# creating a dotted paper pdf

to print out. But all the ones I find online have watermarks, so I want to create my own. Is it possible to do in LaTeX? What packages would I use? I found a package graphpap that does graph paper. Is it possible to modify this to do dots isntead?

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If you could post a minimal working example (MWE) that illustrates what you've tried so far (perhaps what you've tried with the graphpap package) that would greatly increase the speed and likelihood that you'll get a satisfactory answer. Also, welcome to TeX.SX! :) – Adam Liter Feb 25 '14 at 23:32
michaelgoerz.net/blog/2009/07/… may be of interest? – cfr Feb 26 '14 at 0:11

You can use the background package (\Step gives the size for the grid):

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{background}

\def\Step{1cm}
\tikzset{dotted lines/.style={black, loosely dotted,  thick}}
\backgroundsetup{
scale=1,
angle=0,
position={current page.north west},
contents={
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture,overlay]
\draw[dotted lines,step=\Step,help lines]
(current page.south west) grid  (current page.north east);
\end{tikzpicture}
}
}
\begin{document}

\mbox{}
\clearpage
\mbox

\end{document}


For a document with many pages, drawing the grid might be too resource consuming; an option is to first create the grid and then use the background package to place it using a standard \includegraphics:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{background}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\backgroundsetup{
scale=1,
angle=0,
color=black,
contents={\includegraphics{grid}}
}
\begin{document}

\mbox{}
\clearpage
\mbox

\end{document}


where the used grid image was produced by

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[margin=0pt]{geometry}
\usepackage{graphicx}

\def\Step{1cm}
\def\MyDot{\scalebox{1.75}{.}}

\def\Dotbox{\hbox to \Step{\smash{\MyDot}\hfil}}
\def\DotPattern{%
}

\pagestyle{empty}
\begin{document}
\mbox{}\DotGrid
\end{document}


\Step controls the size of the "grid" and changing the scaling factor for \MyDot gives control over the sixe of the dot used.

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Awesome. Thank you so much. – Peter Lin Feb 26 '14 at 6:39

Another tikz version with background. Speed concerns are taken over by the use of boxes.

\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{background}
\usetikzlibrary{decorations.markings,calc}

\def\Step{0.5}  %% separation between dots
\def\Size{1.5pt}    %% radius of the dot

\newsavebox{\mybox}
\sbox{\mybox}{%
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture]
\foreach \y in {1,2,...,\Toty}{
\foreach \x in {1,2,...,\Totx}
}%
\end{tikzpicture}
}%

\backgroundsetup{
scale=1,
angle=0,
position={current page.center},
contents={%
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture,overlay]
\node at (current page.center) {\usebox\mybox};
\end{tikzpicture}%
}%
}%
\begin{document}
\mbox{}
\clearpage
\mbox{}
\end{document}


This is bit slower than earlier and using decorations:

\documentclass[a4paper]{article}
\usepackage{background}
\usetikzlibrary{decorations.markings,calc}

\def\Step{0.02}  %% vertical separation between dots
\def\Size{1pt}    %% radius of the dot
\def\Toty{50}     %% inverse of \Step i.e., 1/\Step

\tikzset{
decoration={%
markings,
mark=between positions \Step and 1 step \Step with {
},
}
}

\newsavebox{\mybox}
\sbox{\mybox}{%
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture]
\foreach \y in {1,2,...,\Toty}{
\path[decorate] ($(current page.north west)!\y*\Step!(current page.south west)$) -- ($(current page.north east)!\y*\Step!(current page.south east)$);
}%
\end{tikzpicture}
}%

\backgroundsetup{
scale=1,
angle=0,
position={current page.north west},
contents={%
\begin{tikzpicture}[remember picture,overlay]
\node at (current page.center) {\usebox\mybox};
\end{tikzpicture}%
}%
}%
\begin{document}
\mbox{}
\clearpage
\mbox{}
\end{document}

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\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{multido}
\usepackage[margin=0pt]{geometry}
\unitlength=1mm
\begin{document}
\vbox to 0pt{\leavevmode\multido{\iC=0+5}{50}{\multido{\iR=0+5}{55}{\put(\iC,\iR){\circle*{0.1}}}}}
\end{document}


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