Paper by WeTransfer Reviews

by QuirkyCarter

I was an early adopter of this app. I paid the $ to unlock everything way back when. I really feel like the practice of changing the monetizing method should be illegal or at very least not allowed by Apple... app developers should create a new app so those of us who already paid can still access the software we purchased.

I know it’s a tricky issue and I do want to support developers. Problem is that when I buy something, I feel like it should be mine forever unless there’s a clearly stated time limit. Otherwise I can spend $ today and lose access tomorrow... that’s definitely not right. This trend of moving everything to subscription is turning me off to spending $ on apps in general. Seems extremely unwise to pay for something without any guarantee that it will remain accessible as purchased.

In addition to the previously stated issues, Paper is now causing my iPad Pro to crash completely - as in turn completely off despite being plugged in and charged. It is an old model, but similar apps do not cause this much crashing. Not all of us can afford to buy new devices every few years, but it seems clearer than ever that developers just don’t care about making stable apps with fair pricing.

by KazutoKirigaya

When I first got an iPad, this app was the first app I downloaded. I wasn’t the best at it, but I had a lot of fun just playing with it. Mix was great too — just seeing new art was kinda fun! Think kit was a great addition, but then a lot of weird new features got added. I spent some time away from iPads in general until now, when I re-downloaded this app, grabbed my Pencil (by 53), and tried to use it again.

It’s like everything is crazy now. I mean really. I have access to the think kit tools automatically, but some things have badges for pro, and apparently I can still subscribe. I tried drawing lines with arrows. It’s a basic feature that’s listed on the website, but upon further inspection, that’s only for this app pro and legacy users. But wait, another support article says that diagram arrow tools aren’t supported yet. After upgrading to pro, every time I cut, I get a “copied” notification. Can’t figure out paste though. No help articles for that.

Everything here says rushed. Missing tool items. Poor help menus to explain what’s changed. Poor support pages that erroneously list features that don’t exist anymore. Poor distinction between what’s outdated, what promotional material no longer applies, and what Paper even does anymore.

by R The P

I have been using this app by FiftyThree since its initial release, to sketch ideas for creating icons or other art, but was soured by their rewrite of Paper in version 4, with many necessary features omitted until they can get around to adding them to the rewritten version, and a broken workflow and UI for their copy / paste function that I would use constantly in all previous versions but now no longer want to touch. I have explained to them how this function is broken, but no fixes have been released.

Fortunately, a major revision of the Concepts app, version 5, was released during this frustrating period. I had tried version 4 out but didn't catch their vision—until I spend some time learning Concepts 5. I have been hooked by 1) infinite canvas, 2) multiple layers, and 3) precision shape creation—none of which this app has, but which I need. The learning curve for Concepts is slightly higher than for this app, but Paper is so much more useful to me, with just enough UI to cue you in to what it can do, and the ability to rearrange or minimize the UI to support what you're doing at the moment.

by Jmherri

I have been using Paper for a few years now and got the Pencil by 53 before I had gotten my iPad Pro + pencil. Originally, the notebooks were listed along the left side (as in Notability) which made them easy to view and select. They now scroll across the screen and only the front-and-center notebook is visible, which makes finding and selecting a notebook difficult.
A bigger problem is the subscription. Features that I would consider fairly simple (changing the size of pens, cutting and pasting across notes) are subscription (premium) only features. Several other apps - Notability, GoodNotes, MyScript - are all $10 or less for a one-time purchase and offer similar features. If drawing is your thing, Procreate, Concepts, Sketches, SketchBook, or one of the Adobe apps are all <$20 (or free) and, again, often offer improved features. I mention this for 2 reasons - for one, if I were going to spend money on an app, I would put my money into one of the above apps. With that said, this app is an elegant app that would be worth $5-10 +/- because it is well designed and seems useful as a place to sketch and organize ideas. Despite its limitations (and my frustrations at what I consider a ridiculous Premium service), I still use it quite frequently.

