This is a calligraphy guideline generator intended for pointed-pen scripts (Spencerian, Copperplate, and so forth). The idea was taken from a guideline generator for broad-nib calligraphy, but uses line spacings and examples from The New Spencerian Compendium of Penmanship rather than multiples of pen nib-widths.

The default line widths and styles are intended for printing out a guideline sheet to be placed under the paper being written on. If you want to print directly onto a sheet of paper that you'll be writing on, I'd suggest decreasing the line widths, as they're a bit heavy for that purpose.

JavaScript is required. For best results, I strongly recommend using Firefox or Google Chrome. Some functionality is broken under Internet Explorer, Konqueror, Opera Mini, and the default Android Web browser. And don't even bother trying Lynx or Elinks.

Page size: US Letter (8.5x11 inches) US Legal (8.5x14 inches) Tabloid/Ledger (11x14 inches) A3 (297x420 mm) A4 (210x297 mm) A5 (148x210 mm) Custom x inches   mm
Orientation: Portrait   Landscape
Margins: Quarter-inch Half-inch Three-quarter-inch One-inch One-and-a-half inch Two-inch Custom values given in: inches   mm
Left: Right: Top: Bottom:

x-height: Journal Day Book Explanations (16/inch) Scale Ladies Size (14/inch) Entries of Accounts (12/inch) Corresponding Size (10/inch) Standard Size (9/inch) Ledger Headings (8/inch) Ledger Headings, Large (5/inch) Custom per inch   cm
Ascenders/Descenders: 1x x-height 2x x-height 3x x-height 4x x-height
Space between text lines: Overlapping by 3 x-height Overlapping by 2 x-height Overlapping by 1 x-height No overlap or space between One x-height between ascender/descender lines Two x-heights between ascender/descender lines Three x-heights between ascender/descender lines
Angled lines: 52° (Spencerian) 55° (Copperplate) Custom angle None ° every inches   mm

x-height lines: solid dashed dotted none 0.05mm 0.1mm 0.2mm 0.3mm 0.4mm 0.5mm 0.8mm 1.0mm 100% black 75% black 50% black 25% black Non-photo blue
Ascender/descender lines: solid dashed dotted none 0.05mm 0.1mm 0.2mm 0.3mm 0.4mm 0.5mm 0.8mm 1.0mm 100% black 75% black 50% black 25% black Non-photo blue
Ascender/descender halfway lines: solid dashed dotted none 0.05mm 0.1mm 0.2mm 0.3mm 0.4mm 0.5mm 0.8mm 1.0mm 100% black 75% black 50% black 25% black Non-photo blue
Angled lines: solid dashed dotted none 0.05mm 0.1mm 0.2mm 0.3mm 0.4mm 0.5mm 0.8mm 1.0mm 100% black 75% black 50% black 25% black Non-photo blue

  Draw 'x' on x-height line
  Show configuration under bottom line

  Reset all values to defaults

 

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