What is the Difference Between Quad Paper vs Graph Paper? 7 Types of Graph Paper and 10 Types of Quad Paper

What is the Difference Between Quad Paper vs Graph Paper? 7 Types of Graph Paper and 10 Types of Quad Paper

Confusion may arise in some cases among customers when they are shopping for graph notebooks or grid pads. Somebody who is not familiar with the specifications of each type of paper may buy a 4×4 quad paper when they are actually looking for 10×10 quad paper for their engineering assignments and plots. This happens quite often, especially when there is no shop assistant or knowledgeable customer service technician to help them choose the right paper for their needs and purpose. In this regard, we are going to outline the differences between graph and quad paper, as well as the different types of each paper available.

Quad or Quadrille Paper

Quad or quadrille is a French term referring to a “small square”. Therefore when somebody is talking about quad paper, they are talking about any graph paper with square grids. There are many types of quad ruled paper with different grid sizes, but only the most popular types which are widely used by people will be discussed in this article. The origin of the first square grid paper can be traced back to the early 13 and 14th centuries. Egyptians drew sketches on grid lines formed with red dye. They were already using paper in 3100 BC, made from the papyrus reed growing along the river Nile. Square grids dating back to 1479 BC have also been found on non-paper surfaces such as stone slates and cave rocks, but rock art was the dominant form of art in Predynastic Egypt between 6000 and 3150 BC. Crude rock art from the PreDynastic era was modernized and superseded by a finer and more symmetrical art in the early Egyptian Dynastic era (3150 to 2613 BC) which also made its debut on Papyrus scrolls.

Development of The Egyptian Grid System – Photo Credits John Legon [Demon UK]

Examples of artists using grid paper to draw sketches in the later early centuries include Cesare Cesariano in the drawing of Vitruvius (proportioned man) in 1521. The first known patented graph paper was produced in England by Dr Buxton in 1795. His graph paper was used by Thomas Jefferson, a famous architect who became the 3rd president of the USA. The paper was also adopted by Luke Howard, a 19th century British chemist and meteorologist credited with devising a classification system for clouds.

Quad-Ruled Graph Composition Notebook [4×4 Grid – 4 Squares Per Inch] with 50 White Sheets – Letter Size 8.5×11 inches [Sidebound] – Buy Now on Amazon $6.50

 

So what is the difference between graph paper and quad ruled paper?

Quad paper is just another form or variation of graph paper. It’s a square grid pad. On the other hand, there are many types of graph paper which don’t have square grids. Examples of non-square grid paper includes:

  • Isometric graph paper (paper with triangular grids used for 3D drawing and visualization. It has wide application in engineering and technical drawing.)
  • Polar graph paper (paper with concentric circles and radial lines projecting from the centre at equal angles. Used in plotting trigonometric functions and polar equations)
  • Hexagonal graph paper (paper with 6-sided polygon grids, often used in drawing molecular structures in organic chemistry. Hexagonal grids are also used in computer game maps.)
  • Semi-logarithmic graph paper (paper with a linear axis and logarithmic axis on the coordinate system. Used to plot linear functions against exponential functions. An exponential (logarithmic) scale is used on one axis when there is an extremely wide data range for the attribute being plotted, this attribute may also be non-linear and infinite. An example is a population growth projection chart with population in billions plotted against the year. The year will be a horizontal linear scale, while the population growth will be a vertical logarithmic scale. In microbiology, charts depicting bacterial growth against a small increase in temperature are plotted. In nuclear physics, the radioactive decay / mass loss of an isotope is plotted against time (half-life) on semi-log graphs.)
  • Log-log graph paper (paper with a logarithmic scale on both the vertical and horizontal axis.)
  • Dot graph paper (Widely used in bullet journaling, this paper has invisible square grids (no lines) so what you only see are dots at the corners of the imaginary squares. The dots have a grid spacing of 5mm between them. Advocates of this type of paper say it eliminates distraction caused by lines and feints on traditional ruled paper. Dot grid notebooks are a cross between blank sketch pads and quad grid ruled notebooks. You can use them for drawing and sketching items to scale, using the dots as a reference scale. The absence of ruled lines gives the writer the flexibility to choose their own suitable line spacing. The height of your text and numbers can occupy one or more rows depending on your handwriting style and design.)

