NEW
Graphics & Touch Pads
Graphics tablets and touch pads provided alternative ways
to enter graphical information into the ZX Spectrum. These
peripherals included pressure- or touch-sensitive surfaces
used with a stylus or pen, allowing users to create or
manipulate images with compatible software.
This section documents graphics tablets, touch pads and related graphical input devices for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, including contemporary descriptions, original prices and published references where these can be established from surviving sources.
This section documents graphics tablets, touch pads and related graphical input devices for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, including contemporary descriptions, original prices and published references where these can be established from surviving sources.
Features
Original Price
Grafpad
British Micro
The British Micro Grafpad is a graphics tablet designed for the ZX Spectrum, allowing users to trace drawings on paper and reproduce them on screen, as well as create and edit images using the supplied software. Adapted from a version previously available for the BBC Micro, the system was also offered for the Commodore 64. 1 2
The tablet connects to the Spectrum's edge connector via a multi-way cable and uses a stylus with a pressure-operated microswitch. The stylus controls an on-screen cursor, with drawing functions remaining active while the tip is pressed. The tablet has a ruled drawing surface protected by a clear acrylic sheet, beneath which a wire mesh provides a coordinate grid. The contemporary review describes this grid as 176 × 256, with stylus movement corresponding directly to the cursor's movement on screen. A 32-box menu panel is also provided. 1
The supplied cassette software includes freehand drawing, line, circle and box routines, paint-fill and erasing facilities. Images can be inverted or flipped horizontally or vertically, while a magnification function enlarges selected areas by up to eight times for detailed pixel editing. Other features include a window facility to restrict editing to a selected area, attribute-screen editing and a facility for picking up user-defined graphics (UDGs). The software also allows pictures to be stored elsewhere in memory or saved to cassette. 1 The advertisement also offered a separate computer-aided design (CAD) program. 2
The package includes the tablet, stylus, connection cable, cassette software, keyboard overlay and printed documentation. 1 The contemporary review praised the tablet's potential for creating artwork but noted that freehand drawing required practice, some editing facilities were awkward to use, and the manual provided limited guidance. Its principal advantage over cheaper screen-based drawing programs was the ability to trace existing artwork from paper. 1
The tablet connects to the Spectrum's edge connector via a multi-way cable and uses a stylus with a pressure-operated microswitch. The stylus controls an on-screen cursor, with drawing functions remaining active while the tip is pressed. The tablet has a ruled drawing surface protected by a clear acrylic sheet, beneath which a wire mesh provides a coordinate grid. The contemporary review describes this grid as 176 × 256, with stylus movement corresponding directly to the cursor's movement on screen. A 32-box menu panel is also provided. 1
The supplied cassette software includes freehand drawing, line, circle and box routines, paint-fill and erasing facilities. Images can be inverted or flipped horizontally or vertically, while a magnification function enlarges selected areas by up to eight times for detailed pixel editing. Other features include a window facility to restrict editing to a selected area, attribute-screen editing and a facility for picking up user-defined graphics (UDGs). The software also allows pictures to be stored elsewhere in memory or saved to cassette. 1 The advertisement also offered a separate computer-aided design (CAD) program. 2
The package includes the tablet, stylus, connection cable, cassette software, keyboard overlay and printed documentation. 1 The contemporary review praised the tablet's potential for creating artwork but noted that freehand drawing required practice, some editing facilities were awkward to use, and the manual provided limited guidance. Its principal advantage over cheaper screen-based drawing programs was the ability to trace existing artwork from paper. 1
Notes
Dimensions: Approximately 25 × 355 × 260 mm, as measured by the reviewer. 1
Price not yet available.
References
1.
"LUCK OF THE DRAW" - Contemporary review of the British Micro Grafpad for the ZX Spectrum, covering its construction, connection, stylus operation, drawing and editing software, and practical limitations., Your Spectrum, No. 5 (July 1984), Henry Budgett, pp. 29-30, 32
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2.
"GRAFPAD ...for as many uses as YOU can imagine!" - British Micro advertisement for the Grafpad graphics tablet, listing compatibility with the BBC Micro, Sinclair Spectrum and Commodore 64. Identifies British Micro as a Hegotron Group company., Sinclair User, No. 24 (March 1984), p. 56
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Page Revised: 24/10/2026