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Any artist or photographer knows (or should know) the benefits of a light box. For those of us who cannot afford or scratch-build one of the bulky tools, we resort to taping our materials to a large sunny window or sliding glass door. The solution works in a pinch, but only while the sun is up. Slim LED light box to the rescue!

I discovered the ME456 light box a few weeks ago purely by accident while shopping online. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that there was a super slim, portable, and surprising affordable light box on the market! I would have bought it then and there (I was SO tempted), but I decided to hold off. As luck would have it, I recently started a project that would benefit from the light box, justifying the purchase of one.

The ME456 light box is only 5mm thin, not counting the four foot pads on the underside. The light pad (can it really be called “box” at this point?) is 11.75in x 15in with an illuminated work area of 9in x 12in, which is perfect for an A4 sheet of paper. There are larger sizes, but A4 seems to be the more preferred size.

The power and dimmable lighting are controlled by a single button. Power is required (a USB cord is included) for use, but if you use it in conjunction with a power bank, you don’t feel tethered to a wall outlet.

The lighting is impressive. It’s very consistent across the board, and the highest setting can easily push through a sheet of card stock—maybe two or three sheets. The light is dimmable via long presses on the power button. Some light pads only have 3 brightness options, so being able to have more control over the lighting is a plus. Other light pads also have a perforated mesh between the LEDs and the surface for some weird reason. Although it has been reported that the meshes do not interfere with the functionality of the pads, I opted for one that did not have a mesh.

Overall, I am very happy with my ME456 light box/pad/tracer (everyone calls it something different). I rarely need anything bigger than an A4 sheet of paper, so the size of the light pad is perfect for my needs. Anything bigger would be less portable.

Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links—as an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying products.