Types of Quad Ruled Graph Paper – Classification by Grid Size and System of Measurement

Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd president of the USA and an Architect by profession was a well known user of quad paper. Most of his architectural designs were drawn on quad paper. Quad paper can be classified according to the grid size as well as the system of measurement. A lot of graph paper has grids measured in the common Imperial units and Metric units. If you are working in inches, feet and yards, you should buy Imperial grid paper. If you are working in millimetres, centimetres and metres, you should be using Metric grid paper.

Big or Small Square Grids?

The pictures below show the varying size of grids for quad paper, starting with the biggest grid 1.5×1.5 inches (1 square per 1.5 inches) and ending with the smallest grid 0.1×0.1 inches (10 squares per inch).

Quad-Ruled Graph Composition Notebook [4×4 Grid – 4 Squares Per Inch] with 50 White Sheets – Letter Size 8.5×11 inches [Sidebound] – Buy Now on Amazon $6.50

Small Imperial Grids

For detailed work such as object cross-section details in engineering drawings, you will need paper with small grids. The commonly used grids are:

10×10 grid (10 squares per inch)

8×8 grid (8 squares per inch)

Medium size grids are also suitable for engineering drawings.

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Large Imperial Grids:

For less detailed work where clear demonstrations and magnifying are necessary, you will need paper with bigger grids. The commonly used grids are listed below in ascending order, starting with the largest grid:

0.67×0.67 grid (0.67 squares per inch) A4 Paper

1×1 grid (1 square per inch) A4 Paper

1×1 grid (1 square per inch) Letter Size

1.5×1.5 grid (1 square per 1.5 inches) Letter Size

2×2 grid (2 squares per inch) Letter Size

3×3 grid (3 squares per inch) Letter Size

4×4 grid (4 squares per inch)  Letter Size

5×5 grid (5 squares per inch) Letter Size

6×6 grid (6 squares per inch) Letter Size

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Small Metric Grids: 

Listed in descending order starting with the smallest grid:

10×10 grid (10 squares per centimetre) – 1mm grid paper

5×5 grid (5 squares per centimetre) – 2mm grid paper

4×4 grid (4 squares per centimetre) – 2.5mm grid paper

Large Metric Grids:

Listed in ascending order starting with the biggest grid:

0.33×0.33 grid (1 square per 3 centimetres or 0.33 squares per centimetre) – 30mm grid paper

0.5×0.5 grid (1 square per 2 centimetres or 0.5 squares per centimetre) – 20mm grid paper

1×1 grid (1 square per centimetre) – 10mm grid paper

2×2 grid (2 squares per centimetre) – 5mm grid paper

Quad-Ruled Graph Composition Notebook [4×4 Grid – 4 Squares Per Inch] with 50 White Sheets – Letter Size 8.5×11 inches [Sidebound] – Buy Now on Amazon $6.50

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Cartesian Graph Paper

Graph paper with square grids can be used as a Cartesian graph paper. All you need to do is draw the X and Y Cartesian coordinate axis along the horizontal and vertical planes respectively.

 Grid Paper with Bold Lines

When you are sketching graphs and curves on paper with feints, it’s difficult to count the lines along the axis because there are no bold lines separating a block of grids. Let’s take a 5×5 grid for example. This paper has 5 squares per inch. To assist in counting the lines or squares along the axis, bold lines are drawn every 5th line or square, in the vertical and horizontal directions. A single block with bolded borders will contain 25 squares/grids with feint lines (5×5=25).

Where the bold lines are drawn is determined by the number of squares per inch or centimetre for that graph paper. If you are using an 8×8 grid, the bold lines are drawn every 8th line or square along the X and Y axis. A 10×10 grid will require bold lines every 10th line. A 4×4 grid will need bold lines every 4th line, and so on.

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Metric Grid Paper

On metric grid paper, squares are counted for every centimetre along the X and Y axis. The grid sizes are listed in descending order starting with the smallest grid:

1mm Graph Paper (Millimeter Paper)

Vertical and horizontal lines at 1mm apart. Has 10 squares per centimetre, widely used for detailed technical drawings.

