What this tool does
The classic octagon-and-square tiling drawn edge to edge across the page. Choose the octagon size, the line colour and weight, and whether to frame the sheet. Used for game maps, quilting and tile layouts, floor patterns and any design that wants eight-way symmetry.
People also used
Pentagon Graph Paper
The Cairo pentagonal tiling, the pentagons that actually tile a plane, in five sizes and three colours.
Graph Paper Generator
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RPG Battle Map Grid
One-inch square grid for tabletop battle maps, dungeons and encounters.
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The tiling
Regular octagons do not tile a plane on their own; they leave a square gap at every corner. The truncated square tiling is what you get when you accept those gaps: octagons in a grid with a small square between each group of four. It is the pattern of a lot of Victorian floor tile and of the eight-directional movement grid some tabletop games use, which is why people ask for it as graph paper.
Sizes and lines
The size is the lattice spacing, the distance from one octagon's centre to the next: 10, 12, 15, 20 or 25 mm. Lines print grey, blue or green, at light, medium or dark weight. Light grey is the graph-paper default, faint enough to draw over; dark is for a pattern you want to see across the room.
Uses
Battle maps where a piece can move diagonally at the same cost as straight (the octagon has all eight neighbours at the same distance across an edge or a corner square). Quilt and mosaic planning. Floor and splashback layouts. Doodling: the corner squares are small enough to shade as a second colour.
The pentagon page
The same generator draws the Cairo pentagonal tiling, which is what pentagon graph paper means, since regular pentagons do not tile. It has its own page and the two share every setting.
FAQs
Quick answers
What size are the octagons?
The size setting is the centre-to-centre spacing: 10, 12, 15, 20 or 25 mm. The octagon itself is a little smaller because of the corner squares.
Why are there squares between the octagons?
Regular octagons cannot tile a plane without them. The squares are part of the pattern, the truncated square tiling.
Can I print it faint enough to draw over?
Light grey is the default and is designed for exactly that. Blue and green are there for people who prefer them.
Does it fill the whole page?
Edge to edge within the print margin, centred so the pattern is symmetric on the sheet. An outer border is optional.
Is there pentagon paper too?
Yes, on its own page: the Cairo pentagon tiling from the same generator.
Related tools
Pentagon Graph Paper
The Cairo pentagonal tiling, the pentagons that actually tile a plane, in five sizes and three colours.
Graph Paper Generator
Create custom graph paper PDFs with square or rectangular grids, dot styles, and axis numbering.
RPG Battle Map Grid
One-inch square grid for tabletop battle maps, dungeons and encounters.
Further reading
