If you are here you’re probably searching for a digital art projector.
Art projectors offer artists to draw, trace, large & enlarge as they wish on a much larger projection area.
Now the question arises, What is Best Art Projector for Artists?
A digital projector is the best art projector for drawing while opaque projectors are ideal for tracing images.
Hence we have put forth a guide on the Best Projector for Artists.
A word of caution though!
Projection in general should be centered, the axis tilted towards the screen & image projection dead straight.
So without further ado, let’s get straight into the reviews of best digital projectors for artists.
List of the 5 Best Art Projectors in [2020]
Here’s the list of the best digital & opaque art projectors for murals, drawing & tracing.
1 – ViewSonic PA503S – Best Digital Projector for Artist
2 – VANKYO LEISURE 3 – Ideal Mini Projector for Drawing
3 – AutoGraph Trace – Best Projector for Tracing Images
4 – Apollo APO16000 – Perfect Overhead Opaque Projector for Artists
5 – Artograph 225 – Best Art Projector for Murals
6 – YABER Y30 – Best Small Art Projector
7 – BoMaker – Budget Digital Image Projector
7 Best Projector for Artists
1 – ViewSonic PA503S – Best Digital Projector for Artist
The ViewSonic PA503S is great value for money. It has the powers to impress you with its projection quality, amazing color contrast and focus.
It has a feature called screen mirroring via wireless connectivity.
This feature enables you to mirror your smartphone screen without having to transfer documents from your phone to the projector using a USB or a cable.
However unlike the Vankyo V600 the Epson 2150 requires a dark room to perform well.
Even though it works fine in a room where the light is controlled but it may not be bright and of HD quality with 2500 lumens of lamp brightness.
- Wireless Connectivity – Screen Mirroring Feature
- Resolution: 1080P
- Ideal Projection: 132 inches
- Lamp Brightness: 2500 lumens
- Sturdy built
- Sharp & Vivid colors without rainbow effect
All in all, it is a good projector that will last you a long time so that roughly 700$ bill is an investment into your profession.
2 – VANKYO LEISURE 3 – Ideal Mini Projector for Drawing
Unlike other budget projectors, the Vankyo Leisure 3 doesn’t compromise on quality and features. It has been noticed in other budget projectors that their projector lamps are weak and have low lights that make it difficult to project without the room being pitch dark.
However, the Vankyo V600 has a 5000 Lux projector lamp which can be comfortably used in a lit room. Vankyo wins points as an indoor projector.
With its 1080P resolution your display isn’t pixelated, your color and picture sharpness is perfect. The Native Full HD emits sharp images.
Another plus point is that this projector comes with a carrying case saving you the hassle of portability. Other positive features are as follows:
- Lamp Life: 50000 hours
- Lamp Brightness: 5000 Lux
- Ideal projection: 120 inches
- Maximum Projection: 300 inches
- Resolution: 1080P
- Ports: HDMI, USB, SD Card Support
3 – AutoGraph Trace – Best Projector for Tracing Images
For hobbyists or new artists, this is an ideal purchase. It doesn’t put a dent in your pocket and it’s very easy to use.
All you have to do is place the projector over the image and it is projected on a screen. The maximum size of the image you can use is a 4X4 inches image.
Artograph EZ Tracer is a small, lightweight projector which is extremely easy to use. It works best in a dark room and the color contrast and images are very sharp.
The good features are as follows:
- Lamp: 23-Watt fluorescent lamp
- Maximum Copy Size: 4X4 inches
- Maximum Enlargement: 10 times
- Lens: 163mm optical lens
4 – Apollo APO 16000 – Perfect Overhead Opaque Projector for Artists
Apollo APO 16000 brings your murals to life with this 4K projector.
It’s well worth its pricey price tag. For artist precision and accuracy is extremely important. With pixelated display it gets difficult to see smaller details.
To resolve this issue you will have to physically readjust the lens of the projector yet it can still result in blurred images.
The Apollo will be your savior. With its 3840 X 2160 pixel it ensures that the pixels are nowhere near visible on the canvas and all your fine details can be met.
The connectivity options on this projector are endless. From the latest laptops to old computers all can be hooked up to this beauty.
This projector works well in a small art studio because of its short throw lens. In totality, the well balanced color and contrast, fine tuning the small nooks and cranny of your mural and multiple connectivity options make it a worth it purchase.
Its defining features are as follows:
- Lamp Brightness: 2000 ANSI Lumens
- Resolution: 4K (UHD) 3840 X 2160
- Lens: 10 element lens for perfect focus
- Throw: Short Throw Projector
5 – Artograph 225 – Best Art Projector for Murals
If you found the EZ tracer by the Artograph a joke and it’s not what you need to perform your professional tasks then let’s take a look at Artograph’s Prism.
You can up your copy size from 4X4 to 7X7 and the enlargement projected is 20 times its size so all those tiny details you need to work on your designs and sketches can be easily done.
Just like the EZ tracer this is also an Opaque projector which uses light on the image to be projected.
You can get a bigger image on the wall by increasing the distance between the projector and the wall (screen).
For the perfect enlargement without disrupting the quality of your projection you need to place the projector 16.5 feet away from the screen.
This will provide you the maximum magnification of 20X.
There is a overhead stand include with this projector that will help give a firm support to your projector.
