Huion A3 Led Light Pad

Choosing the Best Light Box for Tracing or Drawing

Drawing and tracing without using a light box is a bit like trying to paint on a canvas, without using an easel: you can do it, but it's unpractical. Sure, all you need to draw is your pencil and a sheet of paper, but the subtle nuances of your artistry might get lost without proper daylight illumination.

Not to be confused with a light table , a drawing light box provides a surface that is evenly backlit by LEDs. It enables artists to draw with enhanced accuracy, regardless of their environment. Whether you are in a design studio, in a coffee shop, on a train, or at school, you can use this tool to get the right brightness for your material.

You can also use a light box to trace a picture onto a non-transparent (still translucent) piece of paper such as drawing paper, sketch paper, watercolor paper, Canson paper, or stained glass paper. This is great news for people such as illustrators, who can use tracing light boxes to ink a comic strip directly from the pencil sketch, without the need for tracing paper or carbon paper.

In addition to being great for drawing and tracing, light boxes – often referred to as light pads or light boards – can be used by photographers to view slides or negatives. They can be quite useful for other purposes, such as scrapbooking and other creative activities, much like calligraphy, serigraphy, embroidery, quilting, and more – the possibilities are truly endless!

In short, drawing light boxes are a true game-changer for artists and designer, but how do you know which one's right for you?

Things to Keep in Mind When Selecting Your Drawing Light Box

With so many different models on the market, choosing a drawing light box can be a real headache. It's important to consider your specific needs and make sure that the light pad you end up picking will match your expectation. Keep reading to learn more.

Dimensions

Do you need to take your drawing light box around a lot? If so, you should consider the possibility of picking a model that comes in A4 size. This is a great option for a relatively lightweight, portable item that will seamlessly fit in your backpack. If you prefer to use A3 or A2 paper sheets, you'll find a larger device preferable instead. A3 is a fairly common size for most applications, while A2 is great for larger portraits such as full-bodied drawings.

Luminosity

As the name itself might imply, a great drawing light box should have good illumination. If you need one for tracing, make sure that it can shine through 2 sheets of thick paper. If you want to get technical, aim for a device that can produce at least 3000 lux. If you only aim to draw or work on other artist projects such as quilting or photography, 1500-3000 lux will suit your needs perfectly well. The vast majority of devices out there feature adjustable brightness, so you can dim or brighten the light to the level that suits your project. Generally, they offer 3-5 levels of brightness, but top-of-the-line products allow you to adjust the brightness continuously.

Color Temperature

Color Temperature indicates the hue (color) of a light source. It is expressed in degrees Kelvin (K) and ranges from 1000 K to 10000 K. Color temperatures under 3000 K are called "warm colors" (yellowish), while higher color temperatures (9000–10000 K) are called "cool colors" (bluish). The color temperature of daylight is about 6500 K. It is used to promote relaxation and true color rendering, while a blue skylight (>9000 k) is used to enhance concentration.

Power Supply

In most cases, powered light boxes with their own power supply are actually brighter than their USB-powered counterparts. The latter must be connected to a computer to operate, although USB chargers are often available as well. On the other hand, with a USB-powered device, you can get a car charger or an external battery and thus have a completely portable light table that you can use everywhere.

Overall Quality

You should know that general stores sell a large number of Chinese generic producs. Bad quality LED technology, fragile and faulty cables, no after-sale service, etc. are some examples of common problems with poorly made Chinese devices. Of course, we should not generalize as some Chinese manufacturers produce good quality products. So, be sure to read customer reviews before choosing a LED light box from an unknown brand. However, to avoid disappointment, you are better off with a product from a reputable brand.

We reviewed the best drawing/tracing light boxes for artists and created 2 comparison tables to help you pick the one that meets your needs. The first table is dedicated to A4 light boxes, and the second to A3- and A2-sized models (click here to directly see the second table).

