College, wide or narrow ruled?
- Wide ruled: 11/32 in (8.7 mm) between lines. The usual choice for elementary school and for large handwriting.
- College ruled: 9/32 in (7.1 mm) between lines. The standard for middle school, high school and college notes; it fits more lines on a page.
- Narrow ruled: 1/4 in (6.4 mm) between lines, for small handwriting and dense notes.
- 8 mm and 6 mm: the common rulings of A4 notebooks in the UK and Europe.
US notebook paper has a red vertical margin about 1¼ in from the left edge, and a wider space at the top for the name and date; both are options here. Need handwriting guides with a dashed middle line? Use handwriting paper. For structured notes, try the Cornell notes template.
Printing tips
- Print at 100% (Actual size), not Fit to page, so squares and line spacing keep their exact size.
- Light lines (gray or light blue) are easy to write over and fade into the background of a scan or photo; use darker lines for drawing practice or when the paper will be photocopied.
- Need a stack? Set the number of pages and print the PDF once, or print one page and photocopy it.
- Thicker paper (24 to 32 lb or 90 to 120 gsm) takes ink pens and markers without bleeding through.