What Artograph does

Artograph is a 78-year-old American brand specializing in LED-based art projection and tracing hardware. Founded in 1947 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by Ed Hirschoff, John Engel, and Les Kouba, the company originally built projectors from auto parts and garage door tracks to help artists scale photographs onto canvas. The brand is now headquartered in Commerce, California, and has been operated as a sub-brand of privately-held Studio Designs, Inc. since a 2019 acquisition. Studio Designs also operates the Studio Designs Home, Sew Ready, and Paws & Purrs sub-brands.

The product portfolio centers on three hardware categories: digital projectors (the Inspire 2000/1500 series), opaque projectors (EZ Tracer, LED Tracer), and LightPads and light boxes (LightPad 920/930/940/950 LX series, LightTracer, LightTracer 2, Featherweight LightPads). These are complemented by accessories (ring lights, tripods, replacement bulbs, lenses, storage bags), drafting and sewing tables with integrated Artograph LED lightpads, and organizers. The underlying technology is optical-LED based, providing consistent illumination for tracing, layering, and image-scaling workflows used by professional artists, tattoo artists, animators, illustrators, sewing and craft enthusiasts, and art students.

Artograph generates revenue exclusively through one-time hardware sales with no recurring component. Distribution is a hybrid model combining direct-to-consumer e-commerce via shopartograph.com with wholesale relationships through major US art and craft retailers (Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Dick Blick, Jerry's Art-A-Rama, Art Supply Warehouse), Amazon, and international resellers in Canada and the Netherlands. Pricing ranges from approximately $22 for accessories to $849.99 for the Inspire 2000, with most products clustered between $50 and $300. The company has no disclosed revenue, no reported funding rounds, no public listing, and no executive team information available in the input data.

Name

Artograph

Legal name

Studio Designs, Inc.

Website

https://shopartograph.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Artograph is a 78-year-old American brand of LED-based art projectors, lightpads, and drafting tables, serving professional artists, tattoo artists, animators, and crafters through direct e-commerce and major US art retailers under parent Studio Designs, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Art Projection and Tracing Equipment

NAICS

Electric Lighting Equipment Manufacturing (33513), Other Furniture Related Product Manufacturing (3379)

SIC

Pens, Pencils & Other Artists' Materials (3950), Electric Lighting & Wiring Equipment (3640)

akta.pro primary industry

General Arts & Crafts Supplies Retail (CRALACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fine Art Materials Retail (Paint, Canvas, Drawing) (CRALACAB)

Keywords

• Art projection equipment
• Digital art projectors
• Opaque art projectors
• LED lightpads
• Drafting light tables

Headquarters

HQ city

Commerce

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales: Artograph generates revenue through the sale of physical art equipment including projectors, lightpads, tables, organizers, and accessories. Products are sold as one-time purchases with no recurring revenue model.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels16 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Artograph designs, manufactures, and sells art projection and tracing equipment — including LED-based digital projectors, opaque art projectors, dimmable LED lightpads and light boxes, drafting/light tables, and related accessories (ring lights, tripods, replacement bulbs, lenses). Products are sold to artists, illustrators, tattoo artists, animators, crafters, and art educators through the Artograph e-commerce store, major US art and craft retailers, educational distributors, and select international resellers.