2021's Top 7 Light Boxes in A4 Size

	Artograph LightTracer	Daylight Wafer 1	LitEnergy A4	Huion A4	Huion L4S	Huion LB4	Artograph Lightpad 930 LX
Picture
Dimensions	12" x 12.25" x 2.5" 305 x 311 x 6.3 mm	10.6" x 14.0" x 0.3" 270 x 360 x 8 mm	10.6" x 14.2" x 0.2" 270 x 360 x 5 mm	10.6" x 14.2" x 0.3" 270 x 360 x 8 mm	10.6" x 14.2" x 0.3" 270 x 360 x 8 mm	10.6"x 15.7" x 0.3" 270 x 400 x 8 mm	11.4" x 14.4" x 0.47" 289 x 365 x12 mm
Lit Area	10" x 12" 254 x 305 mm	9.0" x 12.5" 230 x 320 mm	9" x 12" 230 x 305 mm	8.7" x 12.6" 220 x 320 mm	8.2" x 12.2" 210 x 310 mm	9.0" x 12.5" 230 x 320 mm	9" x 12" 230 x 305 mm
Color Temperature	6500 K	6000 K	9000 K	9000 K	9000 K	9000 K	6500 K
Max Brightness	14000 lux	3200 lux	4000 lux	4480 lux	1500 lux	1500 lux	5000 lux
Dimmable?
Power Supply	Power Adapter	Power Adapter	USB	Power Adapter	USB	Lithium Battery	Power Adapter
Rating
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Artograph LightTracer: The Brightest Tracing Light Box

The Artograph LightTracer is a great choice for an affordable device to do all your drawing, quilting and calligraphy needs. It's particularly well suited for tracing, thanks to its very bright surface (14000 lux).

The LightTracer series is proudly made in the USA. It's made from durable ABS plastic and weights under 3 lb (1.5 kg). It features a convenient design with a comfortable slanted lighted surface, making it it a whole lot easier to work on sketches and drawings. The Artograph LightTracer also has an integrated tool tray, which is a handy place to keep pencils, eraser, rulers and other drawing tools at your fingertips.

With its super-bright surface, the Artograph LightTracer is without a doubt one of the best light box for tracing.

Daylight Wafer 1: an Extra Thin Drawing Light Board

Established in London in 1987, the Daylight Company is one of the leading innovators in quality lighting in the art sector. Like everything that this brand manufactures, the Wafer 1 offers daylight light source, providing true color matching. In addition to creating a vibrant working environment, a color balanced lighting is very helpful when sewing or viewing negatives.

In addition, the illumination is flicker-free and even across the entire surface. By holding the on-off button, you can adjust the tablet lighting according to ambient lighting and paper thickness/weight. Max brightness is lower than that of Artograph LightTracer, but it is plenty enough for most uses.

Last but not least, this light board is made of solid plexiglass, making it very lightweight and durable. It also features a handy printed ruler guide.

LitEnergy: Great Value for Money

This is a USB-powered light board for drawing that is good value for the money. Flicker-free LEDs provide even illumination across the entire lit area, and stepless brightness control (from 0 to 100%) allows you to adjust illumination freely to your needs. The brightest setting (4000 lux) is plenty enough to trace using 2 sheets of 140 lb watercolor paper.

Moreover, the LitEnergy portable light table is ultra thin (0.2 inches / 5 mm), very lightweight and it can easily fit into a document-case, along with your sketchbook, your drawings and/or your illustration portfolio.

With its great features, this device is one of the best entry-level light boards around.

Huion L4S, LB4 & A4 Light boxes

Huion is a Chinese company that manufactures all kinds of devices for artists and designers: graphic tablets, stylus pens, pen tablet monitors, drawing light pads… Huion A4, L4S & LB4 models are great LED light pads: they are ultra-slim, light, and beautifully made. Illumination is uniform, and the brightness is dimmable from 0% to 100% (the power button acts like a dimmer switch: you just have to press and hold it to change the brightness).

With 4800 lux, the Huion A4 is one of the most luminous devices on the market, while the Huion LB4 is the first drawing light box ever with a rechargeable Lithium battery. Huion LB4 has an autonomy of 5 hours, during which it can be used completely wirelessly. It's the perfect portable drawing board! However, it is worth noting that the L4S and LB4 have a much lower brightness (1500 lux) than the Huion A4. Therefore, we wouldn't recommend these models for tracing.

With their affordable cost, Huion light boxes are a great choice for children who want to practice and learn how to draw.

Artograph 930 LX: the American-Made A4 Light Pad

The most renowned tracing light boxes are made in the USA by Artograph (based in Delano, Minnesota). The LightPad® LX series offers superior quality products, with an elegant design and an exemplary finish. Moreover, these items are extremely resistant (see for yourself here and there ) thanks to their aluminium frames and reinforced chrome-steel corners.

