Types of Paper Prints and Their Uses

You may be familiar with different weights and textures of paper, but what about different paper prints? Each paper type has a different set strengths and weaknesses that makes it ideal for different purposes. Read on to learn more…

College-Ruled or Wide-Ruled

If you’ve been to school at any point in your lifetime, chances are good that you’re intimately familiar with lined notebook paper. College-ruled paper has 7.1mm of space between each line, while wide-ruled paper has 8.7mm of space between each line. Lined paper works well for taking notes because it keeps your lines of text straight without interfering with the words. It’s also good for letters and text others are going to have to read, for the same reason.

Graph Paper

The grid pattern makes graph paper perfect for, well, graphing – but it’s good for other things as well! Drawing exercises and geometric drawings are great jobs for graph paper. It’s also good for organizing lists. When packing for a trip, I like to divide what I need to take into separate boxes for clothes, toiletries, electronics, etc. Graph paper keeps my boxes neat and organized in a way that lined paper can’t, particularly without the use of a ruler. The grid pattern can interfere with writing or drawing for some users, however.

Blank Paper

A completely blank page devoid of printing of any kind provides the ultimate freedom for unencumbered writing and drawing. It’s ideal for sketching and doodling, and you can write lines any which way you choose – diagonally, in a spiral, in the shape of a mouse – the possibilities are endless. On the other hand, the complete lack of structure does present some challenges. Drawing straight lines is infinitely more difficult. It also takes a steady hand and plenty of concentration to write in nice, straight rows with consistently-sized letters without a guide.

Dot-Grid Paper

This is by far my favorite kind of paper for everyday use. Picture graph paper with a dot in every corner and no lines, and you have dotted paper. I love it because it provides a subtle guide for when you’re yearning for the structure of clean, straight lines and neatly-drawn boxes, but it’s also unobtrusive enough to not interrupt doodles and sketches. My favorite notebook in college was the first notebook I encountered with dotted pages. I filled it with hopes and dreams and unsent letters, scribbles and doodles and thoughtful drawings.

What kind of printed paper is your favorite? What’s in your notebook right now? Let us know in the comments!

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