Can we talk about light box brightness? (As an engineer, I can get a little techno-nerdy, so be forewarned.
)
My thought is that the brighter the light box, the less often I will have to draw lines by hand. (And apparently they do vary in brightness.) Have any of you done any research (or have any experience) with the relative brightness of light boxes?
I noticed that the
Artograph Light Tracer II has a 15-Watt flourescent lamp, while the standard
Light Tracer only has an 8-Watt lamp. So the Light Tracer II appears to be twice as bright. Has anyone used both of these models and noticed a significant difference in brightness? (I can't find any information about the brightness of LED light pads -- they're measured in lumens, not watts, and nobody's sharing.
)
My second question is, what paper colors and thickness can I expect to see guidelines through?
I can't see guidelines through the
moss green envelopes I just got a Paper Source today. (I'm inserting the guidelines into the envelope.) I'm using a photography light box similar to
this one, but an older model. The new model has 2 13-Watt lamps. I suspect mine is not as bright, but it should be at least as bright as a standard Artograph Light Tracer.
Am I expecting too much? Should I only expect to see guidelines through very light colors? Would it help if I turned off the other lights in the room?