Domino Cards

A full set, every tile exactly once

Choose double-six, double-nine or double-twelve and the sheet prints the complete set: every unordered pair of values, once each, with no duplicates and nothing missing.

That comes to 28 tiles for double-six, 55 for double-nine and 91 for double-twelve. The count follows from the arithmetic — for a set going up to n, the number of tiles is (n+1)(n+2)/2, which for n = 6 gives 7 × 8 ÷ 2 = 28.

Working that out is a decent combinatorics exercise on its own, and the printed set is the answer key.

Pips up to six, numerals above

Values 0 to 6 print as the traditional pip patterns, which is what a domino looks like and what makes the tiles readable at a glance without counting.

Seven and above print as numerals. There is no standard pip arrangement past six, and inventing one would give you tiles nobody can read quickly. If you want the classic look throughout, stay with double-six.

Which set to print

Double-six is the standard set and the right one for almost everything. Twenty-eight tiles, two to four players, and the game most people already know.

Double-nine at 55 tiles supports more players comfortably and makes a longer game.

Double-twelve at 91 tiles is what Mexican Train wants. It is a lot of cutting.

What dominoes teach without anyone mentioning it

Matching, first. Then pattern recognition, since experienced players stop counting pips entirely.

Then addition, if you score. And there is a real strategic layer that surprises people who think of it as a children's game: counting what has been played, working out what your opponent must be holding, and choosing to block rather than to score.

A set is also a useful maths manipulative outside the game — sorting tiles by total, finding all the tiles that add to 8, arranging them in a sequence where touching ends match.

Printing and cutting

Card, or paper glued to card. Domino tiles get pushed around a table and paper ones curl within a session.

Ninety-one tiles is a long cut. A guillotine helps enormously; a craft knife and a metal ruler will do it more accurately than scissors if you are cutting straight edges anyway.

Print at 100% so every tile comes out the same size — a set with one oversized tile has a marked tile in it, and children spot it immediately.