Cookie Policy

How PrintableGrid uses cookies and browser storage, and how consent choices work.

1. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small data files stored on your device when you visit a website. They can remember a choice (such as cookie consent) or help a third-party service measure visits.

Last Updated: September 11, 2026

Types you may hear about:

Session Cookies

Removed when the browser session ends. We do not set a general site-session cookie.

Persistent Cookies

Stay for a set time. Our consent cookie lasts 1 year. The contact-form CSRF cookie lasts 24 hours.

First-Party Cookies

Set by printablegrid.com: cookie_consent and __csrf_token.

Third-Party Cookies

Google Analytics cookies (_ga, _ga_*, _gid) are set only after you Accept analytics. Google AdSense may set advertising cookies for personalized ads outside the EEA, UK and Switzerland unless you opt out. In the EEA, UK and Switzerland, Google's consent message controls advertising cookies.

2. Cookies PrintableGrid Uses

Essential Cookies

These support consent memory and contact-form security. Generators work without them; the contact form needs the CSRF cookie.

Cookie NamePurposeDuration
cookie_consentStores Accept or Reject when the site banner is used. Also copied to localStorage. SameSite=Lax. Not used where Google's consent message is shown.1 year
__csrf_tokenHttpOnly token for the contact form (set when the form loads). Not a login session.24 hours

Analytics Cookies (only after you allow them)

Google Analytics cookies are not set until you allow analytics in the consent message for your region. Until then, Consent Mode keeps them off.

Cookie NamePurposeProvider
_gaDistinguishes visitors for analyticsGoogle Analytics
_ga_*Session / measurement for the GA4 propertyGoogle Analytics
_gidShort-lived visitor distinctionGoogle Analytics

Advertising Cookies

Outside the EEA, UK and Switzerland, Google AdSense may set advertising cookies for personalized ads unless you opt out with Reject, footer Do Not Sell or Share, or Global Privacy Control (GPC). In the EEA, UK and Switzerland, Google's TCF message controls advertising cookies. Opting out does not remove ads; Google may still serve non-personalized ads.

We do not set preference cookies for language, theme, or “user_preferences.” We do not set a _session cookie.

3. Local Storage (Not Cookies)

The browser’s localStorage is not a cookie. We use it for:

  • cookie_consent — same Accept/Reject value as the consent cookie when the site banner is used
  • ads_share_opt_out — remembers a footer Do Not Sell or Share choice for applicable US-state visitors (ads personalization off; analytics unchanged). Click the same control again to allow sharing. Accept does not clear it.
  • google_privacy_ui_handled — remembers that Google already showed its US/privacy message, so our site banner does not auto-open again. Footer Cookie settings can still open our banner
  • Tool settings — each generator saves its form state under that tool’s id (grid size, colors, paper size, and similar fields). This stays on your device and is not sent to our servers

Clearing site data for printablegrid.com removes these values. The tools still work; they just return to defaults.

4. First-Party Usage Stats (No Cookie)

Opening a tool or exporting a file sends an anonymous event (tool id, view or export, optional format, timestamp) to /api/analytics/track. That path does not set a tracking cookie and does not require Accept. It is separate from Google Analytics.

5. Why We Use Cookies

Remember Your Choice

cookie_consent stops the site banner from asking again on every page until you change it or it expires. It is not set where Google's consent message is used.

Contact Form Security

__csrf_token helps block cross-site request forgery on the contact form.

Optional Analytics

If you allow analytics, Google Analytics cookies help us see which pages are used. The generators do not depend on those cookies.

Optional Advertising

Outside the EEA, personalized ads are the default until you opt out. Reject, Do Not Sell or Share, or GPC turns off ad personalization; non-personalized ads may still show. Analytics cookies still need Accept. If Google's consent message is shown, that message controls advertising cookies.

6. Third-Party Cookies & Services

Google Analytics

After you allow analytics, Google Analytics may record pages viewed, device/browser type, coarse location, and referrer. Google processes that data under its own policy. We use Consent Mode v2 so storage stays denied until you allow it in the consent message for your region.

View Google's Privacy Policy.

Advertising Cookies

Google AdSense ads may appear with or without personalization. Outside the EEA, advertising cookies for personalized ads are used unless you opt out. If you opt out, ads may still show without personalization. If Google's consent message is shown, that message controls advertising cookies.