Also, unlike any other projector discussed here it can project 3D objects as well.
All you need to do is place the object on the printed paper and cover it with a black box.
This black box avoids light from leaking and helps project the 3D image on the screen.
Its main features are:
- Dimension: 17.5 X 17.2 X 10.2 inch
- Max Copy Size: 7 X 7 inches
- Lens: 200mm optical lens
With this the discussion on our best six projectors ends. From budget to high end, digital to opaque we covered it all.
6 – YABER Y30 – Best Small Art Projector
Usually projectors are bulky and not very feasible to carry to different locations.
However this super small YABER Y30 will come in handy if you run from place to place giving presentations or travel to meet your clients. It barely takes up any space in your backpack and a built-in battery of 2.5 hours makes it further compact.
An additional benefit to its built-in battery is that it can also be used as to charge your smartphone if need be.
Its compactness is ideal, but then you have to compromise on some features here and there.
This projector has a resolution of 854 X 480p meaning that it is not of HD quality and on a larger canvas the projection will get distorted.
Some of its highlighting features are:
- Resolution: 854 X 480
- Lamp Brightness: 50~100 lumens
- Ideal Projection: 30 to 100 inches
- Size: 3.86 X 3.86 X 0.85 inches
- Power: 3400mAh Battery
Once again we are here to provide the best projectors giving everyone’s preference.
7 – BoMaker – Budget Digital Image Projector
Last on our list is the budget option for entry level artists.
The BOMAKER is perfect for digital image drawing.
However with 70-80 inches of projection the picture quality will appear to be decent.
Another lag is of its brightness. For drawing purpose you will have to operate in a fully dark room for a well-lit projection.
If you use it in a bright room the projection tends to get dim. If you are comfortable working in the dark then these negatives should be of no concern to you.
Digital vs Opaque Projectors : A Brief Discourse
To begin with there are two kinds of Projectors; Digital Projector and Opaque Projector.
What is a Digital Art Projector?
A digital projector is like any other projector but it has the capability to be connected to any smart phone, tab, computer to project the content displayed.
Some powerful projectors are the ones that are also used as rear screen projector that project images from the back of a canvas.
Digital projectors have a better color accuracy and work better in fairly bright environments.
[/su_note]There are two types of Artograph Projectors:
- Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) digital projectors
- Digital Light Processing (DLP) digital projectors
For a crisp projection, LCD digital projectors are well known.
It makes use of light and hence is lighter and easy to carry which is why it is used for overhead art projection.
On the other hand, the DLP projectors provide a premium quality projection using a set of tiny mirrors that processes digital light one for each pixel of the image.
These are the projectors that are mostly used in theaters to produce high quality images.
With DLP the brightness and contrast of the images is adjustable and helps in creating detailed images.
Buying Guide on Essential Art Projectors
What is an Opaque Projector?
These are known as the traditional style are projectors. It works by reflecting a bright light on a print or a photograph. It makes use of different types of lenses to produce a sharp and clear image.
Compared to the digital projectors, the images projected with opaque projectors are quite average. The colors in this kind of projector are not very accurate, which makes it inexpensive and the ideal for amateur users.
Factors to consider when purchasing an art projector:
Digital or Opaque
As mentioned earlier there is a choice between Digital and Opaque projectors depending on your usage.
Projection
You can have as big an image as you like. The rule is the farther the projector is placed away from the screen the bigger the image it will produce. However, depending on each device’s capability the brightness of the projection displayed goes down with increase in size.
Ideal Resolution for Art Projector
It depends on the purpose of you getting a projector. If it is to draw and trace than at least a 1080P projector should be bought. If the diagonal size of your required projection is more than 150-200 inches than the ideal projector is 4K projector. Especially since for tracing you need a clearer image and the better the resolution the higher the pixels per unit resulting in sharp images.
Brightness
The unit of measurement of lamp brightness is Lux or Lumens in projectors. Lumens measures total light emitted and lux is the total light projected on the surface area. The ideal working condition given a good brightness is that you are able to work in a fairly lit room. If you are okay with working in the dark then brightness shouldn’t be a deciding factor in your purchase but if your studio is well lit and you cannot draw in the dark then brightness is an essential factor in deciding.
Connectivity : Wired or Wireless
The projectors can be connected via a USB, HDMI or display ports. Majority of projectors have USB ports so you can transfer images from your devices to your projector to be displayed. The latest technology like the Espon 2150 has wireless connectivity which can easily connect to your smartphones without a USB or a cable and project your files.
Art Projector for Compact Spaces
It very much depends on the size of your studio or where you want to use the projector. In long throw projectors the projector can be placed around 10 to 12 feet away to get a 100 inch projection. If you have a small studio, the short throw projector with 7-8 feet of placement can work to give a 100 inch image. The best of all is the Ultra Short throw projector which can give a 100 inch image from a short distance of 1 to 2 feet away.
Budget
Price is an essential that helps in deciding what projector to buy. Most cheap projectors lag quality and their projected images are not clear and bright. But here we will tell you both budget and high end projectors that will give you the best in all and worth the money you spend.
Portability
Depends if you work solely in your studio or someone who travels a lot and works from various locations there is a projector for both type of users. If you travel frequently then you can choose the Apeman mini that is as small as the size of your pocket.