Buying guide for best tracing paper
From drawing and painting to overlaying and sewing, there are a variety of instances where a transparent piece of paper comes in handy. Tracing paper lends a helping hand in many creative endeavors and is necessary for a surprising number of projects.
Who uses tracing paper? Students, teachers, architects, and artists, to name a few. It is often an important tool in the creative process — an incredibly affordable artistic staple, in fact.
As you prepare to buy tracing paper, there are several important factors to consider, such as tracing paper types and pricing. It also helps to understand the various uses for tracing paper.
Considerations when shopping for tracing paper
What is tracing paper?
Tracing paper is a thin, semi-transparent paper that is designed for many uses. It has a low opacity, meaning it allows light to pass through, which makes it easy to see objects underneath.
Tracing paper is made from wood pulp or cotton rag that is treated to reduce the fibers. This results in its lower opacity, light weight, and thinness. The translucence lends itself to tracing projects (hence the name). The paper is placed on top of a drawing, graphic, or image, and the artist replicates the design with a writing tool.
Why do I need tracing paper?
Tracing paper is frequently used for creative purposes in offices, classrooms, art studios, and at home. A multitude of projects require tracing paper, and they usually involve drawing in one form or another.
Tracing paper serves as a helpful step for users from the first draft of a project to the last. It can be used for replication, transferring, and protection, and it can even serve as a stencil or template. Tracing paper is a versatile and simple artistic tool that all types of artists find helpful when working on projects.
Sizing
Tracing paper is available in sheet rolls and pads. A tracing paper roll consists of a long, continuous sheet that you can cut as needed to fit your project. The length and width of tracing paper sheet rolls vary, but anywhere between 12 and 18 inches in width is common. The length of the roll may be anywhere from 20 to 200 feet.
Tracing paper pads are a stacked collection of pre-sized individual sheets to be torn out and used as needed. Most tracing paper pads are 9 x 12 inches or 11 x 17 inches. The number of sheets in a pad ranges from 40 or 50 to as many as 150 or 175.
Vellum and bond paper
Vellum paper and bond paper are similar to tracing paper due to their comparable construction, and they’re often confused with tracing paper although they’re not specifically designed for the same purpose. Vellum paper is made from cellulose or plant fibers like cotton. It resembles tracing paper, except it is lighter and more transparent.
Bond paper, like vellum, is made from cotton rag fibers. However, it is usually white as opposed to transparent, and it’s not as thin as tracing paper or vellum. Bond paper is mostly used for receipts, printing paper, and official documents. While bond paper can be used for tracing, it isn’t as effective, nor is it designed specifically for that purpose.
If your design or drawing is symmetrical, you don’t need to worry about reversing it before tracing. A symmetrical image, when transferred, looks the same on the new page.
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Common uses for tracing paper
Image transfers
One of the most common uses for tracing paper is the duplication and transfer of an image, drawing, or design from one medium to another. You can trace prints, paintings, drawings, sketches, or photographs. You can transfer a tracing onto paper, canvas, fabric, or another surface that is absorbent of graphite.
In one method of image transfer, the artist reverses the image digitally by flipping it via editing software or utilizing a “flip image” function during the printing process. After printing, the artist traces the graphic with a sheet of tracing paper and a graphite pencil. By placing the tracing face down on its new desired surface, the artist then traces the image again, and the design is transferred by graphite.
For thorough and effective tracing, it’s best to illuminate the picture or drawing you plan to trace with a backlight. Many artists and architects utilize light box tracers, which are desks specifically designed to provide a backlit writing surface.
Templates and patterns
Tracing paper serves as an ideal material to use as a guiding template. Your pattern is drawn onto the sheet and then placed on top of a fabric or drawing surface to serve as guidance for your outline. This blueprint method is especially effective for sewing and quilting.