No Social Media Pixels

We do not use Facebook Pixel, X/Twitter, or TikTok cookies.

7. How to Manage Your Cookies

Cookie Banner

In the EEA, UK and Switzerland, Google shows a consent message (IAB Transparency and Consent Framework). We do not show our Accept/Reject box at the same time. In other regions, on your first visit (and whenever you open Cookie settings) you can:

  • Accept: Allow Google Analytics cookies. Personalized ads are already the default in these regions unless you opt out. Accept does not clear a Do Not Sell or Share choice.
  • Reject: Turn off analytics cookies and personalized ads. Non-personalized ads may still show. Essential consent and CSRF cookies may still be used

There is no per-category customize panel. Your site choice is stored for 1 year in cookie_consent and localStorage (this does not apply where Google’s consent message is used).

Cookie Settings (Footer)

Use Cookie settings in the site footer to change your choice. Where Google’s consent message is shown, that link reopens Google’s message. Elsewhere it opens our banner again without clearing your current choice until you Accept or Reject. Do Not Sell or Share is shown only when Google’s US state regulations message applies to your location. It turns off ad personalization only; it does not change your analytics choice. Accept on the banner does not undo that opt-out. Click the same footer control again to allow sale or sharing for ads. Global Privacy Control stays in effect until the browser turns it off. You can also delete printablegrid.com site data in your browser.

Browser Settings

You can delete cookies in your browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge: Privacy / Cookies and site data). Blocking all cookies may stop the consent choice from being remembered and can break the contact form’s CSRF cookie.

8. Do Not Track (DNT)

Some browsers send a “Do Not Track” (DNT) header. PrintableGrid does not read that signal and does not automatically disable Google Analytics when DNT is on.

We do honor Global Privacy Control when the browser exposes navigator.globalPrivacyControl. That signal opts out of ad personalization and “sale or share” of personal information. It does not change analytics. We do not read the HTTP Sec-GPC header on the server. Use the consent message for your region, footer Cookie settings, or — in applicable US states — Do Not Sell or Share to change your choice.

9. Cookies & GDPR (EU Users)

Cookies that are not strictly necessary need a clear choice. PrintableGrid does this by:

Google's consent message (EEA, UK, Switzerland)

Google's Privacy & messaging tool shows an IAB Transparency and Consent Framework (TCF) message. We do not show a second Accept/Reject banner beside it. Footer Cookie settings reopens Google's message.

Site banner (other regions)

Our Accept/Reject box does not treat scrolling or “continuing to browse” as consent. Open Cookie settings in the footer to choose again, or clear site data.

Analytics vs ads

Google Consent Mode defaults all four signals to denied. After the consent wait, analytics stay denied until you Accept. Outside TCF, ad storage and personalization are granted unless you Reject, use Do Not Sell or Share, or send GPC. In the EEA, Google's TCF message controls advertising cookies.

Anonymous first-party tool counts do not use a tracking cookie. See our Privacy Policy.

10. California Consumer Privacy (CCPA)

California residents can ask what personal information we collect via cookies and request deletion through our contact form.

We do not sell personal information for money. Advertising use can count as “sharing” under some US state laws. If you are in a supported US state, opt out with footer Do Not Sell or Share (Google decides whether that law applies from your location). You can also Reject on our banner, use Global Privacy Control, the consent message for your region, or Google Ads Settings. Click the same footer control again to allow sale or sharing for ads. Accept on the cookie banner does not undo that opt-out. In some US states Google may also show a separate privacy message about selling or sharing personal information.

11. Cookies & Children

PrintableGrid is not directed to children under 13 years of age. The generators — including handwriting and classroom-style paper — are tools for educators, parents, and adult learners. We do not treat the site as a children’s product and we do not label AdSense as child-directed.

We do not knowingly collect cookies from children under 13. If a parent believes we have collected cookies from their child under 13, please contact us immediately.

12. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy when our cookies or legal requirements change. Material updates are shown by changing the "Last Updated" date on this page.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about our Cookie Policy, use our contact form and include "Cookie Policy" in the message. We aim to respond within 5 business days.

See also the Privacy Policy.

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