PART I

What is a tablet and how does it work?
Tablets are like a "pen & paper" input for your computer. The stylus is the pen like device in the picture, it works pretty much like a mouse on the tray but the tip is pressure sensitive. The tray has an active area that tracks the stylus, where the stylus is on the tray is also exactly where you would be on the screen. You can get them in different sizes as well.

Like said before it works just like a mouse. A tablet controls the mouse cursor on the screen, that means you can use it with any program that uses a mouse. You can have a regular mouse and a tablet hooked up at the same time, most people keep their regular mouse and only use their tablet for art since a regular mouse is still more intuitive for navigating around the Operating System.

Why do I need a tablet?
The main reason is pressure sensitivity, which is used in all major art programs. The harder you press on the stylus will determine things like the opacity of a brush stroke, the size, or whatever else you choose in the pressure settings. These things are impossible to do with a mouse. Without pressure sensitivity its like trying to paint a picture with the back of a paintbrush rather than with the bristles.

Another reason is that its obviously easier and faster to draw with. Even the best and most expensive mouse is no replacement for drawing with a tablet.

Will my art program work with a tablet?
If its a decent program then it most likely will.

Good programs to use are:
Photoshop (any version)
Painter
Open Canvas
Alias Sketchbook Pro

You can enable different pressure settings through the brush settings of those programs. Some of them even support features like the tilt of the pen (assuming you have an Intuos tablet)

PART II

Whats the best tablet brand?
Without a question, Wacom ( is the best and really the only option. Other brands have tried to sell tablets but they quickly faded away since they cant compete with Wacom. Most people get either a Graphire or Intuos from Wacom.

What's the difference between Graphire and Intuos?
The Wacom Intuos models are the best. Its their professional series. Intuos 3 tablets have 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity and 5,080 lpi for the resolution (accuracy). They come in a variety of sizes as well. Intuos tablets are rather expensive. The 6x8 Intuos 3 is pictured above.

Graphire tablets are their consumer line and are much cheaper than an Intuos. They feature 512levels of pressure sensitivity which is half of an Intuos, and not nearly as accurate. But even with the accuracy being much less than an Intuos 3 they are still a lot more accurate than a mouse, so theres no need to worry. Graphires are available in 2 sizes, 4x5" and 6x8"

Intuos: http://www.wacom.com/productinfo/intuos.cfm
Graphire: http://www.wacom.com/graphire/index.cfm

Can you only make good art with an Intuos?
No. Graphires are perfectly capable of doing art just as good as an Intuos. 512 levels of pressure is still quite a bit and you will barely notice the difference between it and the 1,024 levels that the Intuos provides. The biggest difference I think is that the Intuos has a much stronger signal between the pen and tablet, so theres little to no interference. The signal in the Graphire is weak so some people may experience their cursor jitter on the screen, it seems to depend on where you live since some people dont get a jittery cursor when using a Graphire. The jittering barely affects your art though, it mainly just makes selecting small areas a pain (such as grabbing window edges).

Sizes
Its a common misbelief that the small tablets are useless and the gigantic tablets are the best. Even the smallest tablet is perfectly fine, especially if you just want to color/paint. You may run into some annoyances with the size if you plan to do a lot of drawing, but even that is perfectly possible. When looking at the size of a 4x5" area it seems impossibly small to do anything in that little area, but tablets work differently than drawing on paper, digital art allows you to zoom in and out and resize your drawing area, so it is not a 1:1 ratio. Dont compare the size of a tablet to the size of your computer screen or your sketchbook.

6x8 seems to be the most common size. Some people will say 6x8 is too small to do anything good, which is crazy. Many of the top professional digital artists use 6x8's, some are even bold enough to split the tablet among 2 monitors, which makes the drawing area for each monitor even smaller than a 4x5 tablet. I use a 6x8 and wouldnt want to go any larger, even if they costed the same price.

6x11 is pretty much the same as 6x8 except that its designed for people with a widescreen monitor. They dont serve any purpose for people with regular 4:3 monitors, infact it would only hinder you because the aspect ratio is different. If you have a 16:10 widescreen monitor then you should get this size.

9x12 is another popular size among professionals. These tablets are BIG and require a good amount of space to keep. The 9x12 only accounts for the active area on the tablet, there is still a lot more plastic on the edges which makes this a desktop hog. These tablets are mainly for for people who really like to swing their arm around when drawing, or people with 2 monitors. These tablets also cost a fortune.

PART III

Are tablets exactly like drawing on paper?
No. When using a tablet you are looking at the computer screen rather than where you have the stylus. The eye hand coordination is different and does indeed take awhile to get used to. Its a lot like trying to type without looking at the keyboard, its a skill that takes practice.

