Printable Grid Generator
Create a blank grid for planning bead designs, cross stitch charts or pixel art. Choose squares, circles or dots, set the cell size in millimetres, and download an exact-size PDF or a 300 dpi PNG.
Page
Grid
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Print the PDF at “Actual size” or 100% — not “Fit to page” — so the cells keep their real size.
🔒 Runs in your browser — nothing you enter or open is uploaded or stored. Last reviewed: October 2026.
How to use the Printable Grid Generator
- Start from a preset — bead pegboard, one 29 × 29 board, graph paper, pixel art sheet or dot grid — or choose “Custom”.
- Choose the paper (A4 or US Letter) and orientation, and set the cell size in millimetres. The preview shows the page.
- Leave columns and rows at 0 to fill the page, or enter numbers for a grid of an exact size, such as 29 × 29.
- Add heavier lines every 5 or 10 cells, row and column numbers, a title and a colour.
- Press Download PDF and print it at “Actual size” (100%). Use the 300 dpi PNG if you want to draw on the grid in an app.
Why exact size matters
A grid for bead work is only useful if its cells match the beads. This generator draws the grid in real millimetres and writes the PDF as vector graphics, so a 5 mm cell is 5 mm on paper. The one thing that can spoil it is your print dialog: choose “Actual size” or “100%”, not “Fit to page” or “Shrink to printable area”.
To check, measure the heavier lines with a ruler. With 5 mm cells and heavy lines every 5, neighbouring heavy lines should be exactly 25 mm apart.
What each grid style is for
| Style | Best for |
|---|---|
| Circles — bead pegs | Colouring in a bead design, or laying a clear pegboard on top to copy it |
| Squares | Cross stitch charts, pixel art and graph paper |
| Dots | Freehand drawing and lettering with a light guide |
Choosing a cell size
| Use | Cell size | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Midi fuse beads | 5 mm | The standard size; a 29 × 29 board is 145 mm wide |
| Mini fuse beads | 2.6 mm | Very small; A4 holds about 70 columns |
| Maxi / jumbo beads | 10 mm | Large; about 18 columns on A4 |
| Cross stitch charts | 4–6 mm | Large enough to colour in or mark with symbols |
| Pixel art sheets | 5–10 mm | Bigger cells are easier to fill in by hand |
Use the bead calculator to turn a cell size and a design size into a finished size.
Paper sizes and margins
A4 is 210 × 297 mm and US Letter is 215.9 × 279.4 mm (8.5 × 11 in). Most home printers cannot print right to the paper’s edge, so the generator keeps a margin of 12 mm by default; raise it if your printer clips the edge. Row and column numbers and a title use some of that space. If the columns or rows you ask for do not fit, the generator reduces them and tells you how many it could place.
Printing tips
- Open the PDF in a PDF viewer rather than the browser’s built-in preview if you want reliable “Actual size” printing.
- Use Thin line weight for dense grids and Bold for sheets you will colour in with felt tips.
- Grey lines keep the grid in the background when you draw on top; black prints crisper on low-quality printers.
- Print on thicker paper if you plan to colour in with markers.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PDF really vector?
Yes. Lines, circles and dots are drawn as vector shapes, and numbers use the standard Helvetica font, so the PDF is small and sharp at any zoom.
Why is my printout slightly smaller than expected?
The print dialog is probably scaling the page. Choose “Actual size” or 100% instead of “Fit”, then measure again.
Can I make a grid for a board that is not 29 × 29?
Yes. Enter any number of columns and rows, for example 14 × 14, and set the cell size to match your beads.
Can I add a title or numbers?
Yes. The title is optional, and the numbers option adds row and column numbers around the grid.
Which paper sizes are available?
A4 and US Letter, in portrait or landscape.
Are my settings saved?
No. Nothing is stored or uploaded. Download the file you need before you close the page.