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Mural is an open-source DIY wall plotter: a belt-suspended carriage moves a pen across a wall to trace vector artwork. Nik Ivanov’s project site provides build resources, while a 2025 Hackaday report describes its main components and attributes an estimated cost of under $100 to Ivanov. That figure is a dated estimate, not a current parts quote.
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What Mural is—and what it is not
Mural is a project for building a wall-drawing machine from readily available parts in a 3D-printed case. Its project site describes it as a “low cost high precision wall plotter” and links to a bill of materials, printable files, firmware, an assembly video and an update video. Those resources are the place to check for build-specific instructions and component compatibility; the short landing page does not establish every configuration detail. See the Mural project resources.
The available sources describe Mural as a DIY project, not a verified prebuilt retail kit. Its project page labels the work Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC), so that license should not be read as permission for commercial reuse.
#1 Best Overall
- Flexible Projection: This projector's projection size can be adjusted from 18x13cm to 220x125cm. Its function allows for clear projection of details or large areas, making it suitable for a variety of artistic creations.
- Color Reproduction: High-definition decoding of 260,000 colors restores true colors and details, improving drawing efficiency and ensuring accurate rendering of design details. Its high brightness allows for use indoors, even during daylight hours, without curtains or light blocking.
- Detailed Design: Its sturdy stand supports 360-degree rotation, ensuring stable projection and adaptability to various scenarios. It features a short-throw optical lens with edge distortion correction for significantly improved image uniformity. It also supports manual adjustment, allowing you to adjust the projected image clarity using a slider.
- Connect Method: Supports multiple connection methods, including USB, wireless, and mobile data cables, allowing you to share your screen content at any time. When using USB storage devices, you can get clearer playback effects, making your creative expression more smooth and natural.
- Art Projector: Trace Anything Effortlessly!Project images, photos & designs onto walls, easels, chalkboards or whiteboards – no tracing skills needed. The tracing projector is perfect for sketching murals and creating classroom art. Empowers artists, designers, hobbyists, and total beginners to unleash creativity anywhere
How the wall plotter draws
In the build described by Hackaday, two toothed belts are fixed at high points on the wall and suspend a moving carriage. Two NEMA 17 stepper motors on the carriage reel the belts in and out, positioning the drawing head sideways and vertically. A NodeMCU ESP32 controls TMC2209 stepper drivers, while an MG90S servo lifts the pen away from the wall.
The workflow is to convert vector artwork—Hackaday reports SVG graphics—into carriage movements paired with pen-up and pen-down actions. That lets the machine trace line art at wall scale. Ivanov reportedly used washable Crayola markers. The components and performance description are reported build details, not an independent accuracy test; check the project’s BOM and firmware resources before buying parts or assuming a particular setup will work.
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- Flexible Projection: This projector's projection size can be adjusted from 18x13cm to 220x125cm. Its function allows for clear projection of details or large areas, making it suitable for a variety of artistic creations.
- Color Reproduction: High-definition decoding of 260,000 colors restores true colors and details, improving drawing efficiency and ensuring accurate rendering of design details. Its high brightness allows for use indoors, even during daylight hours, without curtains or light blocking.
- Detailed Design: Its sturdy stand supports 360-degree rotation, ensuring stable projection and adaptability to various scenarios. It features a short-throw optical lens with edge distortion correction for significantly improved image uniformity. It also supports manual adjustment, allowing you to adjust the projected image clarity using a slider.
- Connect Method: Supports multiple connection methods, including USB, wireless, and mobile data cables, allowing you to share your screen content at any time. When using USB storage devices, you can get clearer playback effects, making your creative expression more smooth and natural.
- Art Projector: Trace Anything Effortlessly!Project images, photos & designs onto walls, easels, chalkboards or whiteboards – no tracing skills needed. The tracing projector is perfect for sketching murals and creating classroom art. Empowers artists, designers, hobbyists, and total beginners to unleash creativity anywhere
What does Mural cost to build?
Hackaday’s March 24, 2025 report by Zoe Skyforest says the total estimated cost was under $100, according to Ivanov. Treat that as an attributed estimate from 2025, not a current guaranteed total: prices, shipping, availability and the bill of materials can change. No current itemized shopping total is established here. Read Hackaday’s report.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Is Mural right for your wall-art project?
Mural is the DIY route if you want a machine you can assemble and configure around vector drawings. Before committing, consider the work beyond the headline parts estimate:
Rank #3
- The wall mural is cut into 6 pieces for easy installation, each in 100"x24",total size is 100"x144" (Height x Width)
- Very easy to apply, remove or reposition - Just PEEL & STICK!
- Unique and one of a kind exclusive designs by Wall26, for installation on flat dry surfaces indoor/outdoor walls doors and even windows
- Won't leave a mark when repositioned like other cheap stickers on the market, no residue left behind
- Assembly and maintenance: You will need to build the mechanism, mount its belts securely and resolve setup or hardware issues yourself using the project resources.
- Drawing area and placement: The usable area depends on how the system is mounted and configured; the cited Mural sources do not state a standard coverage dimension.
- Artwork workflow: The reported build traces SVG vector graphics, so line art is a natural fit. Confirm the supported file and firmware workflow in the project resources.
- Wall and marker compatibility: Washable markers were reportedly used, but that does not guarantee easy removal or suitability on every paint finish. Test the chosen marker in an inconspicuous spot first.
- License: The project page states CC BY-NC. Review its terms before reusing project materials commercially.
How Mural compares with other wall-drawing options
Fumik is a separate wall-drawing project, not a Mural model. Arduino Blog reported in March 2022 that Fumik could sketch across a 5-by-3-meter area using an Arduino Mega 2560. Its described workflow uses two pulley-equipped stepper motors and converts SVG-derived instructions into line, arc and movement commands stored on an SD card. That reported area belongs to Fumik and should not be treated as Mural’s coverage. Read Arduino Blog’s Fumik overview.
BotsyART is a named commercial option for mural outlining and wall drawing. Its product and technical pages list features and performance claims, but those are vendor statements rather than independent test results. The product page lists a $2,500 price and a one-year limited warranty; it also says manufacturing can take up to four weeks before shipment. Check the vendor’s current pages for availability and terms, which may change. See the BotsyART product page and its technical specifications.
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The useful comparison is not simply the old Mural estimate against BotsyART’s listed price: the figures come from different dates and do not describe equivalent purchases. Compare the actual drawing area you need, assembly and maintenance effort, portability and setup, software workflow, surface and marker compatibility, and whether support or a warranty matters to you.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