by Myoozishan

I like the tool palette, and the experience of actually sketching is very nice, but the change to how journals are navigated between is frustratingly bad. Before, there was a list on the left and I could just jump to the journal (notebook? I forget what they’re called) that I wanted. Now that list is no longer an option. Instead I have to swipe through these big, unlabeled pictures of books to find the one I want. Not only is this laborious and a completely unnecessary step backward in efficiency, but the titles of the journals are not even on the pictures of the books themselves; you have to wait until each one is front and center and then the name pops up on the top. This makes a bad situation even worse - because the right journal is even harder to locate. If you were going fully skeuomorphic you’d think you could at least put the title of the journal on the cover of the picture of the journal? Ug. Sorry for ranting. I want to love Paper, but this was just a totally boneheaded move. Please bring back the list mode, and if you must develop the UI in a skeuomorphic direction, please try to do so without making it harder to use efficiently.

by MoLily

I absolutely love this app! I've been on the hunt for a good journaling app for years, but never found one I actually liked or wanted to use. this app changed all of that! It has helped me connect with my creativity in new ways and got me jotting everything down on the go. I even bought a stylist for my phone so I could draw easier!
However - there are a few areas of Paper that I feel could benefit from some work. I'm disappointed that there isn't just a "view" option for the journal pages. One that isn't obstructed by the brushes etc on the side of the page. Something clean, so you could actually thumb through your journal & take it in as if it were a real book. I also wish the pages were dated & time stamped for documentation purposes!

Finally, I love that there's a text tool for straight journaling using the keyboard, but I wish there was more room for creativity in this section. I would love to have the option to work with font size, style, color & bold/underline/italics/bullet points. Just because it's a stricter format compared to the loose drawing pages, it should still have the same feeling of free expression as the rest of Paper !

I would be so stoked to see these changes! Paper had really been great for me to get things out on the go as I'm going through a hard time. With these updates, I believe it would be a perfect platform for digital journaling!

by Dejamonetxo

I purchased the premium version of this app mostly to have virtual notebooks since I use the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. I love that I can also type notes or add a sticky note onto a drawing journal page. Pages are able to moved around, photo media inserted onto pages, and due to the sketch features, if I write something in the wrong place, I can cut it out of the page and “paste it somewhere else. The templates help keep my handwriting nice and neat, though I do wish there were better writing utensil options. It’s very easy to make and note custom palettes as well. I tried to use Moleskin, but didn’t enjoy it as much as this app.

The typing options weren’t very intuitive, but I figured out how to make it work. I’m not a big fan of the pencil because it seems too light compared to a real pencil’s markings. *If more writing templates could be added, like for brainstorming or outlining, that would be great! Maybe allowing for pre-drawn shapes to be added to the template would help with this!* I wish the typing font colors could be changed, but besides that, I don’t have any other suggestions or complaints.

by Mi Lùn

I’ve been a loyal supporter since Paper was this app 53 around 2012. Even Proceate never dethroned it in my heart in terms of the natural feeling of the pens that makes it exactly like writing on this app. I went through college with it, taking notes for every class, relying consistently for it to capture my quick art ideas within seconds. I always feel ecstatic whenever I use the ink pen especially.

That said, today I signed into it and suddenly all the pens are extremely pixelated, no zooming, no anything. Every size and every pen, except for the pencil. I’ve been using the drawings from Paper on iPad Pro 11in to extract lines in Illustrator before without any significant pixelation at all.

Is there a possible recent glitch in one of the updates? Am I missing out on some subscription-only uopdates? Please tell me I’m not the only one getting this issue :( This is to this day the only app that gives me joy, and I really want to see it maintaining as the working horse it’s been. I hope you hear me, dear devs :(

by Akroesel

I used to LOVE Paper ,as in, I used it all the time and I got the 53 pen as a gift. The pen made it easier to use and I loved the blending choice. But now I can't use the pen and I hate it. I absolutely hate the new design layout while drawing and I'm limited to things I found handy like the pictures adjustability and such. This was my favorite drawing app and I'm disappointed in the update.🔶🔶update🔶Due to further research I have come to find that you indeed CAN use the pen-go to the settings in the top right-click stylus-go to the 53 pen and it will take you to the past settings for the pen-it takes longer but at least you can still access the settings. I do not like how we have to pay to use features we had for free before. The new update says you must pay to use the shapes took, roller, and cut tool and it is very disappointing. I liked this app BEFORE all of the changes where you have to purchase old features.

by Shempzilla

EDIT: I have gotten access restored to the tools I purchased previously and it looks like the people at 53 have taken some of the negative feedback to heart and made some tweaks to the new setup and options that make it a much more enjoyable experience again. I have updated my rating to reflect the current situation which is significantly improved from my original review.

