Editing Mousepad

{{short description|Mat on which a computer mouse is used}}
{{For|the text editor|Mousepad (software)}}
{{Merge from|3D mousepad|discuss=Talk:Mousepad#Proposed merge of 3D mousepad into Mousepad|date=May 2025}}
[[Image:HP mouse and mousepad 20060803.jpg|right|thumb|A mouse and mousepad]]

A '''mousepad''' or '''mousemat''' is a surface for placing and moving a [[computer mouse]]. A mousepad enhances the [[usability]] of the mouse compared to using a mouse directly on a table by providing a surface to allow it to measure movement accurately and without jitter. Some mousepads increase [[ergonomics]] by providing a padded [[wrist rest]].

==History==
[[Image:Mouse tray.png|right|thumb|Mousetray screenshot from Engelbart's video]]
During a [[The Mother of All Demos|1967 presentation]] by [[Douglas Engelbart]] marking the public debut of a mouse,<ref name=demo>{{cite web 
| url = http://sloan.stanford.edu/mousesite/1968Demo.html 
| title = The Demo (article on Engelbart's demo) 
| access-date = 2007-02-26 
| archive-date = 2008-01-18 
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080118025620/http://sloan.stanford.edu/mousesite/1968Demo.html 
| url-status = live 
}}, final video</ref> 
Engelbart used a control console designed by Matt P. Brown of [[Herman Miller (office equipment)|Herman Miller]] that included a keyboard and an inset portion used as a support area for the mouse.<ref name=demo/><ref>{{cite web 
| url = https://strumace.com/blogs/read/does-a-personalized-mousepad-really-make-a-difference-in-gaming 
| title = Mousepad Guide From Strumace 
| access-date = 2022-02-26 
| archive-date = 2022-07-30 
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220730122150/https://strumace.com/blogs/read/does-a-personalized-mousepad-really-make-a-difference-in-gaming 
| url-status = live 
}}, time: 1:12:35</ref>
According to Kelley<ref>{{cite web 
| url = http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/Designer/0,,a10-c80-b14,00.html 
| title = Matt P. Brown (Herman Miller page) 
| access-date = 2007-02-26 
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061029011938/http://www.hermanmiller.com/CDA/SSA/Designer/0,,a10-c80-b14,00.html 
| archive-date = 2006-10-29 
| url-status = dead 
}}</ref> 
and also stated by Alex Pang,<ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2002/3/2002_3_48.shtml
 |title       = The Making of the Mouse
 |author      = Alex Soojung-Kin Pang
 |access-date  = 2007-02-26
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20070929120300/http://www.americanheritage.com/articles/magazine/it/2002/3/2002_3_48.shtml
 |archive-date = 2007-09-29
}}</ref> Kelley designed the first mousepad a year later, in 1969.

Details of a mousepad designed by Armando M. Fernandez were published in the Xerox Disclosure Journal in 1979 with the description:<ref>{{cite web 
| url = https://priorart.ip.com/IPCOM/000024222/ 
| title = CRT Cursor Control Mechanism Pad 
| work = Xerox Disclosure Journal 
| date = November–December 1979 
| access-date = 2020-07-23 
| archive-date = 2020-08-03 
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200803115707/https://priorart.ip.com/IPCOM/000024222 
| url-status = live 
}}</ref>
{{Blockquote|CRT Cursor Control Mechanism Pad<br />
To assist the operation of a cathode ray tube pointer 10 wherein a metal ball is rolled on a hard surface, the disclosed pad may be utilized. A resilient, rubber-like material 12 is bonded or otherwise attached to a hard base material 14 which keeps the rubber-like material flat. The base has four rubber-like pads 16 on the opposite side from the resilient material to refrain the pad from sliding on the surface of a table, for instance.|Xerox Disclosure Journal, Volume 4, Number 6, November/December 1979}}

By 1982, most users of the Xerox ball mouse were using special pads to increase the friction of the ball in the mouse.<ref>{{cite journal | journal = VLSI Design | title = Designing and Testing the Optical Mouse | author = Richard F. Lyon and Martin P. Haeberli | year = 1982 | issue = Jan./Feb | page = 21 | url = http://www.dicklyon.com/tech/OMouse/DesigningTestingOMouse.pdf | access-date = 2007-08-10 | archive-date = 2022-03-31 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220331093003/http://www.dicklyon.com/tech/OMouse/DesigningTestingOMouse.pdf | url-status = live }}</ref>

