Printable Hexagonal Graph Paper
Hexagon grid paper, with the hex size measured across the flats and a choice of pointy-top or flat-top orientation. It's the standard paper for tabletop map-making and for drawing organic chemistry structures by hand.
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36pt is half an inch — safe on virtually every printer.
Free, no signup. Print at 100% scale (not “fit to page”) so the measurements come out exact.
Live preview — US Letter (8.5 × 11"), portrait · updates as you change any setting.
Pointy-top vs flat-top
Pointy-top hexes (a vertex at the top) arrange into offset horizontal rows and are the convention for most tabletop wargames and hex-crawl maps. Flat-top hexes (an edge at the top) arrange into offset vertical columns and are more common in board-game boards and in some strategy-game map conventions. Neither is more correct — pick whichever matches the game or diagram style you're working in.
Sized across the flats
Hex paper is normally specified by the distance across the flats — the width of the hexagon measured through its centre from one flat edge to the opposite one — rather than by edge length or circumradius. That's the convention used here, so choosing 1/4 inch gives you hexes that measure a quarter inch across, matching how commercial hex paper and hex-based game rules describe their scale.
Where hex paper is used
Tabletop RPG and wargame mapping is the largest use by far — hexes solve the diagonal-movement problem that square grids create, since all six neighbours are the same distance away. Beyond gaming, hex paper is standard for sketching organic chemistry structures (benzene rings land perfectly on it), for hexagonal quilting patterns like Grandmother's Flower Garden, and for certain kinds of data visualisation and beadwork.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size hexes should I use for an RPG map?
1/4 inch to 1/2 inch across the flats covers most tabletop use. Quarter-inch fits a lot of territory on one page for overland hex-crawls; half-inch gives room to write terrain symbols or numbers inside each hex.
Why is hex paper better than square grid for maps?
On a square grid, a diagonal move covers about 1.41 times the distance of a straight one, which forces awkward movement rules. On a hex grid every one of the six neighbours is exactly the same distance away, so movement and range are consistent in all directions.
Can I use this for organic chemistry?
Yes — hex paper is the traditional way to draw ring structures neatly by hand. Benzene rings and fused polycyclic systems sit directly on the grid, which keeps bond angles at a consistent 120°.
What's the difference between pointy-top and flat-top?
Purely orientation: pointy-top has a vertex at the top and forms offset horizontal rows; flat-top has a flat edge at the top and forms offset vertical columns. Use whichever convention your game or diagram expects.
Printing Tips
- Print at 100% scale.Turn off “fit to page” and “shrink oversized pages” — otherwise your printer rescales the sheet and the measurements no longer match.
- Match the paper size. Choose the same size here as the paper in your tray. Printing a Letter PDF on A4 (or the reverse) scales it.
- Lighter lines print better. A light grey or blue guides your work without competing with it — and it uses far less ink.
- Use heavier paper for wet media. 100gsm and up for fountain pens and markers; standard copier paper is fine for pencil.