The best lightbox for tracing and drawing

The best lightbox will help you trace and draw everything from photos to drawings and even fabric, illuminating even the finest details.

These clever illuminated panels can be a fantastic addition to your artistic arsenal, but there’s lots to consider; the size, which can range from B4 to A2, and importantly brightness, which can vary from 1100 lux to 6000 lux. It’s worth noting that  often the larger the lightbox, the lower the brightness, and vice versa; we think an A3 lightbox offers a good balance. 

We’ve tested and reviewed the products featured below considering these factors as well as the overall design, performance and value for money to recommend only the best of the best light boxes for drawing and tracing. While you’re on the hunt for the best art gear, make sure to also check out our guide to the best Cricut machines, or for art projects that use the best mechanical pencils.

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Quick list

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Best lightbox for tracing and drawing overall

The Cricut Brightpad Go is designed for crafters but its build quality, 4,200 LED display and portability make it great for anyone looking for the best lightbox for tracing and drawing too.

The screen has a decent-sized 29.2cm x 22.8cm drawing and tracing area, and just as important it has a 6H hardness surface that ensures it's scratch and damage-resistant. The Brightpad Go is primarily designed for crafters using pin-sharp weeding tools so your pen and pencil won't damage this at all.

I particularly like the lightness and mobility of the Brightpad Go, at 676 Grams it's one of the lighter screens on this list. It means you can use this at a table or have it on your lap and sketch, and it can be packed away in a bag so you can take your projects outside – the Brightpad Go's battery lasts for just under two hours and is rechargeable.

If the Brightpad Go is too pricey – it retails for $89.99 / £89.99 then Cricut also has the older, wired Brightpad at $59.99 / £69.99 that is much the same but has only three brightness settings and is, of course, wired and not portable.

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Best thin lightbox for tracing and drawing

We think the Huion A3 LED Light Pad is an excellent all-round lightbox. If you’re familiar with drawing tablets, then Huion is a name you’ll recognise – but you may not have been aware that the firm is also one of the leading names in the world of lightboxes. We’ve plumped for the Huion A3 LED Light Pad as our top pick – with the combination of a generous drawing area, a slim build and an impressive maximum brightness of 4,050 lux, it’s a lightbox that’s going to suit the vast majority of users.

Its LED illumination is cold and even, as well as powerful enough to shine through even the thickest papers. Also, in a nice touch, the Huion A3 LED Light Pad has a smart memory feature, meaning it can remember the last brightness level you used. If you’re returning time and again to a long-form project on the same paper stock, this can be a real time-saver. 

With a working area of 16.9 x 12.2 inches, you’ve got plenty of drawing space. One annoyance we did find is that the AC cable is a little short, at just 44 inches, which may restrict where you can place the lightbox in your home. However, given that Huion rates this lightbox to have a lifespan of 50,000 hours, and it can be used for up to 24 hours continuously without overheating, this is one of the best options for those who plan to get a lot of use out of their lightbox. So maybe you can move your desk around.  

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Best large lightbox for tracing and drawing

The Daylight Company Wafer 3 is the best lightbox for sketching large projects, its A2 size is rare on this list and it doesn't skimp on brightness or features either. As the name suggests, the Daylight Company specialises in lights that offer a 6,000 kelvin temperature, which is a cool white colour but importantly offers true colour matching.

The Wafer 3 differs from other lightboxes by offering a dimmer switch with a memory function, so rather than specific settings you can adjust the brightness to your liking and the project's needs. This means the Wafer 3 is a little more adaptable than some lightboxes if you're doing more than just sketching, and can include embossing and stenciling.

Not only does the Wafer 3 have a large A2 work area, it's also only .31 inches thick, which makes it the same as the Huion A3 LED Light Pad above but at a larger size and a little heavier. I love the size and colour tone of the Wafer 3's LED, but you may find it too large for your uses if you are after the best lightbox for tracing and drawing; but if you are creating large projects, this is a great option.

With this in mind, it's worth noting The Daylight Company makes smaller models: the Wafer 2 (A3) and Wafer 1 (A4), which feature the same 6,000K LED and dimmer control.

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Best budget lightbox for tracing and drawing

We’d recommend the LitEnergy A4 Tracing Light Box for budget-conscious creatives, as it’s a popular choice on Amazon and offers all the features you need from a lightbox.

Even with its slender price tag, the LitEnergy A4 Tracing Light Box packs in impressive specs, with a maximum adjustable brightness of 4,000 lux of LED illumination. There’s also the smart memory feature that can retain your settings, like with Huion’s options, and the lightbox itself is very slim and lightweight, making it easy to transport.

One word of caution – the LitEnergy A4 Tracing Light Box does get hot. It’s powered by a USB cable, and if you leave it running too long you’ll start to notice it heating up. This makes us think it might not last as long as the Huion options (though of course, we haven’t been able to test it for 50,000 hours to check). Overall though, this is a solid budget lightbox that comes well recommended. 

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Best lightbox for sketching

The HSK A2 Artist Tracing Light Box is a good option for artists as it offers a large and bright workspace, in fact this is size accurate so you're guaranteed the workspace is A3 (some lightboxes for drawing claim A2 but take into account the whole product).

The LED is 5500 lux / 1200 Lumens, which is ideal for drawing and features a dimmer switch to raise and lower the light's brightness. What I also like is this has a light lock, so by holding down the dimmer for three seconds the HSK A2 will retain the brightness you use most (it flashes to acknowledge the setting).

