Printable Graph Paper

College Ruled Paper

The narrower American ruling: 7.1 mm between lines and a red margin, 36 lines to a Letter sheet.

8.5 × 11.0 in · 215.9 × 279.4 mm
Download PDF
Download PDF

College Ruled Paper in two steps

  1. Set it up

    Pick the paper size, the grid and the orientation. Customize holds colours, margins and more.

    Settings for College Ruled Paper: paper size, grid and orientation
  2. The finished sheet

    College Ruled Paper on US Letter, exactly as it prints.

    College Ruled Paper on US Letter, printable example sheet

College ruled means 9/32 of an inch

College ruled is defined as 9/32 inch between lines — 7.1 mm — with a margin 1.25 inches from the left edge. It is the standard for secondary and university notebooks in the US, where the wider ruling is considered a primary school format.

The narrower spacing fits roughly six more lines on a page than wide ruled, which over a semester of lecture notes is a meaningful saving in paper.

Every sheet here is free, adjustable and prints at exact scale.

Questions

What is the spacing on college ruled paper?

9/32 of an inch, or 7.1 mm, between lines. Wide ruled is 11/32 inch, about 8.7 mm.

Where does the margin line go?

Traditionally 1.25 inches — about 32 mm — from the left edge of the sheet, which clears a standard three-hole punch. That is where it sits here; the Margin position box reads 22 mm because it measures from the 10 mm page margin.

Which is better, college or wide ruled?

College if your handwriting is small or you take a lot of notes; wide if you write large or are still developing handwriting.