When people first use tablets they usually arent impressed. Some people say that they can use a mouse better and end up giving up on using a tablet. After awhile of regular use (maybe a couple weeks), you should adjust to using a tablet and feel comfortable enough to draw lineart. After continued use, drawing on a tablet should be just as easy as drawing on paper.

The texture of the tablet is also very slick. This adds to the difficulty of learning to use it since theres barely any resistance when drawing.

I have been seeing alot of these wirless bluetooth tablets, now would there be a difference between the ones with a wire (performance wise) ?
Such as late response?

Im a little confused about this.

He said that 4x5 is perfectly fine for coloring/painting, and that you may have troubles drawing with it, even though it is perfectly possible.

I've used tablets a lot for the last 4 years, and I still prefer drawing my initial sketches on paper. I'm sure I could do it on tablet all the same, it just doesn't feel the same no matter what.

I have been seeing alot of these wirless bluetooth tablets, now would there be a difference between the ones with a wire (performance wise) ?
Such as late response?

Im a little confused about this.
I doubt they would have made it if there was a delay. Wireless mice are just as responsive as wired mice so I dont see why a tablet would be different. I dont think they come with bluetooth recievers though (I didnt see one at newegg, which has pictures of box contents), so if you dont already have a bluetooth reciever then youll have to buy one

I'll post some pics in a bit since this would be a good thing to add.
[edit]

Setting up Photoshop CS to use your tablet.

1. Open up your "Brushes" toolbar and select the Shape Dynamics checkbox.
2. Set the Control dropdown to "Pen Pressure" and play with the size jitter setting to taste.

There are control settings on most of the the brush tabs that you can play with like the ones for texture effects and color dynamics. You can use your pen pressure on a bunch of them. Experiment with them all to get the effects you want.

Thats $99 for the 4x5, there is no 4x8 tablet.

And I would definitely not recommend using the clear plastic thing to try and trace a drawing. You would be better off scanning the drawing in or just drawing it digitally without tracing it.

Like Shou said, a 4x5 is perfectly fine for coloring and painting but you may run into some issues if you try to draw. Who know's it varies from person to person. I personally cannot draw on my 4x5 but coloring is a breeze. I guess you will only be dissapointed by how high you set your standards.

It would be easier and better to just scan the piece into the computer and then add a layer above it and trace it that way. Tracing it under the plastic thing just wont work very well. And who wants to trace anyway, right?

Actually, they sell both at least in Europe. Graphire 4 has resolution of 2000 dpi while Volito 2 has 1016 dpi. Volito also doesn't have the eraser end on the pen. And Volito is only available at 4x5.. The Volito costs only like 30e less than a Graphire, I'd personally suggest saving up and getting the Graphire.

I've used drawing tablets (crappy ones), but when I draw I am very close to the paper so they don't work very well for me having to look at the monitor far away, even with zoom.

I've been considering purchasing a Tablet PC for a couple months now, but I'd be interested to hear about anybody's experiences if they've used one.

However, they are quite nice to have with you if you are set in complete boredom or like to take handdrawn notes with a computer "paper", but most likely you would be better off with a regular laptop and transporting your regular tablet along with you.

Thanks for the info, I think I'll get the Intuos3 6x8 instead. Plus that will leave me with enough cash to upgrade my Photoshop to CS2 :unibrow: Hehe.

Interesting tidbit -- most people don't know how "Wacom" is pronounced. To this day, I still pronounce it "Way -- Calm", which is the most logical.

However I found out recently that, from people who have called Wacom tech support, it is actually pronounced "Whack'em".

Heh :] Now you know. Feel free to call em up and ask, too.

Little did I know I own a whack'em tablet...

Also, I got a Wacom Graphire 4 6x8, and its purdy frikkin amazing. My room is a radiowave heaven, as you can see in my picture thread, and the pointer still experiences no jitter. The precision is a lot better than a mouse, and the size is quite comfortable. I havent painted much with it, mostly drawing/sketching and I have no complaints to the moment. I bought mine for 170 US Dollars at tigerdirect.com if anyone needs to know. I felt it was a bit pricey (seeing as it is over 3000 bucks in my local currency) but let me tell you, it is worth every single penny.

Another thing that might help is just navagating around your desktop with the tablet if your a beginner, this helps you get the motion and whatnot down and really helps with control later on, another exersize is to draw four or five straight lines down and across (4-5 down+ 4-5 across) to make a checker board pattern, then make a dot on every cross section, then make an x over ever dot, and then a circle around each x, it really helps with your motor skills ^_^

-D.T.161ieme-

Huh? >_> There's a link to Cintiqs on the front page of wacom.com.

