Printable Shorthand Paper (Free PDF)
Steno ruling — narrow lines with a vertical divider down the middle, so each page is two writing columns.
Free · no watermark · no sign-up for your first 20 downloads a day
A steno pad is not just narrow ruled paper: the vertical line down the middle is what makes it work. You write in the left column from top to bottom, then start again at the top of the right column, which keeps every outline within a short, fast eye movement and stops the hand travelling the full width of the page. This sheet reproduces that layout on a standard printer page.
Two rulings are offered. One third of an inch is the classic Gregg ruling used in shorthand notebooks and gives 29 writing rows per column on US Letter, 58 in all. One quarter of an inch is tighter, for a small hand or for note taking rather than dictation, and gives 39 rows per column. Both are measured from the real inch, so a page printed at 100% matches the pad you learned on.
Shorthand itself is only one use. The same two-column narrow ruling suits interview notes, phone messages, minute taking, language vocabulary lists with the term on the left and the meaning on the right, and anyone who simply finds a full-width line too long to scan. The ruling prints light blue so pencil and ink both read clearly over it, and the divider prints grey. The sheet has nothing to fill in on screen.
