the terrain factor. Divide the distance on your map by the miles per day and round up to the next day.
| Way of travelling | Road or open water | Open country | Forest or hills | Mountain, swamp or deep snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On foot | 24 | 18 | 12 | 6 |
| Loaded cart or wagon | 16 | 12 | 8 | 4 |
| Riding | 32 | 24 | 16 | 8 |
Panel 2: weather by season
Roll a d12 each morning and re-roll or choose when the story calls for it. These are original tables for a temperate climate. Print the current season on the panel and keep the other three in your binder.
Spring
| d12 | Weather |
|---|---|
| 1 | Cold rain all day |
| 2 | Clear and cool |
| 3 | Light showers, then sun |
| 4 | Fog until noon |
| 5 | Strong wind from the west |
| 6 | Warm and bright |
| 7 | Late frost overnight |
| 8 | Thunderstorm in the afternoon |
| 9 | Mild and cloudy |
| 10 | River runs high after rain |
| 11 | Hail for an hour |
| 12 | Perfect spring day |
Summer
| d12 | Weather |
|---|---|
| 1 | Heat shimmer, no breeze |
| 2 | Clear and hot |
| 3 | Hazy and humid |
| 4 | Afternoon thunderstorm |
| 5 | Warm with a steady breeze |
| 6 | Dry wind and dust |
| 7 | Long warm evening |
| 8 | Heavy rain for a day |
| 9 | Smoke on the horizon |
| 10 | Cool morning, hot noon |
| 11 | Oppressive heat, storm brewing |
| 12 | Pleasant and clear |
Autumn
| d12 | Weather |
|---|---|
| 1 | Crisp and clear |
| 2 | Steady drizzle |
| 3 | Fog on the low ground |
| 4 | Gale and flying leaves |
| 5 | Cold morning, mild noon |
| 6 | Overcast all day |
| 7 | Heavy rain, roads turn to mud |
| 8 | First frost |
| 9 | Warm spell, golden light |
| 10 | Wind and scattered showers |
| 11 | Low cloud on the hills |
| 12 | Bright and bitter cold |
Winter
| d12 | Weather |
|---|---|
| 1 | Hard frost, clear sky |
| 2 | Light snow |
| 3 | Heavy snow, drifts form |
| 4 | Freezing rain |
| 5 | Bitter wind, no snow |
| 6 | Grey and still |
| 7 | Thaw, then slush |
| 8 | Blizzard |
| 9 | Cold fog |
| 10 | Clear and very cold |
| 11 | Sleet |
| 12 | Short bright day |
Printing tips
- Use 9 to 10 point type for tables. Anything smaller is unreadable from the far side of the table.
- Print on 90 gsm or heavier paper, or slide the print in front of a stiff card so it does not curl.
- Black and white is fine. Use bold rules between rows rather than coloured shading.
- Keep one spare blank insert sheet in the binder so you can add a panel the moment you notice you keep looking something up.
Printable inserts
The Append Binder ($9) includes three landscape screen insert pages with four panels each, on both US Letter and A4: one printed with travel, weather and prices, and two blank for your own tables. They sit alongside 44 binder sheets and the A to Z index. You can also build your own free using the tables above, or try the five free sample sheets in the DM binder guide. Not affiliated with any game publisher.