Q:

Graph paper as an underlay

Is it possible to have graph paper as an underlay and then run the usual latex commands?
For instance, instead of having a latex document written on a blank page, is it possible for the page to be graph paper instead?
I'm a tikz novice, but I'm proficient enough to do what I need to do, but grids and tikz and enumerated lists, don't play nicely together. If the paper was graph paper to begin with at least one of my problems would be solved.
I've found partial workarounds, although nothing definitive: one that allows me to have graph paper but only on the first page, and it overlays my title anyway - I use maketitle for that.
Any suggestions?

A:

Here is a solution (needs several compilations):
\documentclass[a4paper]{article}

\def\mygraphpaper{%
  \begin{tikzpicture}
    \draw[line width=.4pt,draw=black!30] (0,0) grid[step=1mm] (\paperwidth,\paperheight);
    \draw[line width=.4pt,draw=red!50] (0,0) grid[step=1cm] (\paperwidth,\paperheight);
  \end{tikzpicture}%
}
\usepackage{tikz}
\usepackage{background}
\backgroundsetup{
  angle=0,
  contents=\mygraphpaper,
  color=black,
  scale=1,
}

\usepackage{lipsum}

\begin{document}
\lipsum
\end{document}

