Screen Soft Light / Specimen / WHITE SCREEN FOR TRACING #FFFFFF · RGB 255 · 255 · 255

No. 001 · WHITE SCREEN FOR TRACING

White screen lightbox for tracing and digital drawing prep

  • 01 Paper-through-display lighting
  • 02 Max-brightness white
  • 03 No physical lightbox

Use this free full-screen white light as an instant tracing lightbox. Lay your reference and tracing paper directly on a tablet or laptop display — the bright white surface shines through so you can trace sketches, patterns, calligraphy drafts or tattoo stencils.

Open tracing screen
Press F to go fullscreen · Press Esc to exit
Enter HEX #FFFFFF 210 × 297 mm
§ 01

White screen vs. physical lightbox

A physical A4 lightbox costs $30-50 and only produces one fixed brightness. Your tablet or laptop already has a high-brightness display with variable output — using it as a lightbox saves money and gives you adjustable illumination for different paper weights. The only tradeoff is you can't press hard on the screen, so use a light touch.

§ 02

For standard copy paper (80gsm) set brightness to 100%.

Paper thickness and brightness settings

For standard copy paper (80gsm) set brightness to 100%. For tracing paper under 50gsm, 70-80% brightness is plenty. For heavier illustration paper (120gsm+), maximum brightness may still be marginal — thin the source image by increasing contrast before printing, or switch to a physical lightbox for consistently dense output. iPads and high-end laptops generally have brighter displays than budget tablets.

§ 03

Tracing applications on a screen lightbox

Calligraphers use screen lightboxes to trace practice sheets, embroidery designers to transfer pattern outlines, tattoo artists to draft stencil flash, and digital illustrators to convert hand sketches into vector work by tracing scans. The flat glass surface also makes it easier to slide paper around than a bulky physical lightbox, which helps for long-form projects.

Procedure

Three moves to peak output

  1. 01

    Open the white tracing screen

    Launch the pure white screen at maximum brightness configured for paper illumination.

  2. 02

    Go fullscreen

    Fullscreen mode removes browser chrome so the entire display lights your tracing area.

  3. 03

    Layer and trace

    Place reference underneath, tracing paper on top, then trace the lines showing through.

Inquiries

Questions worth asking

Q.01 What brightness should I use for tracing?
100% for standard printer paper, 70-80% for thin tracing paper. The goal is enough light to see the reference underneath without straining your eyes during long sessions.
Q.02 Will tracing on my screen damage it?
Soft-pencil tracing at light pressure is generally safe on tempered glass displays, but a clear plastic sheet or screen protector between paper and glass adds a safety margin. Never use ballpoint pens or hard-tip pens directly on the screen.
Q.03 Which screen works best as a tracing lightbox?
iPads, Surface tablets and high-end laptops with peak brightness above 400 nits work best. A typical phone is too small for most tracing tasks. An external monitor can also work if you lay it flat — some USB-C portable monitors are specifically sized for this.
Cross-reference

Try adjacent plates

Enough specimen notes.

Go make the screen behave.

Open tracing screen