2mm Grid Paper

Vertical and horizontal lines at 2mm apart. 5×5 grid (5 squares per centimetre) – 2mm grid paper

2.5mm Grid Paper

Vertical and horizontal lines at 2.5mm apart. 4×4 grid (4 squares per centimetre) – 2.5mm grid paper

5mm (0.5cm Grid paper)

Vertical and horizontal lines at 0.5cm apart.

10mm Graph Paper (Centimeter Graph Paper )

Vertical and horizontal lines at 1cm apart

15mm (1.5cm Grid paper)

Vertical and horizontal lines at 1.5cm apart.

20mm Grid Paper

Vertical and horizontal lines at 20mm apart. 0.5×0.5 grid (1 square per 2 centimetres or 0.5 squares per centimetre) – 20mm grid paper

30mm Grid Paper

Vertical and horizontal lines at 30mm apart. 0.33×0.33 grid (1 square per 3 centimetres or 0.33 squares per centimetre) – 30mm grid paper

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Quad-Ruled Graph Composition Notebook [4×4 Grid – 4 Squares Per Inch] with 50 White Sheets – Letter Size 8.5×11 inches [Sidebound] – Buy Now on Amazon $6.50

Imperial Grid Paper

On imperial grid paper, squares are counted for every inch along the X and Y axis. The grid sizes are listed in ascending order starting with the largest grid:

1 inch Graph paper

Has 1 line per inch (1 square per inch). Grids are 1 inch squares. Has much larger squares which are useful for classroom demonstrations and teaching where large print and clarity is required.

½ inch Graph paper (0.5 inch paper)

Has 2 lines per inch (2 squares per inch). Grids are ½ inch squares.

¼ inch Graph paper (0.25 inch paper)

Has 4 lines per inch (4 squares per inch). Grids are ¼ inch squares.

⅕ inch Graph paper (0.20 inch paper)

Has 5 lines per inch (5 squares per inch). Grids are ⅕ inch squares.

1/10 inch Graph paper (0.10 inch paper)

Has 10 lines per inch (10 squares per inch). Grids are 1/10 inch squares. Has the smallest squares, useful for detailing drawing in engineering and other applications.

Quad-Ruled Graph Composition Notebook [4×4 Grid – 4 Squares Per Inch] with 50 White Sheets – Letter Size 8.5×11 inches [Sidebound] – Buy Now on Amazon $6.50

Quad-Ruled Graph Composition Notebook [4×4 Grid] 4 squares per inch: 50 Sheets with Feint Grid Lines – Letter Size Pad 8.5 x 11 Inches

Product Description:

  • Macron Venter quad-ruled graph composition book with 50 sheets.
  • 50 grid-graph sheets (100 pages)
  • Side bound composition notebook.
  • Graph paper with 4×4 grid [4 squares per inch]
  • White grid paper,size 8.5 x 11 inches or 21.59 x 27.94 cm in metric units. Letter size. It’s almost the same size as A4 paper.
  • Paper ruled both sides.
  • Feint line spacing- 0.25 inches (6.35 mm) – Grey color.
  • Feint margins ( and column lines) – Grey color.
  • With Multiplication Table, Basic Mathematical Formulas, Metric and Imperial Unit Conversion Charts.
  • 50% grey feint lines.
  • Cover type – softback /paperback.

Quad-Ruled Graph Composition Notebook [4×4 Grid – 4 Squares Per Inch] with 50 White Sheets – Letter Size 8.5×11 inches [Sidebound] – Buy Now on Amazon $6.50

 

Legal Writing Pad (Size 8.5×11 inches), Letter Size, Medium Ruled White Paper : 50 Sheets with Margins and Feints, Ruled Both Sides.

Legal Writing Pad (Size 8.5×11 inches), Letter Size, Medium Ruled White Paper : 50 Sheets with Margins and Feints, Ruled Both Sides.

If you are a legal professional working in a law firm or employed in the justice department, you should know that you don’t just use any kind of paper or writing pad to take down notes. There is special paper used in this industry which is recognized by its formatting and size. Yellow paper is the traditional standard used in the USA, but it can be white, cream, light green, ivory, light grey, hyper white, bright white, light blue, ultra lime and other colors.

Sheets of paper are bound and sold as Legal Pads containing 50, 100, 150 or 200 sheets. This type is a 50 sheet pad, sidebound with softback covers. You can order your pad directly from Amazon.com and have it shipped to your address within 48 hours.

