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Logarithmic Graph Paper
Logarithmic graph paper, semi-log and log-log
Semi-log paper has one logarithmic axis and one linear one. It is what you use when a quantity spans orders of magnitude — decay curves, pH, frequency response, bacterial growth — because a relationship that curves on ordinary graph paper becomes a straight line here.
How many cycles do I need?
A cycle is one power of ten. Count the decades your data covers: 1 to 100 is two cycles, 1 to 10,000 is four. Choose the smallest number that fits, because every extra cycle compresses the rest of the sheet.
Semi-log or log-log?
Use semi-log when one variable spans decades and the other does not — time against population, for instance. Use log-log when both do, which is how power-law relationships are identified: they plot as a straight line whose slope is the exponent. Start with the Download the 3-cycle A4 sheet.
How do I print it at the right size?
Printers shrink the page slightly by default, which makes every measurement on the sheet wrong. Turn scaling off and the spacing comes out exactly as you set it.
- Scale: 100% / Actual size
- Turn off "Fit to page"
- Paper: white 80 gsm
- Colour: black and white for crisp lines
Do I need Word for this?
No. A grid or ruling drawn as a table in Word changes size when it prints, because Word scales the page to your printer margins — so the spacing you set is not the spacing you get. The PDF here is fixed at the size you chose, which is the whole point of downloading one.
Can I put the grid inside a Word document?
Yes — download it as a transparent PNG and insert it as a picture or page background. Word, Google Docs and Slides all take it, and the spacing stays exactly as you set it here.
