A 5 mm grid that measures 5 mm
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Paper type19
Notes & writing
Data & plotting
Planning
— mm
PNG at 300 DPI · SVG is vector, transparent · both export one sheet
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Prints a measured strip. If a ruler disagrees with it, your printer is scaling the page.
Preview · not to screen scale
1:1 detail · 62 × 40 mm
Drawn in real millimeters. Hold a ruler to the screen — if it disagrees, your display's reported DPI is wrong, not the PDF.
Printable dot grid paper, to exact spec
Dot grid is the compromise layout: enough structure to keep handwriting level and boxes square, not so much that the page looks like engineering paper. That's why bullet journaling settled on it.
5mm is the spacing almost every dotted notebook uses, so start there if you're printing pages to sit alongside one. 7mm gives handwriting more room. Below about 4mm the dots stop reading as guides and start reading as texture.
Dot size follows the line weight setting — Fine if you want them to vanish under your writing, Bold if the grid is something you'll actually follow.
Dots versus lines
A ruled line commits the page to one direction. Dots work for horizontal writing, vertical columns, boxes and sketches, because the structure is implied rather than drawn.
Draw a table on ruled paper and the existing lines cut across your columns. On dot grid the dots disappear under ink at normal writing pressure.
For long stretches of prose, ruled paper keeps handwriting straighter than dots do.
Matching a notebook
Measure across ten dots and divide by ten. A single 5mm gap is hard to measure accurately with a ruler marked in millimeters.
Most notebooks are 5mm. Some A5 planners and Japanese pads use 3.5mm or 4mm. Large sketch pads sometimes use 7mm.
Page size matters as much as spacing. A5 is 148x210mm, and a lot of things sold as A5 planners are not that. Filofax Personal is 95x171mm. Both are in the size list here, along with Half Letter and the Traveler's sizes. If yours is not listed, print a smaller page centered on a larger sheet and trim it.
Spacing and dot size
5mm is the default. 7mm gives large handwriting a clear line between dot rows. 4mm suits planning grids and small writing. Below about 3.5mm the dots read as texture rather than as guides.
Dot size follows the line weight setting. Fine dots vanish under ink. Bold dots stay visible if you want to draw to them.
Frequently asked questions
What spacing do bullet journals use?
5mm. That's what most dotted notebooks ship with, and it's the default here.
Dot grid or graph paper?
Dots keep your writing straight without the page looking like a grid. Use graph paper when you need to draw to the lines.
Can I match a notebook I already own?
Measure the dot spacing with a ruler and type it in. Usually 5mm or 7mm — or switch the units to inches if that's the ruler you own.