Product overview

Artograph is a brand of art projection and tracing tools acquired by Studio Designs in 2019. The product portfolio centers on projectors (Digital projectors like Inspire 2000/1500; Opaque projectors like EZ Tracer and LED Tracer), LightPads and Light Boxes (LightPad LX series in various sizes, LightTracer, LightTracer 2), and related accessories (Ring Lights, Tripods, Stands, Replacement Bulbs, Lenses). The brand also encompasses art and drafting furniture including tables, easels, seating, and lighting, as well as sewing furniture and home furniture through Studio Designs. Artograph products are designed for artists, illustrators, tattoo artists, animators, and crafters to scale, transfer, trace, and layer artwork efficiently.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Inspire 2000 Art Projector High-end digital art projector that allows artists to quickly and accurately scale and position photos or designs onto surfaces. Next-generation replacement for the Inspire 1500, featuring upgraded performance and enhanced functionality.
• EZ Tracer Opaque Art Projector Low-tech opaque projector offering artists a simple, hands-on way to transfer and scale artwork directly from physical originals.
• LED Tracer Opaque Art Projector LED-based opaque art projector for transferring and scaling artwork from physical originals with enhanced brightness.
• Inspire 1500 Art Projector Professional-grade digital projector for artists enabling accurate scaling and positioning of designs onto various surfaces.
• LightPad 920 LX Compact LED light pad offering artists a clean and efficient way to trace, refine, and layer artwork, with dimmable lighting.
• LightPad 930 LX Medium-size LED light pad with dimmable lighting for tracing, drawing, and artwork layering.
• LightPad 940 LX Large LED light pad with dimmable lighting for tracing, drawing, and artwork layering.
• LightPad 950 LX Extra-large LED light pad with dimmable lighting for tracing, drawing, and artwork layering.
• LightTracer LED Lightbox Ultra-thin, lightweight LED lightbox for art tracing, ideal for animators, illustrators, and tattoo artists.
• LightTracer 2 LED Lightbox Compact LED lightbox for artists, animators, illustrators, and tattoo artists for tracing and viewing film negatives.
• Zenith Drafting Light Table Drafting light table with built-in Artograph LED light pad for artists, drawing, and tracing.
• Futura Light Drafting Table Light table for artists with dimmable light and adjustable top for drawing and tracing.
• Fusion Drafting Table Drafting table with integrated Artograph LED light pad for artists.
• Pro Stitch Sewing Machine Hobby Table Pro stitch sewing machine table with folding top, height adjustable platform, and storage for sewing and hobby work.
• Sew Ready Standing Height Cutting Table Standing-height mobile fabric cutting hobby table with storage for sewing and cutting work.
• Cutting Table with Grid & Guides Cutting table with sewing board grid and guides top, mobile, folding, height adjustable with storage.
• Kubx Rotating 4-Sided Mobile Storage Organizer Mobile rotating 4-sided storage organizer for artists and crafters with glass top and multiple compartments.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Studio DesignscoreOthers · 1 January 2019Studio Designs acquired Artograph in 2019 and continues the legacy of developing tools for artists. Artograph is now operated as a sub-brand under Studio Designs, an arts & crafts furniture importer. Studio Designs also manages other sub-brands including Studio Designs Home, Sew Ready, and Paws & Purrs.
• Haden AppliancesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArtograph's parent company Studio Designs is in a partnership with Haden Appliances, a line of small kitchen electrics with British flair. This appears to be a cross-brand partnership within the Studio Designs portfolio.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Artestic: Artestic makes LED lightpads and light boxes marketed directly at artists, illustrators, and crafters for tracing and layering artwork. It directly competes with Artograph's LightPad LX series and LightTracer lines on the same use cases and similar price points.
• Daylight Company: Daylight Company manufactures professional LED artist lighting, lightpads, and magnifying lamps for artists, illustrators, and crafters. It overlaps Artograph's lightpad and ring light categories with comparable artist-focused positioning and premium pricing.
• Alvin and Company: Alvin manufactures drafting tables, art furniture, and drawing/measuring tools for artists, architects, and designers. It directly competes with Artograph's Zenith, Futura, and Fusion drafting tables in the same retailer channels.

Emerging players

• Huion: Huion makes pen displays, drawing tablets, and LED lightpads for digital artists. It is a partial competitor on the tracing/lightpad side and an adjacent substitute for Artograph's projection workflow via digital drawing tablets.
• HafixProjector: HafixProjector sells compact tracing projectors for artists and hobbyists as a lower-priced alternative to traditional opaque projectors. It targets the same use case as Artograph's EZ Tracer and LED Tracer with a more portable, entry-level offering.
• Silhouette America: Silhouette America makes cutting machines and crafting tools sold through craft retailers and online. It targets the same hobbyist crafter demographic as Artograph's LightPad and craft-table products but with a cutting-machine focus.

Broad incumbents

• Wacom: Wacom is the dominant provider of professional pen displays and creative tablets for digital artists. It is not a direct competitor to physical projectors but represents the dominant digital-substitute workflow that competes for Artograph's artist end-users.
• Cricut: Cricut sells consumer craft cutting machines, tools, and accessories through Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and direct e-commerce — the same retail channels Artograph uses. It addresses an overlapping crafter/creator customer base, though in a different product category (cutting rather than projection).
• Dick Blick Art Materials: Dick Blick is a major US art supplies retailer that both stocks Artograph products and sells competing private-label and branded art tools. It is simultaneously a distribution partner and a broad incumbent competitor in art supplies retail.

Others

• Yasutomo: Yasutomo distributes artist and craft supplies through specialty art retailers. It is an adjacent player that shares channels and end-customer overlap with Artograph but does not directly compete on projection or lightpad hardware.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/artograph
• YouTubeyoutube.com/artographinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/artograph
• Instagraminstagram.com/artographinc
• Pinterestpinterest.com/artograph

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Artograph