Why 5 mm became the standard
A dot grid is a square grid with only the intersections printed. It gives you the structure of graph paper for drawing boxes, columns, calendars and charts, while staying out of the way when you write or sketch. That is the whole appeal for bullet journaling, where one notebook holds lists, calendars, trackers and notes.
The spacing almost everyone settles on is 5 mm between dot centres. It works because it matches handwriting: a typical adult’s small letters sit comfortably in one 5 mm row, so you can write on every row like lined paper, or skip one for a roomier look. Five millimetres also divides neatly into page layouts: a 7-column weekly spread with 3 dots per day column takes 21 dots, which fits across an A5 page with room for labels.
Other spacings have their fans:
| Spacing | Feels like | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| 1/8 in (3.2 mm) | Very dense | Tiny handwriting, detailed trackers |
| 4 mm | Compact | Small writers on A6 and pocket notebooks |
| 5 mm | Standard | Bullet journals, planners, general notes |
| 1/4 in (6.35 mm) | Roomy | Large handwriting, US-letter journals |
| 1 cm | Very open | Lettering practice, kids, sketch layouts |
You can enter any value in the generator. If you are matching an existing notebook, measure from the first dot to the eleventh and divide by ten; that averages out any ruler error.
Page sizes compared
| Paper | 4 mm | 5 mm | 1/4 in |
|---|---|---|---|
| A6 | 22 × 33 | 18 × 26 | 14 × 21 |
| Traveler's notebook (regular) | 23 × 48 | 19 × 39 | 15 × 30 |
| A5 | 33 × 48 | 26 × 39 | 21 × 30 |
| Half Letter / Statement | 29 × 48 | 23 × 39 | 19 × 31 |
| B5 (ISO) | 40 × 58 | 32 × 47 | 25 × 37 |
| B5 (JIS) | 41 × 60 | 33 × 48 | 26 × 38 |
| A4 | 48 × 70 | 39 × 56 | 30 × 44 |
| US Letter | 48 × 64 | 39 × 51 | 31 × 41 |
A5
A5 is the size most people mean by “bullet journal”. It fits in a bag, opens flat on a desk, and gives a two-page spread of 296 × 210 mm, wide enough for a month at a glance. Every planner accessory and stencil assumes it. Start with the A5 dot grid.
B5
B5 (176 × 250 mm) is noticeably bigger, with 42% more area than A5. It suits people who write large, want space for sketches next to notes, or use one spread per week with time blocks. Be aware that Japanese B5 notebooks follow the slightly larger JIS size, 182 × 257 mm, which the generator also offers.
Traveler’s-style inserts
Traveler’s-style notebooks use slim 110 × 210 mm inserts held in a leather cover with elastic bands. The narrow page favours lists, daily logs and single-column layouts. Our Traveler’s notebook dot grid is sized for the regular insert. To print it, load A4 or Letter, print at Actual size so the page lands centred, and trim to 110 mm wide with a craft knife and steel ruler.
Dot size and grey level
The dot itself matters more than people expect. Dots that are too large or too dark make a page look busy and fight with your handwriting; dots that are too faint vanish under a desk lamp.
- Dot diameter. The generator defaults to 0.5 mm. Try 0.3 or 0.4 mm for a delicate look, or 0.6 to 0.8 mm if you will photocopy the page or have low-contrast vision.
- Grey level. In Advanced options, change the line colour. A mid grey reads clearly; a light grey is nearly invisible once you have written over it. Black is rarely the right choice.
- Paper colour. Off-white or cream paper with grey dots is easier on the eyes than bright white. You can set a paper colour in the generator, but a full-page background uses a lot of ink, so cream paper stock is the better route.
- 0.3 mm, mid greydelicate, disappears under ink
- 0.5 mm, defaultthe generator default
- 0.8 mm, dark greybold, survives photocopying
Printers differ: an inkjet tends to make small dots slightly heavier, a laser slightly crisper. Print one test page, hold it at arm’s length, and adjust before you print fifty.
Printing your own journal as a booklet
You can make a complete A5 dot grid notebook from A4 paper:
- Choose Dot grid, size A5, spacing 5 mm.
- Open Advanced options. Set Pages in the PDF to the number of journal pages you want; a multiple of four avoids blank pages.
- Switch on page numbers in the outer corner if you keep an index.
- Turn on Booklet. The PDF is laid out two-up on A4 in folding order.
- Print double-sided, flip on the short edge, at 100%.
- Fold in signatures of four or five sheets, nest them, and sew or staple along the spine.
The same steps produce a Half Letter booklet on Letter, a B5 booklet on B4, or an A6 pocket journal on A5. Heavier paper, around 100 to 120 g/m² (27 to 32 lb bond), reduces ghosting if you use fountain pens or markers, though it makes the folded spine thicker.
Planning layouts by counting dots
Knowing the dot count of your page makes layouts much easier to plan before you pick up a pen. On a 26 × 39 A5 page:
- A monthly calendar of seven columns at 3 dots each uses 21 dots across, leaving 5 for week numbers or a margin. Five or six rows of 6 dots each fit comfortably below a title.
- A habit tracker for a 31-day month needs 31 dots in one direction, which fits the long side of the page; run the days down the page and habits across.
- A two-column list splits naturally at dot 13.
Sketch the plan once in pencil, count it on a printed test page, and save the generator settings with Copy link so every month’s inserts print the same way.
Mixing dots with other rulings
Many journalers keep a few pages of something else in the same notebook. Graph paper works for spreadsheets and pixel art, lined paper for long-form writing, and Cornell notes with a dot grid body for lectures. Because every sheet in the generator shares the same margin and page settings, you can print a mixed stack and bind it together.
