Graph Paper Generator

How the grid is built

Graph paper is just a page-sized rectangle filled with a repeating grid. The generator works in millimetres so the print is dimensionally accurate, then sets the SVG width/height in mm with a matching viewBox so one user unit equals one millimetre:

• A4 measures 210 × 297 mm.
• US Letter measures 215.9 × 279.4 mm (8.5 × 11 in).

The number of divisions is simply the page dimension divided by the spacing. For a 5 mm grid on A4:

columns = floor(210 / 5) = 42 vertical lines
rows    = floor(297 / 5) = 59 horizontal lines

A square grid draws those vertical and horizontal lines; a dot grid draws a small circle at each intersection instead, which is less visually busy for bullet-journalling and freehand sketching.

Worked example

Want quad-ruled paper at the common 1/4-inch pitch? One quarter inch is 6.35 mm, so set the spacing to 6.35. On US Letter that yields:

Switch the grid type to Dot and you get the popular dot-grid notebook look at the same pitch.

Common pitfalls

• “Fit to page” ruins the scale. Always print at 100% / actual size, or your 5 mm squares come out at 4.7 mm.
• Lines too dark. Pick a light color (pale blue #9bbcdf or light grey) so your own ink stands out.
• Very fine grids print muddy. Below ~2 mm, inkjet bleed can smear adjacent lines; use a dot grid or a larger pitch.