App Review: Paper 53

Since having an iPad, I've found that I am regularly on the App Store looking for new and useful apps to use. One app that I've found particularly useful, especially during Sixth Form is an app called Paper 53.

The app itself is focused on allowing you to draw and sketch, using the tools available inside the app. You can then use these drawings and send them by email, share them to a range of social media sites such as twitter, facebook and tumblr, as well as sharing them to your camera roll which you can then print off as well.  

When you first open the app, you are greeted with a screen showing you all of the notebooks which you have. This is really useful because you can organise all of your drawings so that they are easy to find. For example, I kept all of my Product Design sketches in one notepad so that I knew where everything was and I could find it easily.

   You can also customise the way that the notebooks look, by selecting your own photos to use as covers by pressing the little 'i' button in the top right corner of the notebook. 

Then inside each notebook you can look through all of the pages, as if you are reading a book. If you find a drawing you want to add to or edit, you simply click on the page and the app opens up your drawing. There is hardly any delay between clicking and being taken to your drawing either, so you don't have to wait ages for it to load. You can also add new pages to any notebook using the '+' button and you can also do the same on the main menu to add new notebooks. 

Once you have opened the page, or made a new one, you are either shown your drawing or given a blank canvas to work on. Here all of the tools available are shown and you can make these disappear by swiping the tool kit down and then make it reappear by swiping upwards.
  You can also turn the pages of the notebook by swiping from the top corners as if you are turning the page of a book, which makes moving between pages extremely easy and practical.
  To return to the main menu or the notebook you simply pinch the screen in the middle of the page and it will take you back. 

The app Paper 53 itself is free. With this you get an unlimited amount of notebooks and pages, and you also get the eraser tool and the fountain pen tool free, along with a range of standard colours.
  However, there are a whole range of tools available within the app, which you can purchase for an additional price. When I downloaded this app, they had an offer on the additional tools, allowing you to purchase the pencil, highlighter, pen and colour brush for a combined price of £4.99, when individually they cost £1.49. I'm not sure if they still have this deal on, but I would recommend buying this if you can. Otherwise, you have to pay £1.49 for each tool individually, which makes the purchase more expensive.
   Then for an additional £1.49 you can buy the mixer palette, which allows you to make your own colours and save them to the palette on the right, so you will always have it. The picture above shows all of the brushes which are available and what each one looks like. 

These are just some of the drawings which I have been able to create from using the app. Although you can use your finger to create these drawings, I usually use a stylus to make my drawings more precise. 

Overview of Paper 53

Positives

• The app itself is free and includes unlimited notebooks, pages and two tools
• You have the ability to organise all of your drawings
• You can zoom in on parts of your drawings and add to them
• You can share your drawings a number of ways such as through email or twitter
• Response time is good and there is hardly any lag between drawing and the drawing appearing
• The app doesn't take long to load
• You can buy additional tools for a set price
• You can mix your own colours and save them to use at a later time (purchase of mixer required)
• Brilliant quality of tools
• No internet connection required
• Regular updates and improvements available.

Negatives

• Currently unable to alter the thickness of the tools 
• You have to purchase the additional tools
• You cannot import existing drawings or pictures and add/edit them. 

Cost

App: Free

Additional brushes and mixer: £1.49 each or £4.99 for the 'essential package' which includes all tools but not mixer

Rating (Out of 5)

4.5