Summary
View switches the artboard between Vector grid (thin lines marking the perforation grid) and Realistic (adds paper texture for composition judgment). Both are on-screen aids only — neither changes layer geometry, and neither is included in exported output.
Use it when
- Use Vector grid for precise placement work against perforation lines.
- Use Realistic to get a rough sense of how a design reads on blotter-style stock before exporting.
Before you begin
Nothing to prepare — View is available regardless of format or whether anything is on the artboard.
Steps
- Open View in the right panel (desktop) or Options sheet (mobile).
- Select Vector grid for a plain artboard with grid lines at the current perforation pitch.
- Select Realistic for a paper-texture preview of the same content.
- Switching between the two does not move, resize, or otherwise change any layer — confirmed directly by checking a layer's W before and after switching, which was unchanged.
What changes
- The grid overlay is rendered as an SVG layer separate from the artwork canvas, at an exact pitch of 24 SVG units per line on a 96-units-per-inch coordinate system — precisely 0.25 in between grid lines, matching the pitch stated in the grid's own tooltip and badge elsewhere in the app.
- Grid lines were present in both Vector grid and Realistic view in testing — Realistic is not simply "grid off," it layers paper texture on top of (or alongside) the same grid.
- Switching View is purely visual: a selected layer's Transform values were confirmed unchanged after toggling between modes.
Print note
Both Vector grid and Realistic are explicitly on-screen preview
only, per the app's own tooltip: Realistic mode adds paper texture and a perforation pattern for on-screen preview only. ... exported files are unchanged. Neither view mode is reflected in Export PNG or the print
PDF. The grid's 0.25 in pitch itself is also labeled a placeholder
throughout the app (0.25in grid/perforation spacing is provisional — not yet confirmed against physical stock) — useful for on-screen alignment
now, but not a confirmed physical measurement yet.
Warnings and limits
- Do not treat Realistic view as a color or print proof — it adds texture only. For color, see RGB, CMYK & print color — Realistic view and Approximate soft proof are separate, independent controls.
- The grid's exact spacing is a placeholder, not a confirmed physical perforation pitch. Precise alignment work done against it today may need rechecking once the real pitch is confirmed.
Desktop and mobile
View (Vector grid / Realistic) is reachable the same way on desktop (right panel) and mobile (the Options sheet from the bottom bar) — both options and the Grid badge were confirmed present in the mobile sheet.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Likely cause | Recovery |
|---|---|---|
| Grid lines are visible in Realistic mode and you expected them gone | This is expected — Realistic adds texture, it doesn't remove the grid | No action needed |
| A design looks different after switching View modes | This is a display-only change | Nothing on the artboard actually moved or changed — switch back to compare |
| Grid lines don't line up with a physical perforation you're checking against | Grid spacing is an unconfirmed placeholder (0.25 in) | Treat on-screen alignment as provisional until the real pitch is confirmed |
Related topics
- Rulers, guides, bleed & safe area
- Snap to grid
- RGB, CMYK & print color
- Artboard, stage, and tool rail
Verification note
Verified against Blotter Builder on 2026-07-20.
Source notes
Primary observations — all from the live application at
https://blotterbuilder.tdl.fyi, 2026-07-20:
- Observed — the grid overlay is an SVG element (class containing
_artboardOverlay_...),viewBox="0 0 720 720"for a 7.5 in artboard (96 units/in). Its<line>elements were at x/y positions 24, 48, 72, 96... — a consistent 24-unit gap, exactly 0.25 in at that scale. 58 lines total (29 vertical + 29 horizontal, consistent with a 7.5 in board divided into 30 cells of 0.25 in each). - Observed — sampling the rendered canvas's raw pixel data
(
getImageData) at a row crossing the grid found no non-white pixels, confirming the grid is drawn by the SVG overlay, not baked into the artwork canvas itself — consistent with it being excluded from exports that read from the canvas/layer data. - Observed — after switching View to Realistic, the same 58-line grid overlay remained present (in a second overlay element that became the visible one, via an opacity-based crossfade) — the grid was not removed or replaced with a different pattern.
- Observed — selected a layer, recorded W, switched View to
Vector grid and back, re-checked W — value unchanged (
7.50in both readings). - Observed — at 390 × 844, opening the Options sheet showed both Vector grid and Realistic options, plus the Grid badge.
Verification log
| Viewport | Steps tested | Observed result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1280 × 800 | Inspect the grid overlay SVG's line geometry | 24-unit spacing on a 96-units/in scale = exactly 0.25in | 2026-07-20 |
| 1280 × 800 | Sample canvas pixel data across a grid line's expected position | No non-white pixels — grid is SVG-only, not canvas-drawn | 2026-07-20 |
| 1280 × 800 | Switch View to Realistic | Same 58-line grid overlay remained present | 2026-07-20 |
| 1280 × 800 | Record a layer's W, toggle View modes, re-check W | Unchanged (7.50in both times) | 2026-07-20 |
| 390 × 844 | Open Options sheet | Vector grid, Realistic, and Grid badge all present | 2026-07-20 |