Bitcoin Forum

I am well aware of https://iancoleman.io/bip39/ but is there a similar tool that generates ready to print paper wallets with some fancy designs, qr codes, etc)?

I want to gift a small amount of BTC to a friend and decided on a printed and laminated paper wallet (3 copies) using a 24 words seed + passphrase (25th word) that I will tell to my friend and instruct him not to write it down anywhere (he will definitely remember it).

What other options are there for a gift where the storage medium is either free or costs cents?

You can use wallets that you can make use of offline like Electrum. If you want a BIP39 seed phrase, you can make use of Sparrow.

Can either generate a paper wallet to print?

I'm not sure if either can generate a paper wallet for print.

Except you have to write down the seed phrase manually with pen and paper then you can laminate it or if eventually Electrum generates a paper wallet for printing then the printer must be an offline printer that doesn't connect to internet.

If you want, since it'll be generated in an Air-Gap machine (offline), you can screenshot the window when the seed phrase is displayed.
It's not too fancy but it'll definitely be "true to the UI's design".

For example:
Sparrow will display this when you click "View Seed..." button in the wallet's 'Settings' tab (cover the passphrase):
https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/05/16/1IuWC.png
(there's also a QR Code button below this that you can edit to display on an additional space)

Electrum's look like this:
https://www.talkimg.com/images/2024/05/16/1IdrJ.png
In case if you chose Electrum; you must include a note that the mnemonic should be restored to Electrum since it's not compatible with some bitcoin wallets.

By default, those images will have a white background but you can change it like so by enabling "Dark Mode" in either wallet's settings.

I'm thinking should OP also add the Electrum version if his using electrum and the deprivation path because I read about such somewhere.

Is it necessary?

Interesting, learned something new.
So which seed generation is more widespread? BIP39 or whatever Electrum uses?
Also if using BIP39 which Derivation Path is best to use in terms of future compatability?
BIP32
BIP44
BIP49
BIP84
BIP141

BIP39

Iancoleman is not supporting BIP86 yet which is pay-to-tao-root. If you use wallet like Sparrow, you can go for BIP84 or BIP86 because it has low fee transaction.

Do not use a JavaScript to generate seed phrase. Iancoleman is a JavaScript.

Don't try something fancy.

You can use wallet like Bitcoin Core, Electrum wallet and generate your wallet offline, then print the mnemonic seed, private key and public address information, includes QR codes, by yourself.

It will not give you something fancy but it is safer than using any third party fancy tool to generate your wallet and print it.

DO NOT USE PAPER WALLETS! bitaddress.org phishing scam (https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5336477.0)

There aren't any known research to answer that accurately but since Electrum is just one client while BIP39 is supported by the majority, then it's BIP39.
Plus you can restore BIP39 mnemonic to Electrum by enabling an option.

For future compatibility, Bitcoin is known to preserve compatibility of its old script types so I don't think that there'll be any issue whether you use legacy or TapRoot.
That's unless there's a major bug to be discovered in the future which is unpredictable.
I you would ask me personally, I'd use Native SegWit in that paper wallet gift.
For the derivation path, use the standard "BIP84" for that script and add a note about it on your paper wallet.

There is one open source alternative for iancoleman's website, and I think it also has some advantages because of better QR code design:
https://bitcoiner.guide/seed/

Cheaper than paper?  :P
I don't know about that, but you can always use more durable method with stainless steel washers, they can be found everywhere easily.
Another option is to use encrypted cards like Seedkeeper from Satochip, it's not cheapest method, but it is safer.

No I am not aware of any paper wallet using a BIP39 seed instead of a private key, paper wallets only use one single address while a seed is linked to several addresses, therefore it's not adapted to a paper wallet use. You would have dozens of QR-codes, addresses and private keys, it wouldn't be usable neither useful. It's better to make yourself a nice paper decorated with the seed instead. You can use an AI tool to make the drawings before writing the seed for example.

Electrum uses a fixed derivation path when deriving addresses from a seed phrase that has been generated by itself.

Even if you have a BIP39 seed phrase, most wallets use standard derivation paths and you sill don't need to write down the derivation path.
You need to write the derivation path, if your seed phrase is BIP39 and your wallet uses an uncommon derivation path for generating addresses.