Quad Ruled Paper

Quad-ruled paper is paper that comes pre-printed with a grid of perpendicular lines. Quad ruled paper is used mostly for drawing graphs and charts, and drawing geometrical shapes accurately. It is often used by students in helping them draw plans for various complex and simple things, from sample buildings (civil engineering) to an imaginary low-friction car (physics). Quad-ruled paper is also used for taking notes, as the grid helps writing neatly.

It is available in various packages, each having the length between lines different. Commonly available sizes include 4 squares to an inch, 6 squares to an inch or (in metric countries) 1 cm or 7 mm per square. The type of paper used mostly depends on the local traditions and paper availability. The choice may also be affected by economic reasons, too: usually one line of writing is written between two grid lines, so reducing square size may reduce paper consumption. The papers may be sold as notebooks or loose-leafed. Loose sheets usually have punched holes for archiving.

Quad-ruled paper is more expensive than regular paper, and thus is treated with "respect" and could even be considered a 'novelty' by some. In many countries, quad-ruled paper is most typical paper type used by schoolchildren and students of all ages, however, and often associated with studying in popular culture . Graph paper, a special type of quad-ruled paper with a very small square size (usually 1 mm), is associated with engineering profession, on the other hand.

Very rarely, artists have used quad-ruled paper for drawings, though its use in making preparatory plans or drawings for what will be the finished work of art vastly outstrips this, and its use for doodling by bored students outstrips the two of these uses put together.