Lined Paper Printable
Notebook-style ruled paper in the standard US spacings, or any spacing you like. Add a margin line and a name and date header, then download a PDF of up to 20 pages.
US Letter · 7.14 mm (0.281 in) line spacing · 1 page
The cm / inch rule is only on screen; it is not printed.
Vector PDF, no watermark. Print at Actual size / 100% so squares measure true (why).
Try it: compare rulings at true size
A 6 cm strip of each ruling, to scale. College ruling puts 7.14 mm between lines, so a 25 cm writing area holds about 35 lines. The difference between wide and college is only 1.6 mm per line, but across a page it adds six extra lines.
Wide ruled vs college ruled
In the US, notebook paper comes in three common rulings. Wide ruled (also called legal ruled) has 11/32 in (8.7 mm) between lines and is what most elementary schools ask for, because larger handwriting fits. College ruled uses 9/32 in (7.1 mm), fitting more lines per page, and is the usual choice from middle school up. Narrow ruled at 1/4 in (6.35 mm) is for small handwriting and dense notes.
The vertical red line is the margin. On US loose-leaf paper it sits about 1¼ in from the left edge, leaving room for hole punches and teacher comments.
| Ruling | Spacing | Lines on Letter* | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide | 11/32 in · 8.7 mm | ≈ 28 | Grades K–5, large handwriting |
| College | 9/32 in · 7.1 mm | ≈ 34 | Middle school to university |
| Narrow | 1/4 in · 6.35 mm | ≈ 38 | Small handwriting, dense notes |
Questions
Which is bigger, wide ruled or college ruled?
Wide ruled has the bigger gap between lines: 8.7 mm against 7.1 mm for college ruled.
Can I print lined paper on A4?
Yes. Choose A4 in the page size menu. The spacing stays exact in millimetres; only the number of lines changes.
How do I remove the name and date line?
Untick “Name & date header”. You can also add a title of your own, which prints centred at the top.
Why do my printed lines look closer together than expected?
Your printer is probably scaling the page to fit. Print at “Actual size” (100%); see our guide to printing at true size.