Free online tool

Blank Sheet Music and Staff Paper Generator

Staff paper generator: print blank sheet music on A4 or Letter. Treble, bass, grand staff, guitar tab, percussion. Choose staff size, barlines and pages.

Paper Orientation Staff type Staff size (height) Staves per page Margins Barlines Pages to print

Clef at the start of each staff Header with title, name and date Page numbers

In the print dialog choose scale 100% / Actual size, and turn off headers and footers.

About the Staff Paper Generator

Blank sheet music is a page of empty staves, with no notes written in, for writing your own music by hand. The Staff Paper Generator prints that page for you on A4 or US Letter. You can choose treble, bass, grand staff, guitar tab, percussion, lead sheet or lyric layouts, then set the staff size, staves per page, margins and barlines. Use the result for melodies, piano parts, tab, or songs with chord names and words. The tool is free, runs in your web browser, and needs no sign-up. Each page can also be downloaded as an SVG file that prints at the same size.

How to use the Staff Paper Generator

Under Paper, pick A4 (210 × 297 mm) or US Letter (8.5 × 11 in). Then set Orientation to Portrait or Landscape.
Choose a Staff type: Treble clef, Bass clef, Grand staff (piano), Plain 5-line staff (no clef), Guitar tab (6 lines), Bass tab (4 lines), Percussion (5 lines), Percussion (1 line), Lead sheet (chord space above) or Staff with lyric line.
Set the Staff size (height): 6 mm (small), 7 mm (medium), 8 mm (large) or 10 mm (extra large).
Set Staves per page to Auto (fit the page) or to a number you choose.
Pick Margins: 8 mm, 10 mm, 12 mm, 15 mm or 20 mm.
Under Barlines, choose None or 2 to 6 measures per staff.
Tick Header with title, name and date or Page numbers if you want them, and untick Clef at the start of each staff for clefless paper.
Check the preview, set Pages to print, and press Print. In the print dialog, select scale 100% (Actual size) and turn off the browser’s headers and footers.

To keep a single sheet as a vector file, press Download SVG (this page). It opens in any browser or vector editor and prints at the same size.

Choose the staff size first, because it sets the line spacing for the whole sheet. Use 7 mm (medium) for adult handwriting and 10 mm (extra large) for young children, who need more room to draw noteheads.

Pick 6 mm (small) when you want more staves on a page.

How is blank sheet music laid out?#

A staff is five horizontal lines with four spaces between them. The staff size is the distance from the top line to the bottom line, so the gap between two neighbouring lines is a quarter of that. At 7 mm, the lines sit 1.75 mm apart. Every size is drawn to true scale, so at 100% the printed spacing matches the figures shown above the preview.

Each staff needs free room above and below it for notes that sit on ledger lines and for the clef. Because of this, the generator’s automatic setting leaves comfortable space, which gives about 13 staves per page at 7 mm on A4 and 12 on US Letter for treble-clef paper in portrait with 12 mm margins. Choosing a number yourself packs the staves more tightly, down to the smallest count that still leaves room for notes.

What does a barline do on empty staff paper?#

Barlines divide each staff into two to six equal measures. They are guides only. They are not tied to a time signature, so you can write any rhythm inside each measure.

How are grand staff, tab and percussion laid out?#

A grand staff joins a treble and a bass staff with a brace, the layout used for piano and harp. Each grand staff takes the room of two staves, so fewer systems fit on a page.

Guitar tab has six lines, one for each string, and bass tab has four. The lines use the same spacing as a normal staff of the size you picked, and the letters T, A and B stand in for a clef. Percussion comes as a five-line staff or a single line, both with the percussion clef, for unpitched instruments.

Is staff paper the same as blank sheet music?#

Yes, for most purposes. Staff paper is blank paper printed with empty staves, the sets of five lines you write notes on. Blank sheet music is the same thing: the staff lines are there, but no notes, words or other marks have been added yet.

The Staff Paper Generator prints blank sheet music on A4 or US Letter paper. Choose a staff type, such as treble, bass, grand staff, guitar tab or percussion, then set the staff size and number of staves per page. The tool runs in your web browser, is free and needs no sign-up. Nothing you enter is uploaded.

Frequently asked questions

Is it free and does it need an account?

Yes. The tool is free, needs no sign-up, and does not upload anything you enter.

Can I use it on a phone?

Yes. It runs in the phone’s web browser with nothing to install. Before printing, check that your phone’s print dialog uses 100% scale, so the staff size stays true.

What staff size should I choose?

For adult handwriting, 7 mm (1.75 mm between lines) is a good all-round size. Use 6 mm for more staves per page, 8 mm if you write large, and 10 mm for young children, who need bigger spaces for noteheads.

What is the difference between A4 and Letter?

A4 is 210 × 297 mm. US Letter is 8.5 × 11 inches, which is 215.9 × 279.4 mm, about 6 mm wider and 18 mm shorter. Choose the paper your printer holds so nothing is scaled or cut off.

How do I print staff paper without it being scaled?

In the print dialog, set the scale to 100% or Actual size, not Fit to page, and switch off headers and footers.

Why do fewer staves fit than I chose?

Each staff needs room for ledger lines and the clef. If your number would squeeze the staves closer than that, the generator shows the largest number that fits. Smaller margins, a smaller staff size or a page without a header make room for more.

Can I print different staff types in one go?

Each print job uses one staff type. Print one batch, change the staff type and print again. For ready-made PDFs, see the staff paper chart page.