Zaner-Bloser handwriting
Practice Zaner-Bloser
Worksheet and print settings
Print at 100% (Actual size).
Zaner-Bloser alphabet
Zaner-Bloser is the cursive shown first on every letter page, so each letter in this chart links straight to its lesson.
Print the Zaner-Bloser alphabet
Print the Zaner-Bloser sheet as PNG or SVG, or take the ruled A4 and US Letter practice PDFs with the same letters.
What makes Zaner-Bloser distinct
- The letters lean to the right, and every stroke has the same weight.
- Tall loops rise in b, h, k and l; f, g, j, y and z drop below the line in a loop.
- Small letters stay compact, and capitals are open, simple shapes that sit on the baseline.
A short history of Zaner-Bloser
Charles Zaner and Elmer Bloser, of Columbus, Ohio, gave the method its name. It has been widely used in US schools.
Charles Paxton Zaner opened the Zanerian College of Penmanship in Columbus in 1888. The Zaner-Bloser company still publishes handwriting programs for US elementary schools, which teach upright print first and cursive later.
How to practice Zaner-Bloser
- Trace. Trace the loop letters: b, h, k and l rise above the body band; f, g, j, y and z loop below the line.
- Copy. Copy the compact small letters between the guides, keeping one even stroke weight and one slant.
- Write words. Write words that mix high and low exits, such as bow, wave and over, then a sentence of your own.
Keep every stroke the same weight and the slant steady from one letter to the next.
Open a letter
Each letter page opens with its Zaner-Bloser stroke steps, four common joins and one mistake to correct.
Other cursive styles
Spencerian script
An ornate business script from the mid-1800s, written with shaded strokes.
Palmer Method
Austin Norman Palmer’s plain business writing, taught in US schools.