I have been a user of this app for years and gladly paid to unlock the extra tools they introduced. This new version moves all those tools into the new “pro” tier, so despite the fact that I already paid to access them I now no longer have access to them unless I pay again- this time on an ongoing subscription basis. No thank you! 53 has essentially reverted this app back to the original style that customers preferred but taken away the tools we paid for back when we already had this same version. What a waste. I won’t be making the mistake of giving them any more money when there are so many great alternatives!

by Nocuby

Tonight I was using this app for the first time. I kept trying to upgrade to pro, but I was having some difficulty. When I pushed the edit pencil, up in the upper right corner, I was given an option to add text. But the text was a note that wasn’t part of the drawing and I read something that said the pro version would have a text option. I’m trying to create illustrations for a book I’m about to publish. I was finally able to upgrade to pro, but now the little editing pencil is gone, along with the option to add text. It seems to have fewer options with the pro version. It’s probably user error on my part. I was also told that the pro version would allow me to upload everything to iCloud. But I haven’t figured out how to do that, either. Meanwhile, the actual app itself works great. I like the way the illustrations are coming out. I just want to save them to iCloud and I want to be able to add text. I think I need to watch the tutorial.

by Happy Lizard & Friend

Paper has been above and beyond amazing and so many of my friends love it too! I would say there is no but and it doesn’t feel so overwhelming like in most of the sketching apps I have downloaded have so many tools. My favorite part is that is gives a variety of options for starter books and introduces how to use all of the tools the best way possible! You can also create different books for a different category I will definitely keep this forever!
I know i said that there was no buts and this is not a complaint Paper is already amazing but if it had two more features I would love it even more, the first thing it should add is a feature to lock the drawing or photo in place so that you are unable to zoom in or out! This way is so if you want to focus on one specific part you won’t have to worry about getting distracted and accidentally drawing on the wrong part of the page! The second thing that they should add is oil paint so that if you want to do some abstract art or something else you won’t have to improvise.
I think that you should definitely download Paper and as a person who has, I have used it everyday since.

by CaptZaldivar

Update. The developer responded and restored my tools. So I have restored their review to five stars. Their Rep’s communication could have been more professional, but we achieved a level of agreement.

this app is a great little app. WeTransfer now owns this app, so they deserve a chance to treat customers fairly and be treated fairly. It really is a fun little app with nice and unique features.

I still and will always oppose extortion-ware (subscription software, got to keep paying or loose all your stuff you created with “their” app). How can that ever be ok?

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Like others on here I used Paper for a number of years. Gladly paid their price to get pro features and found them easy to use and very well developed. Worth the money even though it is only a basic sketching program. It is unique. Then the Pro tools were taken back so they could sell them to me again on a subscription basis. No!

Nice little program, very poor business practices. Don’t trust them, they want your money now, and will simply decide they can get more money over and over again. In the physical world, that is a crime. A endless cash stream is the new dream of many app developers. But as my Dad used to say; in order for someone to get something($$$) for nothing, someone has to get NOTHING for something($$$). Prime example...

by Mu5ikaddict_15

I love to journal and having Paper has taken it to the next level. I absolutely love the freedom of writing on a tablet and having all the colors and tools I will need to journal right on Paper . I love the additional journals that you can purchase from their library too. The only thing I would change from this already awesome app is the typing option. I wish I could type onto the journal page itself instead of adding a note that can only be viewed partially. It’s a virtual journal, why not have other virtual options? Either way, I absolutely love Paper.

