Printing your own paper is quick, but a few settings decide whether a 1 cm grid really measures 1 cm. This guide covers the settings that matter and how to fix the usual problems.
Print at 100%, not "Fit to page"
Every paper type on this site is drawn at an exact physical size. The most common mistake is leaving the print dialog on Fit to page or Scale to fit. Your printer then shrinks the page by a few percent to make room for its own margins, and the spacing is no longer true. Choose Actual size, 100% or No scaling.
To check, print one sheet of graph paper and measure ten squares with a ruler. Ten 1 cm squares should span 10 cm.
Set margins to None or Default
If you pick None, the generator controls the margin through its own Page margin option. If you leave the browser on Default, you add a second margin on top of it. Either works, but do not stack large margins in both places unless you want a narrow grid.
Home printers cannot print right to the edge of the sheet. Most leave an unprintable strip of roughly 3 to 6 mm (0.12 to 0.25 in). A page margin of 10 mm keeps your lines clear of that strip.
Choose the right paper size
Match the Paper size option to the paper in your tray. Letter and A4 are close but not identical, and printing a Letter file on A4 triggers scaling. See the paper sizes guide if you are unsure.
Pick the best file format
- PDF keeps the lines as vector shapes, so they print sharp at any size. This is the best choice for printing.
- PNG is a picture at 150 or 300 DPI. Use it to insert the page into a document or an app.
- SVG is an editable vector file for design tools such as Inkscape or Illustrator.
Paper weight and ink
Standard 75 to 80 gsm office paper (20 lb bond in the US) is fine for notes. Fountain pens and markers can bleed through thin sheets, so try 90 to 120 gsm. For hex maps and crafts, 120 gsm or heavier holds up well.
Fine grids do not need much ink, but you can use even less by choosing a lighter line colour, leaving the paper tint on White and printing in draft or economy mode. Dot grid paper is the lightest of all.
Common problems
- Lines are cut off at the edge. Increase the page margin.
- Squares are the wrong size. Turn off scaling in the print dialog.
- Lines look faint. Raise the line thickness or choose a darker colour, and print in normal quality.
- The page prints twice or leaves a blank second page. Check that the paper size in the dialog matches the Paper size you chose.
Ready to try it? Open the graph paper generator and print a test sheet.