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CSS Baseline Grid Overlay - Online Typography Rhythm

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CSS Baseline Grid Overlay

Visualise vertical rhythm instantly — overlay a custom baseline grid on live text to perfect your typography.

Grid Settings
0.20
Sample Text
A multiple of your baseline step (e.g., 24 = 1.5 × 16)
Live Preview Grid 16px

Typography matters

Baseline grids are the foundation of consistent vertical rhythm in digital design. They ensure that text lines, images, and UI elements align to a common vertical pattern — creating a calmer, more professional look.

When every line of text falls exactly on the grid, readers experience a subconscious sense of order. This tool helps you preview that alignment instantly, directly in the browser.

Why vertical rhythm?

Without a baseline grid, spacing between paragraphs, headings, and images often feels arbitrary. Consistent rhythm improves readability and makes your design feel more polished — especially on content-heavy pages.

Adjust the baseline step, then tweak your line-height so that it becomes a multiple of that step. Notice how the text naturally locks into the grid.

Frequently Asked Questions

A baseline grid is an underlying set of horizontal lines that align the base of a line of text. It comes from traditional print design and helps maintain consistent vertical rhythm across columns and pages.

Our tool uses a repeating CSS gradient to draw evenly spaced horizontal lines on top of a text preview. You can customise the step (line spacing in pixels), colour and opacity, then immediately see how your font-size and line-height interact with the grid.

Vertical rhythm creates a predictable visual flow, making content easier to scan and more aesthetically pleasing. It also helps maintain proportional spacing between elements, which is especially critical for readability on long-form pages and blogs.

Common choices are 8px, 16px or 20px depending on your base font size. A good starting point is half of your body text size. For example, if you use 16px text, a 8px or 16px grid often works well.

Absolutely! The preview adapts to the container width, and the grid overlay is fully responsive. Simply adjust the baseline step and line-height to test different mobile typography scales.
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