tracing paper

A roll of yellow tracing paper. Simulation of tracing paper transformation levels Samples of tracing paper Tracing paper roll

Tracing paper is paper made to have low opacity, allowing light to pass through. Its origins date back to at least the 1300s, when it was used by artists of the Italian Renaissance. In the 1880s, tracing paper was produced en masse, used by architects, design engineers, and artists. Tracing paper was key in creating drawings that could be copied precisely using the diazo copy process. It then found many other uses. The original use for drawing and tracing was largely superseded by technologies that do not require diazo copying or manual copying (by tracing) of drawings.