The newer versions are redesigns. Slight improvement in accuracy for example is pretty predictable.

Is the process of switching to a smaller size from something larger significantly awkward?

I'm sure anything could be gotten used to with time, but I'm wondering if anyone's done it before and what their experience with the adjustment process was.

Oh, another question for anyone. How do you prefer to store your tablet(s)?
(I figure it doesn't make too much of a difference so long as you don't let anything smash it or severely scratch it?)

Thanks ^_^

This is strictly drawing space, the tablet is actually a lil bigger.

@KuroNekoSama: Since they don't sell separate packages for Macs and PCs, I'm assuming they are.

Was definatly weird drawing with it the first time cuz my first tablet was a little Genius one, it did the job but wasnt half as nice to use as the wacom.

Also to you wacom owners, "do you ever use the tablet mouse?" i find i dont use it at all cuz it feels all wrong.

i also found after using the tablets pressure sensitivity for a while when i went back to doing pencil work i had a new found depth to pressure when shading.

i have a graphire2 and that does me fine. i mainly use it for Bitmap work.
don't get a higher end tablet unless you REALLY, REALLY need it. Graphires are just as good and you really don't need 1024 pressure levels unless your'e doing really huge pieces (i can work at 2000px square and higher with graphires and it works perfectly.)
in Fireworks MX (which is just as good as at handling bitmaps as Photoshop and costs much less, plus it handles vectors much better than Photoshop), i use a Microsoft mouse for Vector work (Pen Tool, manipulating polys etc.) because of the tiltwheel.
the mouse on the tablets are a waste of time, you don't really need it. just get some different pens for your tablet (brush pens etc.) and you should do fine in Photoshop.

hope this helps!

PGT

a: don't push too hard on the pen, that'll grind your nib down real quick. be careful not to break it, because i don't think Wacom sell replacement pens

b: i wouldn't go with anyone else other than Wacom for tablets. i use a Graphire2. Graphires are okay, the higher end gear is for pros. start simple and work your way up once you get the hang of it.

hope this helps!

PGT

Thanks ^_^

hmm... this may be tricky.

did you get the tablet second-hand?
if so, see if a driver disc came with it. the driver discs should have the Mac drivers on it. (honestly, Macs are okay, but the control-click thing's annoying to me, and all i use them for is editing videos.) if you got it new, run the driver discs on your Mac.

hope this helps!

PGT

too right! i hate those things. just another thing to get lost around my house!

if you really wanted a nice mouse, i'd buy a Microsoft.
i'd also configure your mouse to run slower than normal. this helps with accuracy.

hope this helps!

T4

To correct some of other PGTs "facts", as far as I know, getting different pens is only option for intuos series, graphires don't notice if you change a pen, nor are there any special pens available for graphires either.

And please, Fireworks just as good as Photoshop with bitmaps?.. -_- I thought FW is a lot closer to ImageReady if anything? I don't see any self-respecting digital artist using FireWorks as their primary tool, I'd actually put my money on free programs over that one. :/

as for the 'annoying ctrl click' comment> 1)it's not annoying its fine

Just like getting slapped around the face every time you blink wouldn't be annoying, just fine. :)

But now that you brought it up, my PC has currently been on for a couple of months straight, no viruses, no crashes, works fast and is silent. On the other hand, the annoying ctrl click exists all the time on the other machines. ;)

And it's spelled touché. -_-

Going to have to agree with Traum4 that if you even somewhat know what you're doing, you shouldn't be getting any of that and your PC should run fine.

Not to mention, macs are expensive =P

Edit:
Traum4: You can setup your mac and use a normal mouse with it so right click actually works.

While I'm here, has anyone experience with the cintiq 21ux? After looking into it, it seems pretty clumsy, and I'm not sure if it's even remotely worth it's price because of that. :/

I seriously recommend the 6x11 to anyone with a wisescreen monitor. It's amazing ^_^

The thing is that I'm not sure how much I can earn without being able to color anything, seeing as a big selling point of my work with my current client is my coloring job. If I take that into account, going for the quick 73 Euro would be best, since I could jump right into making more cash. However I have some questions about that.

1) Does the 4x5 work like a pen, or is it only like a mouse. I heard that it had no pen setting, although I may have misunderstood.

2) If it does, is the 4x5 area large enough to be able to precisely move about the screen and say, draw a face within the 4x5 with photoshop/painter 100% zoomed in without having the line quality suffer.

3) If it doesn't, then does the mouse style control work well?

4) Does the jittering I've heard about disrupt line quality? My aiptek qould draw crooked lines and nothing but, and 3 years was quite enough of that. This is a very important point for me.