Note: I purchased Paper and am paying the monthly fee. Paper shows its best features once you make that purchase. The free version is still good, but if you’re serious about journaling or keeping notes in one place, then just make the purchase. You can view journals throughout all your devices. Editing is difficult on your phone though. Paper is best suited for the iPad Pro and pencil combination.

by Flickrdude

Mix was amazing and thanks for the data allotage- this app. Okay, The cut tool, still works well, but it was changed in the update so that your first paste of what you cut goes back to the original form before the cut is spread out. It sometimes takes 3 or 4 attempts to get this to work right.

So- UH, it was working much better the initial way you designed it and now this is a bit cumbersome. Is there anyway you could bring the cut tool back to its previously designed fluidity? It’s just that very first paste - for no real good reason goes back to the original and doesn’t make the cut. I have a few solutions to this issue, but I don’t at all see why you made the change as it is to a degree JUST GLITCHING what is otherwise impressively a smooth process. Idk, you’re the experts but that would make my day to see fixed.

by Mheidxoxo

Once I played around with it, I was able to see it’s a lot better than it seems at first glance. I am SO organized with Paper: I have a journal for monthly goals, chore charts to keep track of my kids and housework in daily/weekly/monthly/3-6month intervals, daily planner, routines, etc. I can input pictures for monthly challenges I’m working on, and I have a journal of template pages I made so all I have to do is duplicate it and move it to the appropriate journal. I love it!
I wish I could input more than one picture on a page, however. And Paper shuts down a lot. (Luckily, the work saves beforehand) It’s also hard to pinch the journals closed, and you can’t swipe through pages when they’re open to work on. I wish adding text was available with the other pen options, as well as having different brush sizes. Looking forward to improvements, but I still really enjoy Paper!

by Illuminator1231

Something happened to this app, my favorite drawing app, because it used to draw completely on one’s intuitive sense, without cluttering up one’s mind with having to make decisions about the size of the brush etc. etc. It used to be simple and it worked well. Something happened, and it’s getting more complicated. Developers always feel that they have to give you more options. Sometimes I feel in America we have too many options. So many that they get in the way of creativity. Now, sometimes the brush doesn’t work, or the roller to automatically fill shapes. The photos on the front of the journals arrive cattywampus. My recommendation would be to STOP with the added options, and make what you have work every time. Also, please move the “go back” button to the tool tray, and make the tools look more different so as to easily distinguish one from another.

by Shalimart

Paper was a slow burn for me, I’ve had it for a while and gradually it has become my favorite sketching/drawing app.
Whenever I need to figure something out or an interesting thought comes to mind, I start here 🙂. I’ve begun to use it as my daily journal, for visual note taking (a.k.a. Sketchnoting) and for planning. I used to use Leuchtturm notebooks, but they cost $20 each at 3 a year. Additionally, they were piling up and I couldn’t get the useful sketches out of the notebook without taking a picture and redrawing. Not to mention the pens. I’ve converted to digital.
I like the minimal approach of Paper. The tools have a tiny learning curve, but once you understand them, it’s great 👍🏽. I love that you can add your own color palettes, I love the color mixer and the copy/paste drawer. Thanks for your hard work on Paper. I’ll stay a subscriber to help to keep Paper updated.

by Vbrwn

They say change is good. Well not always. I get the need to make money. And I don’t mind paying once for an app when I find value in it.

The problem with what the creators of this app have done is the equivalent of giving you the keys to the car with all that entails for years and then suddenly said “Oh by the way you can’t use the radio the air conditioning or roll down the windows unless you pay subscription to use them.”

But what’s even worse is they taken away all of fun and useful features with the explanation that you must upgrade to the pro subscription but it’s under development. Meanwhile, you’re stuck holding something that is not as useful as it used to be. Excuse me I have to subscribe to put a cover on my journal. That one seems a little petty.

I have been using this app for some time and found it to be a very useful design tool. I even went so far as getting the pencil to use with Paper . But that’s stopped working properly and I can’t find any way to upgrade its firmware. The support page is any thing but support.