This latest version of the popular HSK range is made from a redesigned aluminium frame, which does mean it's a strong build but it also adds to the weight. Personally, I like the heavier frame as it feels more secure (and small pads beneath the HSK prevent it from moving). It does, however, mean this isn't the most portable lightbox.

I've opted for the HSK A2 here as it's a large and handy size to use, but the brand also has the same model in smaller and lighter sizes with brighter LEDs, including the HSK A3 (7000 lux), HSK A2 (7000 lux), and the HSK B4 (6000 lux). 

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Best A4 lightbox for tracing and drawing

The Huion L4S Light Pad is a good choice for anyone who feels like they don’t need or want the bulk of an A3 lightbox – it’s A4 sized, but still comes with loads of useful features, including adjustable brightness and the smart memory feature that can remember your settings. 

This means it’s a good lightbox for taking up less space in your office, studio or bedroom. Also, the fact that the Huion L4S Light Pad weighs just 0.59kg makes it much more travel-friendly than a lot of the bigger lightboxes out there. 

It’s worth being aware that the maximum brightness is much lower than that of the Huion A3 LED Light Pad, hitting 1,100 lux. This is still enough for most purposes, but it’s something to be aware of. In the box you get a bulldog clip for securing your paper, as well as a generously sized 78-inch USB cable for charging purposes.

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Best lightbox for tracing and drawing with a stand

The Dear Carbon A3 Light Board comes with a built-in stand, which makes it ideal for artists and also unique on this list. The stand can be adjusted through six settings meaning you can tailor it to your needs, and also makes it a great lightbox for kids as well as adults.

There's a drawback to the addition of a stand – the Dear Carbon A3 Light Board is a small and compact lightbox and it's limited to 4500 Lux, though that's still good for most art tracing, weeding and design projects. For some, the advantage of having a tilted lightbox could be more comfortable and ease back pain, and it's closer to easel sketching than a standard lightbox.

The same brand has two further models, one an upgraded A3 lightbox with 10 dimmer modes and a larger A2 light board that can be lit to over 6000 Lux. Neither have stands, however.

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Best A2 lightbox for tracing and drawing

The Artograph LightPad 950 LX is a respected brand that makes lightboxes in varying sizes, including standard A3 and A4. But it's the super large 24 x 17 inch (A2) lightbox that grabs our attention. It's hard to find a lightbox this size readily available outside of industry-focused retailers.

The size of the Artograph LightPad 950 LX restricts its mobility and the 4.2lbs makes this one of the heavier lightboxes in my list. But, let's be honest, when you use a lightbox at this size you won't be moving it and the weight ensures a stable platform to place photos, art and lengths of fabric.

This lightbox offers a 'Cool White' 6500K colour temperature that can be adjusted from 1000 lux to an incredibly bright 5000 lux. Artograph brags this LEDs will last 50,000 hours – we've yet to see it through but so far it's remained consistent. The brightness and size ensure this is a great choice for anyone who works with large, thick fabrics, or thick art paper.

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Best B4 lightbox for tracing and drawing

The Gaomon GB4 Size LED Light Box is from the same brand that create budget but good quality pen displays and features some excellent technology and design features. This is well made and has a touch switch for adjusting the brightness levels, so it dims and lightens slowly the longer you hold your finder in place. I find it's in an easy-to-reach place too, and you'll be surprised how many lightboxes for drawing hide these switches away. It also remembers the brightness you last used too, which is handy.

This LED lightbox has a 8000K-10000K colour temperature and a 650 CD/M² brightness rating. The Gaomon GB4 works well on standard paper, and that brightness quality ensures its doesn't stress your eyes as some lightboxes can do but it's also not the brightest on my list. The only downside is, if you use thick paper stock you may struggle with the Gaomon GB4 but for 99% of tasks it works fine.

In the bright side, this is slim and light – thinner than a smartphone – and highly portable. This lightbox comes with its own two meter micro USB charging cable (no adapter, which is the norm these days). There are also no 'edges' too, ensuring you can move your paper around without snagging.

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How to choose the best lightbox

When choosing a lightbox for drawing and tracing you need to consider how you intend to use it and your art setup. For example, think about size and dimensions of the lightbox and how you will use it - at a desk or will you take it on your travels? With this in mind, also consider how it's powered, some on my list for example, like the Cricut Brightpad Go can be charged and used remotely.

Now consider the luminosity of the display itself. The best lightboxes are bright and simple, but some of the good ones on my list also have several brightness features so you can set the lightbox to the conditions you're working in, such as direct or indirect light. Around 1500-3000 Lux is ideal, as the higher brightness will show through two layers of paper or thick paper, and even cloth material.

Color temperature is measured in Kelvins and this details the level of brightness, as mentioned above a lightbox with the option to switch between brightness is handy. One advantage of a lightbox with a 6500k brightness is it can replicate daylight and is good for SAD while an even higher brightness of 9000k can improve concentration.

Finally, consider the quality of the lightbox. There are many generic and mass-produced lightboxes around with cheap components, in my list I've chosen devices from brands I use and know, such as Cricut, Daylight Company, Huion and Artograph that offer well-made lightboxes to last and are safe.

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How we review the best lightboxes

When selecting our lightboxes for tracing and drawing we try and use them where to gauge the quality and use; where we can't directly test a device we refer to our sister tech websites such as TechRadar and T3 for reviews. We also cross reference with blogs and user reviews to ensure everything matches up.

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FAQs

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