College Ruled vs Wide Ruled vs Narrow Ruled Paper
Ruled paper comes in three standard line spacings. The only real difference is the gap between lines, but it changes how much fits on a page and how comfortable it is to write on.
The three spacings
- Wide ruled: 11/32 in (8.7 mm). For younger students and larger handwriting. Wide ruled paper.
- College ruled: 9/32 in (7.1 mm). The most common notebook paper for middle school, high school and college. College ruled paper.
- Narrow ruled: ¼ in (6.35 mm). For small handwriting and fitting the most on a page. Narrow ruled paper.
Free college ruled paper
Which should you choose?
- Grades 2–5: wide ruled. Younger writers form larger letters.
- Grade 6 and up: college ruled. It fits about 20% more lines on a page than wide ruled.
- Dense note-taking, ledgers, small handwriting: narrow ruled.
- Kindergarten and grade 1: none of these; use primary lined paper with a dotted midline, or handwriting practice paper.
What about legal ruled?
Legal ruled paper uses the same line spacing as wide ruled with a deeper top area, like a legal pad. The "legal" in the name refers to the ruling, not to legal-size (8.5 × 14 in) paper, though you can print it on either.
Free PDFs
Wide ruled paper
Narrow ruled paper
Each page can also be customized: a different line spacing, no margin line, a name and date header, or a different page size.