High quality LED lights provides a perfectly even illuminated surface with a color temperature of 6500K (daylight). The lifetime of the lamps is 50 000 hours, which corresponds to 17 years if the device is operated for 8 hours a day. The Artograph LightPad 930 LX has adjustable brightness (from 500 to 5000 lux) so you can brighten or dim the light to suit your tracing needs. Its super brightness (Artograph makes the brightest light tracing tablets), reliability and comfort of use make it a great choice for everyone from draftsmen to scrapbookers and photographers. It's probably the best tracing light box on the market.

Our Choices for the Best A2 & A3 Light Boxes for artists

	Daylight Wafer 2	Huion A3	Huion LB3	Artograph Lightpad 940 LX	Huion A2	Artograph Lightpad 950 LX
Picture
Format	A3	A3	A3	A3	A2	A2
Dimensions	14" x 19" x 0.3" 360 x 480 x 8 mm	14.2" x 18.8" x 0.3" 360 x 479 x 8 mm	13.8" x 19.7" x 0.3" 350 x 500 x 8 mm	14.25" x 19.25" x 0.5" 362 x 489 x 12 mm	14.7" x 22.4" x 0.3" 373 x 570 x 8 mm	19.25" x 26.5" x 0.5" 489 x 673 x 12 mm
Work Surface	11" x 17" 320 x 440 mm	12.2" x 16.9" 310 x 430 mm	11.8" x 16.5" 300 x 420 mm	12" x 17" 305 x 432 mm	12.6" x 20.5" 320 x 520 mm	17" x 24" 432 x 610 mm
Color Temperature	6000 K	10000 K	9000 K	6500 K	10000 K	6500 K
Max Brightness	2300 lux	4050 lux	1500 lux	5000 lux	2000 lux	5000 lux
Continuous Dimming Control?
Power Supply	Wall Adapter	Wall Adapter	Lithium Battery	Wall Adapter	Wall Adapter	Wall Adapter
Rating
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Wafer 2: A3 Light Box for Drawing With Daylight Illumination

The Daylight Wafer 2 uses state-of-the-art technology with low heat emission LEDs and natural daylight illumination, providing perfect color matching qualities. The illumination is perfectly even and dimmable down to 10% brightness. The brightest setting (2300 lux) is bright enough to allow you to trace from light sketch paper onto watercolor or bristol paper.

The device is slim and surprisingly lightweight for its size: 3.6 lb (1.6 kg), making it easily portable. Moreover, there are rulers (with graduation in both inches and centimeters) on the top and left edges of the plexiglass surface, which can be useful for drawing architectural plans.

All in all, this drawing light box is an excellent value for money product.

Huion Lightboxes in A3 and A2 Size

Huion A2, LB3, and LA3 lightboxes will surprise you with their affordability and overall value. They are compact, evenly lit, and feature continuous dimming control.

The maximum brightness of the Huion LA3 is very high (4500 lux), while that of the Huion A2 and Huion LB3 is much lower (⩽ 2000 lux). This light intensity of 2000 lux is high enough to make a drawing on white paper, but if you plan to use colored Canson sheets, you will need to choose a model that offers more intense lighting.

Also of note, the LB3 is battery-powered, which makes it very mobile: you can trace or just draw absolutely anywhere you want.

However, be careful before choosing the A2 model, because the dimensions of its lit surface are smaller than those of an A2 page (12.6 x 20.5 inches / 320 x 520 mm instead of 16,54 x 23,39 inches 420 x 594 mm). So make sure that it is the right size for the sheets you usually use.

Artograph 940 & 950 LX: The Best A3 & A2 Light Pads

The 940 LX and 950 LX by Artograph feature the same lightweight yet robust aluminum design as the 930 LX, but with a larger lit area. The robustness of Artograph products is particularly reassuring when it comes to large format LED tracing pads.

As usual with Artograph, high-intensity LEDs provide a perfect, evenly lit surface, and the brightness is continuously adjustable, from 500 to 5000 lux. An intensity of 5000 lux allows you to trace with ease through thick paper.

With all these high-end features comes inevitably a high price tag. These A3 and A2 light pads are therefore premium products that are intended for artists or architects who will frequently use their light box for drawing or tracing and won't compromise on quality.

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