📄 Paper Size Layout Calculator
Enter your page height, top and bottom margins, and your planned line spacing to see how many lines of lettering will fit on the page.
Margins off first, then a fencepost count
The page subtracts both margins, divides what is left by your line spacing, and rounds down — then adds one, because you are counting baselines rather than the gaps between them:
usable = page height − top margin − bottom margin
lines = floor(usable / line spacing) + 1
297 − 20 − 20 = 257 mm floor(257 / 25) = 10 11 linesTen gaps of 25 mm span 250 mm, which fits inside 257 mm, and those ten gaps have eleven baselines. A 152 mm card with 15 mm margins and 12 mm spacing also gives 11 lines. If the margins swallow the sheet the answer is 0, not a negative.
Using the number on a real sheet
- The count is baselines, not finished text. Descenders on the last line hang below its baseline and eat into the bottom margin, so subtract a line if you need that margin clean.
- Set the bottom margin larger than the top. A block centred by measurement looks low on the page; the two fields are separate here precisely so you can rule 20 mm top and 30 mm bottom.
- Get the spacing from your x-height first. The 25 mm default is a 10 mm x-height at 2.5 times.
Frequently asked questions
How many lines of calligraphy fit on an A4 page?
Eleven at the defaults here: A4 is 297 mm tall, 20 mm margins leave 257 mm, and 25 mm line spacing gives ten gaps plus the first baseline. Tighter 15 mm spacing on the same sheet gives 18.
Why is the answer one more than the division?
Because baselines outnumber gaps by one, like fence posts and panels. The division counts gaps, and the tool adds the opening baseline back.
What margins should I leave on a calligraphy piece?
Start with a top margin of about one to one and a half times the line spacing and a noticeably deeper bottom, then adjust by eye: measured symmetry rarely looks balanced.