5) Does the 6x8 have the jitter problem too?

6) Does the larger size of the 6x8 have any affect on the accuracy of the tablet (because of the larger surface area) when in pen mode?

#1: it works like a pen.

#2: I remember it was enough for coloring, but the drawing area was just too small for me, for even semi-comfortable drawing in 100% zoom.

#3: At least I find the mouse mode god-awful-should-never-be-used-for-anything. The pen mode is a lot more intuitive, I'd definitely stick with that and work with higher zoom. :/

#4: I don't recall having noticeable jitter on the Graphire 1&2s I've used. I've heard about that, too, but that's it. :/

#5: The 4x5 and 6x8 are basically the same tech, so I doubt there's a difference in jitter.

#6: 4x5 and 6x8 Graphire 4s have the same resolution (2000dpi), so the 6x8 isn't just spread on a larger area, and thus should be more accurate.

So, I was thinking about getting a 9x12(A4) instead, but now the bastards at Wacom has made it more complicated by releasing a model called "A4 oversize" that's 12x12!.

So, aside from the fact that the oversize costs some 25% more than the 9x12 is the oversize's size gonna make a major impact in any way other than there's more drawing area to make more detailed movements?

I've had a 9x12 intuos2 for years now, and frankly, it's overkill at least for me. I don't draw nearly big enough for it to be worth the extra $$, and the frame is really big, hard to fit on the table and quite clumsy on the lap as well. I use 6x8s at work and school and have found it more pleasant to use. But to each his own, if you really feel like you need longer strokes than your current tablet allows, a bigger tablet might really be what you need.

Just fighting against the general consensus that bigger tablets are automatically better. >_> I wasted at least 200$ because of similiar thinking. -_-

I don't really see the point of those oversize tablets, they're different shape than your monitor? Where's the advantage in that? I do understand the newer wide tablets, but the A4 oversize has always just puzzled me.

And I'm so happy. <3

And I'm so happy. <3

Nice ^____^ which tablet and how much? ^____^

!

You can always trust Trust! :D
Man, that should be the offical slogan. Or just "trust Trust".

And according to the current dollar value, did I bought it for 136 dollars. Now that's what I call a fine haul. ^^

Nah but serious, get a wacom, if you're searching. They seem a lot better. :)

I only got it because I wanted to be alternative.

But whats soo much shittier with a tablet NOT a wacom?
You, Lardge, try that one out meticulously and then tell me what to buy :P
Yes, that means that you have to buy a wacom graphire A4 size too to compare with of course...
wouldnt THAT be alternative? :D

But I wasn't aware that you could get new drawing surfaces for wacoms. You wouldnt happen to know where to get that would you? It's not listed on wacoms product or accessory list and doesn't make hits on google.

so at least they do exist.

And even on my 9x12 I have to use tons of zoom. The bigger size really doesn't do me much good, I just use a smaller percentage of it, because the drawing area is too big for me to take advantage of. Perhaps I just suck too much. :/

Int_shrimp: all other tablets operate with batteries. that alone is good enough reason to get a wacom: no batteries, lighter, no unnecessary moving parts -> more durable.

I know the huge price gap, but I also need to get a Laptop for school haha, and that's why I am considering TECRA M4. Are there other good tablet PC's I should look into?

<.<.....>.>........<.<
Conspiracy? The last man to say that was never seen again <.<

Does it really feel like you're putting a pencil to paper (I'm upgrading from a graphire 3 4x5 so I know what a normal tablet feels like, but I think I read the Cintiq was designed to feel more like the texture of paper)? Can I only press lightly on it (I would think putting a tablet to an LCD screen would cause dead pixels or something)?

anyone else here got 4x5 graphires? any problems?

So my question: I have the option to buy a Wacom Volito 2 for 53 Euro's or a Graphire 3 Classic for 87 Euro's.
What do u guys recommend? Both of em are 4x5. Is the Graphire 3 really worth the extra 34 euro's or should I settle for the Volito? And why?

Thanx a lot!

very expensive.. not so much like a laptop tis really a second monitor that you can draw directly onto.

Theres also tablet pc laptops:

but i'd imagine they wouldnt be too great for CG with no pressure control, and probably fairly slow response time on the touch sensitive screen.

very expensive.. not so much like a laptop tis really a second monitor that you can draw directly onto.

Theres also tablet pc laptops:

but i'd imagine they wouldnt be too great for CG with no pressure control, and probably fairly slow response time on the touch sensitive screen.

ah yes, ty for your time.

Btw, my graphire mouse seems to right-click automatically sometimes when I'm not touching it.