Choosing colors
Tracing paper can be used to test various color choices on top of a drawing or graphic. Users color the tracing paper in the shape of the item and then layer the sheet on top of their design to see how the color looks. They then repeat this process using different color schemes.
Protective layering
While painting, drawing, or sketching, tracing paper can serve as a helpful method for protecting the work you’ve already finished. Simply place the tracing paper over the portion of your design you want to protect. This will shield it from smudges and marks while still allowing you to see it as you work.
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You can use baking parchment paper as tracing paper. It’s similar in weight and transparency and works well as an alternative if you don’t have any tracing paper available.
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What to use with tracing paper
Graphite pencils
The ideal writing utensils to use with tracing paper are standard wood or mechanical pencils. The graphite is necessary for effective design transfers and is erasable in case you make mistakes while tracing.
Erasers
To correct any errors or make adjustments to your tracing, you need a reliable eraser. Everyone has different preferences for erasers, whether it’s the standard eraser on a pencil tip or a grip retractable eraser. Some of the best erasers for use on tracing paper are kneaded erasers, which are specifically designed for artistic projects.
Masking tape
When using tracing paper, it’s helpful to secure the sheet with tape along the perimeter. This keeps your tracing paper in place and ensures that your tracing remains consistent. Masking tape is a common choice because it’s strong enough to hold papers in place but pulls off smoothly without damaging it.
Tracing paper prices
The cost of tracing paper varies depending on the number of sheets per pad or the length and width of the sheet roll.
Inexpensive
The most affordable tracing paper products cost roughly $5 to $12. These are tracing paper pads with 40 or 50 sheets or sheet rolls up to 60 feet long.
Mid-range
Mid-range tracing paper costs $14 to $22. These tracing paper pads are equipped with 60 to 100 sheets. You can also find sheet rolls in this price range at lengths of 100 to 150 feet.
Expensive
The most expensive tracing paper costs $25 to $38. In this price range, you can buy tracing paper pads with up to 200 sheets or tracing paper rolls as long as 200 feet.
If you’re tracing a smaller design or drawing, cut your tracing paper down to match the size. This reduces both paper and tape waste.
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Tips
- When tracing your design or drawing, don’t press too firmly on your tracing paper. Pushing your pencil too aggressively into the paper creates indentations which make it more difficult to transfer your drawing. Firm yet gentle pressure is more than enough to effectively trace a design.
- Avoid using Scotch tape to secure the edges of your tracing paper. Scotch tape is transparent and thin, and it doesn’t have the strongest adhesive. Masking tape is the better choice because it’s solid in color and peels off easily, without causing damage.
- Try to use an eraser that doesn’t require direct contact with your hands. Erasers can absorb oil from your fingers and then smudge or mark your tracing paper when used to erase. You can avoid this by using an eraser you don’t have to touch — for example, the eraser on your pencil, or a retractable eraser in a plastic casing.
FAQ
Q. Can I use pens or colored pencils with tracing paper?
A. If your intention is to use tracing paper to transfer images, it’s best to avoid using pens, markers, and colored pencils. The ink from these tools can bleed or soak through the paper, and they won’t transfer your image to the new surface. It’s important to use a graphite pencil to help your design transfer easily.
If you are using your tracing paper for another purpose, a pen or colored pencil is fine. Try to use ink that isn’t too watery and doesn’t bleed.
Q. Can you use a normal sheet of paper to trace?
A. Depending on what you’re tracing, you can sometimes use a standard piece of white copy paper. If your image is dark enough, you should be able to see it well enough to trace it. It helps to illuminate the image from behind so it is more visible through the copy paper. Tracing paper is still your best bet, however, as its translucence is specifically for tracing.
Q. Is tracing paper the same as tissue paper?
A. While they might look and feel similar, tracing paper and tissue paper are different. Tracing paper is designed specifically for tracing, whereas tissue paper is used for gift wrapping and decoration. Tissue paper is thinner and lighter than tracing paper, and it tears more easily.