To make sure you have the right kind of pad, get one from Macron Venter:

Legal Pad with 50 White Sheets – Letter Size 8.5×11 inches [Sidebound] – Buy Now on Amazon $7.00

Description

Medium ruled Legal Pad (also known as College-ruled Pad) is the perfect writing pad or notebook for lawyers, attorneys, magistrates, judges and legal assistants (paralegals). This pad has a 1.25 inches wide margin (32mm) on the left and 0.28125 inches (7.1mm) feint line spacing. The paper is white, size 8.5×11 inches, Letter size type. Write notes and lists in an organized and tidy manner.

50 Sheets with Margins and Feints, Ruled Both Sides.

Product Description:

  • Macron Venter medium ruled legal writing pad with 50 sheets.
  • 50 college-ruled sheets(100 pages)
  • Side bound legal pad.
  • White paper, size 8.5 x 11 inches or 21.59 x 27.94 cm in metric units. Letter size. It’s almost the same size as A4 paper.
  • Paper ruled both sides.
  • Feint line spacing– 9/32 inches (0.28125 inches) or (7.1 mm) in metric units.
  • Bold line margins –Black / Dark Grey color.
  • 50% grey feint lines.
  • Cover type -softback / paperback.

Imperial Quad Paper 10 squares per inch_10x10 grid_Letter Size Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 10 squares per inch_10x10 grid_Letter Size Paper

This free grid graph paper template has 10 squares per inch. The grids are 0.1 x 0.1  inch squares. The 10×10 grid is among the smallest size grids that you can choose for your paper.

Paper Specifications:

Type:  10×10 grid, quad ruled paper

Grid size:  0.1×0.1  inch squares

Squares per inch:  10

Paper Size: Letter Size 8.5 x 11 inches

Weight: 60 to 80g/m2

Grid line color:  50% Feint Grey

Bold line blocks:  None

Bold line block color: None

Bold line block size:  None

Sheet color:  White paper

Download Imperial 10×10 Grid 0.10 inch Quad Ruled Paper 10 squares per inch

To see all types of graph paper, visit this page >>> 10 Types of Quad Ruled Paper and 7 Types of Graph Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 8 squares per inch_8x8 grid_Letter Size Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 8 squares per inch_8x8 grid_Letter Size Paper

This free grid graph paper template has 8 squares per inch. The grids are ⅛ x ⅛  inch squares. The 8×8 grid is among the smallest size grids that you can choose for your paper.

Paper Specifications:

Type: 8×8 grid, quad ruled paper

Grid size:  ⅛ x ⅛  inch squares

Squares per inch:  8

Paper Size: Letter Size 8.5 x 11 inches

Weight: 60 to 80g/m2

Grid line color:  50% Feint Grey

Bold line blocks:  None

Bold line block color: None

Bold line block size:  None

Sheet color:  White paper

Download Imperial 8×8 Grid 0.125 inch Quad Ruled Paper 8 squares per inch

 

To see all types of graph paper, visit this page >>> 10 Types of Quad Ruled Paper and 7 Types of Graph Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 6 squares per inch_6x6 grid_Letter Size Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 6 squares per inch_6x6 grid_Letter Size Paper

This free grid graph paper template has 4 squares per inch. The grids are ⅙ x ⅙  inch squares. The 6×6 grid is among the medium to small size grids that you can choose for your paper.

Paper Specifications:

Type: 6×6 grid, quad ruled paper

Grid size:  ⅙ x ⅙  inch squares

Squares per inch:  6

Paper Size: Letter Size 8.5 x 11 inches

Weight: 60 to 80g/m2

Grid line color:  50% Feint Grey

Bold line blocks:  None

Bold line block color: None

Bold line block size:  None

Sheet color:  White paper

Download Imperial 6×6 Grid 0.167 inch Quad Ruled Paper 6 squares per inch

To see all types of graph paper, visit this page >>> 10 Types of Quad Ruled Paper and 7 Types of Graph Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 5 squares per inch_5x5 grid_Letter Size Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 5 squares per inch_5x5 grid_Letter Size Paper

This free grid graph paper template has 4 squares per inch. The grids are ⅕ x ⅕  inch squares. The 4×4 grid is among the medium-sized grids that you can choose for your paper.

