How to use the hexagon grid paper generator
- Choose the paper size (US Letter or A4), the direction and the margin.
- Set the side length of one hexagon and its unit, and pick pointy top or flat top.
- Set the line weight and shade, and tick the box to number each hexagon with its column and row.
- Read the count of hexagons and the grid size, check the preview, then choose Download PDF. Print at 100 percent.
The geometry of a hex grid
A regular hexagon with side s has a width of 2s from corner to corner and a height of the square root of 3 times s, about 1.732 s, from flat edge to flat edge. With a pointy top, the hexagon is the square root of 3 times s wide and 2s tall, rows are 1.5 s apart, and every second row is shifted half a hexagon sideways. With a flat top, columns are 1.5 s apart and every second column is shifted half a hexagon down. Only hexagons whose whole outline fits inside the margins are drawn, and the grid is centered on the page.
On US Letter with a half-inch margin and a side length of half an inch, a pointy-top grid has 104 hexagons in 13 rows of up to 8, and a flat-top grid has 99 in 9 columns. The counts match a brute-force search over every position in Python. Each shared edge is drawn once, so for the pointy-top Letter grid 353 distinct edges are drawn instead of 624.
Uses and printing tips
Hex paper is used for game maps, tile layouts, chemistry diagrams, quilting patterns and mapping ideas. Use a larger side for sketching and a smaller one for fine maps. Numbered hexagons make it easy to note positions, with the column first and the row second. To print true to size, turn off "fit to page" or "scale to fit", because the size of the hexagons is set in the file.
For square and dot grids, see the graph paper generator; for ruled pages, the lined paper generator; for adding a grid on top of a picture, the drawing grid overlay tool; and for big posters printed in pieces, the poster printer tiler.
Assumptions and limits
- The hexagons are regular, with six equal sides and angles.
- The side length is between about 1.5 mm and 14 cm. Up to 4,000 hexagons fit on one page.
- Margins apply on all four sides and must be smaller than a third of the paper width.
- The PDF is made on your device and nothing is uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between pointy top and flat top?
A pointy-top grid has a corner at the top of each hexagon and rows that shift sideways. A flat-top grid has a flat edge at the top and columns that shift up and down. Choose the one your game or map uses.
Why do hexagons not touch the page edge?
Only whole hexagons inside the margins are drawn, and the grid is centered. The space left over is shared evenly around the grid, so a larger margin or a different side length changes it.
How big is a hexagon measured across?
For a pointy top, the width across flats is 1.732 times the side. For a flat top, the width across corners is twice the side. The count line under the controls shows the whole grid size.
Can I print on A4?
Yes. Choose A4 as the paper size. The grid fits to the A4 page and margins, and the PDF page has the A4 size.