The first commercial manufacturer of mousepads was Moustrak, founded by Bob McDermand. The company began gaining traction when Apple decided to distribute its mousepads, featuring the Apple logo, to computer stores in the United States. Moustrak signed licensing deals with Disney, Paramount, and LucasFilm, and advertised in magazines including ''MacWorld''. However, by the end of the 1980s, lower cost mousepads turned the product into a commodity.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://tedium.co/2016/07/12/mouse-pads-invention-history/|title=The Best Mouse Pads Money Could Buy|last=Smith|first=Ernie|date=12 July 2016|website=Tedium.|access-date=25 July 2016|archive-date=2 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220202211949/https://tedium.co/2016/07/12/mouse-pads-invention-history/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/15/science/personal-computers-holiday-hardware.html|title=PERSONAL COMPUTERS; Holiday Hardware|last=Lewis|first=Peter H.|date=15 December 1987|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=25 July 2016|archive-date=21 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021171352/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/15/science/personal-computers-holiday-hardware.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' tracks the term ''mouse pad'' to the August 24, 1983, publication of ''InfoWorld'', and the predominantly British term ''mousemat'' to October 17, 1989, in the publication ''3D''.<ref>Oxford English Dictionary Online, "mouse", compounds 20. d.</ref>

==Benefits==
[[File:Mouse-Systems-Mousepad-Detail.jpg|thumb|The mousepad for early [[Mouse Systems]] optical mouses]]
The three most important benefits of the introduction of the mousepad were higher speed, more precision, and comfort for the user.  A secondary benefit was keeping the desk or table surface from being scratched and worn by continuous hand and mouse rubbing motion.  Another benefit was reduction of the collection of debris under the mouse, which resulted in reduced jitter of the pointer on the display. Also, it is important to clean mousepads.

The mousepads can be cleaned by special detergents, [[liquid soap]], hand wash or [[dry cleaning]]. Not all mousepads are machine washable.

When [[optical mouse|optical mice]], which use [[image sensor]]s to detect movement, were first introduced into the market, they required special mousepads with optical patterns printed on them. Modern optical mice can function to an acceptable degree of accuracy on plain paper and other surfaces.  However, some optical mouse users (especially gamers, designers, and other heavy users) may prefer a mousepad for comfort, speed and accuracy, and to prevent wear to the desk or table surface.

==Types==
[[File:Mousepad out.jpg|thumb|A mousepad with a padded wrist rest]]

A variety of mousepads exist with many different textured surfaces to fit various types of mouse technologies.

After the steel mouse ball was given a silicone rubber surface, the popular fabric-surface mousepad was found to be the most appropriate. It helped keep the rubberized roller-ball surface cleaner and gave better tracking, speed, and accuracy than just a desk surface. Such surfaces collected dirt which was then deposited onto the internal rollers that picked off ball movement. Dirty rollers caused erratic pointer movement on the screen.

Early types of optical mice have the problem of not working well on transparent or reflective surfaces such as glass or highly polished wood. These surfaces, which often include desk and table surfaces, cause jitter and loss of tracking on the display pointer as the mouse moves over these reflective spots. The use of mousepads with precision surfaces eliminates the spot-jitter effects of older and/or low-quality optical mice.
[[File:High-resolution-powerplayfob.png|thumb|Wireless charging mousepad from Logitech]]
Newer generations of mouse pads incorporate a wireless charging system into the pad, allowing a wireless mouse to be used without the need to replace or recharge batteries.<ref>{{Cite patent|number=USD884712S1|title=Wireless charging mouse pad|gdate=2020-05-19|invent1=Lee|inventor1-first=Ju Youn|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/USD884712S1/en}}</ref>

A [[3D mousepad]] is a type of mousepad with a wrist rest that is modelled to resemble breasts, buttocks, or other anatomy.

==Materials==
Modern mousepads are typically made of lesser density rucomposites (open cell styrene, butadiene rubber or open cell [[Styrene-butadiene|SBR]]) with fabric bonded to the upper surface. However, many other types of material have been used, including [[fabric]], [[plastics]], [[recycling|recycled]] [[rubber]] [[tire]]s, [[neoprene]], [[silicone rubber]], [[leather]], [[glass]], [[Cork (material)|cork]], [[wood]], [[aluminum]], [[Rock (geology)|stone]] and [[stainless steel]].

==Maintenance==
A contaminated computer setup can affect user performance, workflow, and hygiene. Research indicates that gaming and office equipment, including mouse pads, can accumulate more bacteria than a toilet seat. Studies have found that the average desk contains 400 times more bacteria than a toilet seat, with computer surfaces averaging approximately 20,961 germs per square inch.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-03-02 |title=Average desk contains 400 times more germs than a toilet seat, new research reveals |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/average-desk-germs-toilet-seat-kitchen-keyboard-mouse-phone-a8237431.html |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref>

Furthermore, the accumulation of dirt and oils on a mouse pad can impact sensor accuracy, reduce responsiveness, and contribute to material degradation over time. Regular maintenance is essential to preserving both functionality and hygiene, and understanding [https://shopuncapd.com/blogs/guides/how-to-clean-a-mouse-pad how to clean a mouse pad] properly can help ensure optimal performance.

==See also==
*[[Computer mouse]]
*[[Touchpad]]
*[[Logitech PowerPlay]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Wiktionary|mousepad|mouse pad|mousemat|mouse mat}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Mousepads|lcfirst=yes}}
*[https://squid-pad.com/|Mousepads|Graphic pad]
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Computer mice]]
[[Category:History of human–computer interaction]]
[[Category:American inventions]]
[[Category:Computer-related introductions in 1969]]