Paper Specifications:

Type: 5×5 grid, quad ruled paper

Grid size:  ⅕ x ⅕  inch squares

Squares per inch:  5

Paper Size: Letter Size 8.5 x 11 inches

Weight: 60 to 80g/m2

Grid line color:  50% Feint Grey

Bold line blocks:  None

Bold line block color: None

Bold line block size:  None

Sheet color:  White paper

Download Imperial 5×5 Grid 0.20 inch Quad Ruled Paper 5 squares per inch

To see all types of graph paper, visit this page >>> 10 Types of Quad Ruled Paper and 7 Types of Graph Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 4 squares per inch_4x4 grid_Letter Size Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 4 squares per inch_4x4 grid_Letter Size Paper

This free grid graph paper template has 4 squares per inch. The grids are ¼ x ¼  inch squares. The 4×4 grid is among the medium-sized grids that you can choose for your paper.

Paper Specifications:

Type: 4×4 grid, quad ruled paper

Grid size:  ¼ x ¼  inch squares

Squares per inch:  4

Paper Size: Letter Size 8.50 x 11.00 inches

Weight: 60 to 80g/m2

Grid line color:  50% Feint Grey

Bold line blocks:  None

Bold line block color: None

Bold line block size:  None

Sheet color:  White paper

Download Imperial 4×4 Grid 0.25 inch Quad Ruled Paper 4 squares per inch

To see all types of graph paper, visit this page >>> 10 Types of Quad Ruled Paper and 7 Types of Graph Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 3 squares per inch_3x3 grid_Letter Size Paper

Imperial Quad Paper 3 squares per inch_3x3 grid_Letter Size Paper

This free grid graph paper template has 4 squares per inch. The grids are ⅓ x ⅓  inch squares. The 3×3 grid is among the largest grids that you can choose for your paper.

Paper Specifications:

Type: 3×3 grid, quad ruled paper

Grid size:  ⅓ x ⅓  inch squares

Squares per inch:  3

Paper Size: Letter Size 8.5 x 11 inches

Weight: 60 to 80g/m2

Grid line color:  50% Feint Grey

Bold line blocks:  None

Bold line block color: None

Bold line block size:  None

Sheet color:  White paper

Download Imperial 3×3 Grid 0.33 inch Quad Ruled Paper 3 squares per inch

To see all types of graph paper, visit this page >>> 10 Types of Quad Ruled Paper and 7 Types of Graph Paper

Free Printable Imperial Quad Paper 2 squares per inch_2x2 grid_Letter Size Paper

Free Printable Imperial Quad Paper 2 squares per inch_2x2 grid_Letter Size Paper

This free grid graph paper template has 2 squares per inch. The grids are ½ x ½  inch squares. The 2×2 grid is among the largest grids that you can choose for your paper.

Paper Specifications:

Type: 2×2 grid, quad ruled paper

Grid size:  ½ x ½  inch squares

Squares per inch: 2

Paper Size: Letter Size 8.5 x 11 inches

Weight: 60 to 80g/m2

Grid line color:  50% Feint Grey

Bold line blocks:  None

Bold line block color: None

Bold line block size:  None

Sheet color:  White paper

Download Imperial 2×2 Grid 0.50 inch Quad Ruled Paper 2 squares per inch

To see all types of graph paper, visit this page >>> 10 Types of Quad Ruled Paper and 7 Types of Graph Paper

Free Printable Imperial Quad Paper 1 square per inch_1x1 grid_Letter Size Paper

Free Printable Imperial Quad Paper 1 square per inch_1x1 grid_Letter Size Paper

This free grid graph paper template has 1 square per inch. The grids are 1×1 inch squares. The 1×1 grid is among the largest grids that you can choose for your paper.

Paper Specifications:

Type: 1×1 grid, quad ruled paper

Grid size:  1×1 inch squares

Squares per inch: 1

Paper Size:  Letter Size 8.5 x 11 inches

Weight: 60 to 80g/m2

Grid line color:  50% Feint Grey

Bold line blocks:  None

Bold line block color: None

Bold line block size:  None

Sheet color:  White paper

Download Imperial 1×1 Grid 1.00 inch Quad Ruled Paper 1 square per inch

To see all types of graph paper, visit this page >>> 10 Types of Quad Ruled Paper and 7 Types of Graph Paper