Tracing paper
Tracing Paper: read the 40 to 115 gsm examples and handling notes. Folding, cutting and glue tips. Find craft uses, sheet sizes and weight equivalents.
Tracing paper is translucent cellulose paper. One manufacturing method refines the fibres finely enough to reduce the air spaces that normally scatter light in a sheet.
- Typical weight
- 40–115 gsm
- US lb · calculated at the named basis
- 24.6–70.7 lb tag equivalent (24 × 36 in, 500 sheets)
Weights to look for
Canson lists light 40 gsm tracing paper and satin grades from 50/55 to 110/115 gsm. Its 25 lb / 40 gsm drawing-paper label is a different basis from bond.
Folding, creasing, cutting and gluing
- Fold
- It bends and folds, but is better used as a pattern carrier than for repeated origami folds.
- Crease
- A sharp crease may become a visible white line. Use light pressure and avoid repeated fold reversals.
- Cut
- Cut the traced outline while the sheet lies flat; hold it securely so the translucent sheet does not slide.
- Glue
- Tape down a tracing temporarily. For a permanent overlay, place small adhesive patches beneath an opaque border because the glue may show.
What to make
Trace the box net onto a separate sheet before transferring it to card. For a cutting pattern, keep registration marks outside the final outline.
Common sheet and pack sizes
Sold in drawing pads, loose sheets and rolls. For example, Faber-Castell offers a 9 × 12 inch pad. Match the usable sheet to the template before tracing.