When and if 53 rolls out their subscription service. I will delete Paper off my iPad and discontinue use. Their pencil has been sitting in a Desk drawer for sometime now because I can’t use it properly. There’s $35 down the drain. I’ve been migrating to other apps from Adobe and Autodesk. I keep hoping that 53 will get their act together.

by Honda S2000 & 2010 Mustang GT

I have been using this app for years! I have over 1,000 Journals as I use it to sketch for clients and to annotate photos. I also use it personally to organize projects, concepts & ideas. I tell people that this app, along with the IPad Pro & Pencil, is responsible for the largest productivity leap that I have made since I started using a PC. Prior to this app I would have to come back to the office and scan actual this app, import pictures from my phone & DSLR, and then input someone’s Business card. Now it is all in one journal before I leave the client. Finally, on (2) occasions, I have needed to contact Paper ’s Developer. On both times, I found them to be responsive, concerned, helpful & professional in addressing my issues/concerns. On one of those interactions, I had discovered a glitch for which they created & issued an update just a few days later. Quite simply, I could not work as efficiently and productively without this app!

by Look A Guy

I have been dealing with this app’s support team, all my journals are gone. The software AUTOMATICALLY updated on its own, when I opened this past week and all my content is wiped. My pages are there, but only a squiggly line icon is in the place of two years of art. I bought their Pen\ when it came out, bought Paper of course. Their “engineers” took a look at the logs from my app? Say what? SO - Their response was oops, sorry, yeah that’s happened to a “few” users. It is shamefully irresponsible of them not to send out an email alert to all their existing customers and warn them TODAY, YOU COULD LOSE ALL YOUR WORK due to our auto update. SO BACK UP, screen shot, whatever.

I am Burning my 53 stylus pen, and deleting this garbage app from this irresponsible organization. The loss has caused me undo mental and emotional distress, the personal content that was lost due to their gross negligence was very valuable to my business. SAVE YOUR MONEY, YOUR WORK, AND YOURSELF. Switching to Bamboo from WACOM, at least they are a real oraganization. Or even iOS 11 NOTES from APPLE, ANYTHING BUT A 53 product. THE WORST!!!!!

by Appy Reviewer

I got Paper when I had the iPad 2. Great app, useful, simple, and fun to use. Then they overhauled Paper , made it much less useful, frustrating to use, and generally a pain. Uninstalled it and never looked back using other apps instead. Just reinstalled it to see if it would upgrade the firmware of pencil.

Looks like they are actually sorta listening to people and went back to what it used to be as people wanted. And now I can use it without being forced to create an account like they used to do. Still not what it was. I regret purchasing and supporting them through the tools and pencil. This was disappointing and, although a little more familiar to what it used to be, all the extra dross with their “pro” moniker is just a turn off.

I’ll probably keep it installed to see what happens but with the bugs I’ve been reading about in the comments, I won’t be making it my go-to app. Seems like a little too late. They went their own way forgetting the base that made them and now they’re trying to get them back…

by Molloyjm

I really enjoy drawing with Paper and decided to upgrade to the pro version. I had quite a few drawings in my notebook and decided to use the iCloud backup. What a mistake.

I chose the option to sync my files with iCloud. Every time I opened Paper I had to wait for the program to re-download all my files before I could do any work. It doesn’t just check if any of your files have changed and sync them. It actually deletes all your work and downloads the latest version even if your files are unchanged. If you don’t have an internet connection, NONE of your work is available.

Because some of my notebooks had hundreds of files, I also had problems with not all the files downloading and even becoming corrupted. I have had to split them so that each album only has 100 pages. In the end I lost weeks of productivity.

by Nova7o9

January 2018 update
The old capabilities from the original version (customizable sketchbook covers and background images) are back. Yay! And it also turns out the menu to save, move and delete images is only available in book view. Annoying if you don't know that.

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December 1, 2017 Update
I wish they would stop changing the format. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Now I have to relearn how to do everything that had become second nature to me, again. This is about the fifth time they've rehauled the interface. Though I do appreciate the addition of more customizable palettes, it's just frustrating that they moved everything around. Again. UPDATE: Right now if you import an image into a file you cannot edit or even remove it, but the latest update says they're working on it.

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I've had Paper for a couple years now and the creators are always making it better. The controls are easy to learn and super useful. I am a huge fan of the color mixer.

If you like to draw or write by hand I definitely recommend this. Also, I use a stylus with a plastic tip so that it feels like I'm using a pen. Much better than using my finger. If I ever get their stylus I'll review that as well.