What kind of grid paper + sheet paper combo would be suitable for handdrawing ?

[dotheminimum]

Hi there,

I draw maps on (black) grid paper with gel pens such as Pigma Micron Fineliners.

Currently, I scan my maps as text to generate image files. This has the effect of removing grid lines in the scanned document. However, scanning by text doesn't give perfectly accurate results for my kind of map.

Therefore, I would like to draw on white paper and scan as an image. I've seen that other mappers use grid paper below white paper in order to be able to draw using a grid. I've tried this, but it's too hard to see the lines.

What kind of grid paper & white paper should I get in order to be able to draw on white paper - with grid paper underneath - while being able to see the grid paper's underlying grid?

[Falconius]

Try it with an under lit surface. You can buy back lights for this but I'd suggest finding an old flat screen from a computer or tv someone has thrown away and just running a white picture on it (if the surface is too soft just put a piece of plastic over it). Or if you have a piece of glass you can set it up with a couple of blocks and put a light under it. With those methods you can use pretty much whatever papers you like. Alternatively you can use onionskin paper and draw in pencil then line it with ink.

[dotheminimum]

Try it with an under lit surface. You can buy back lights for this but I'd suggest finding an old flat screen from a computer or tv someone has thrown away and just running a white picture on it (if the surface is too soft just put a piece of plastic over it). Or if you have a piece of glass you can set it up with a couple of blocks and put a light under it. With those methods you can use pretty much whatever papers you like. Alternatively you can use onionskin paper and draw in pencil then line it with ink.

Thank you, that's exactly what I needed!

[Eri]

Above comment is pretty much perfect, once you have a light under it it's very easy to see

I might also suggest printing some heavier lined grids - incompetech is a site that lets you put in variables to make your own graph paper. once its sufficiently thick and black and gets much easier to see under the paper, even without a grid

[dotheminimum]

Thank you, I will definitely try that. My current grid paper is blue and quite soft, so that might just do the trick.