I'm thinking of getting a tablet, but I don't think that I'll use it all that much. I'm therefore planning on getting one from eBay, as I don't want to spend loads on something I might not use for that long. That accounted for, I don't want to spend more than about £40 so it'll probably mean not getting a Wacom.

What do you tablet gurus think of my plans?

I'm thinking of getting a tablet, but I don't think that I'll use it all that much. I'm therefore planning on getting one from eBay, as I don't want to spend loads on something I might not use for that long. That accounted for, I don't want to spend more than about £40 so it'll probably mean not getting a Wacom.

What do you tablet gurus think of my plans?

Hi! There are a few tablet companies that are not Wacom, though lots have left the industry. If you aren't going to use a tablet very much, or don't draw digitally that much, then it doesn't hurt to get a non-Wacom tablet! They do get the job done. :) There are just some catches, ofcourse. You get what you pay for.

A few of the cons with cheaper tablets, is that most of their pens use batteries that must be replaced from time to time, and they do not have the 'eraser' at the end of the pen.
Another thing is that Wacom, even when you move the pen off the drawing rectangle, it will still be tracked. Some cheaper tablets (Sorry I am not very specific about which tablets because I cannot remember) immediatly stop tracking the pen the second you go over the edge. This can be a nuisance when trying to click on things at the edge, or when painting.

Also, although some of these tablets claim to have the same pressure sensitivity as Wacom tablet's, I find that it is sometimes erratic and not really stable in the pressure sensitivity. I end up having to have to push harder than I need to even after setting the sensitivity.

Here are a few other tablet companies that I know of that you could check out. I am not sure if you will be able to find them on ebay, but their prices are already cheap and maybe you can find them refurbished for even less on some warehouse sites.

Aiptek is one of Wacom's competitors.

That is their 'Hyperpen'. It has 512 pressure sensitivities which is equal to Wacom's Graphire. It is 12" x 9" and can be bought for only 69.99 refurbished.. that's really cheap for it's size! I don't know much about this tablet but it seems that there are quite a lot of satisfied customers.

Another company is e3Works.


That is a 'Stylo graphics tablet'. This was actually my first tablet. It has 1024 pressure sensitivity, which is equal to a Wacom Intuos. This tablet got the job done, however sometimes I had to press harder than usual, and the surface scratches more easily. This tablet had a problem in openCanvas 1.1 where the brush strokes do not match where your cursor is, but works OK in later versions of Opencanvas for me. Another review on this tablet (
Another note about this tablet is that it's very thin and light! It makes it more portable.

There is also "Genius" tablets.


Pictured and linked is the 'Pensketch'. This one is also 9 x 12. I have not tried this myself or personally know of anyone who owns one. A review on the tablet ( This one also has 1024 pressure sensitivity.

If you are serious about drawing, then please consider a Wacom. I owned a non-Wacom tablet before, and also borrowed some of my friend's non-wacoms. I now own a Wacom Intuos 3 and it was just such a huge difference even though the other tablets had the same sensitivity and dpi. But ofcourse, just because it's not Wacom, does not mean it's terrible! And it is definately convenient when you don't want to spend a lot of cash and you aren't going to use the tablet much.

Hopes this helps anybody.

My A5 Intuos 3 arrived :D joy!
One question though. There are two sets of buttons on the tablet itself, I'm assuming for right handers and left handers, I'm right handed and when I'm drawing with my tablet I sometimes accidentally rub against the touch pad on the right hand side. This causes the tablet to suddenly zoom in or out and is getting really annoying. I can find the configuration options for the pen and even the working area but how do I customise these buttons and can I turn the touch pad off on one side only or do the buttons mirror the other side?
Cheers :D

bah never mind I've figured it out
...consider this post bragging or something instead of a question :/

I always keep the touch strips inactive. I don't really use the buttons for anything either. :/

P.S cheers anyway T4 :)

My main purpose in getting a tablet was for math class - I got a laptop for school (college) and I hated taking math notes on paper, which usually ended up disappearing somewhere or another. But it worked excellent for taking notes, and I've drawn with it a fair amount.

I've had it since feb/march, and I haven't babied it by any means. It's been in my backpack with my laptop, around on my (very messy) desk, and sitting around various places in my room, and it holds up like a champ.

I payed $159 USD for it at mwave.com

hmmm... hope that helps - any more questions, just shoot me a note.

I'm planning on buying an Intuos 6x8 Tablet, and I've been wondering for quite a few days now, what is the major diference between the 6x8 and the 9x12 tablet?

Does having a smaller working area, on the tablet, mean that it's less precise?

Would the lenght of the lines I usually draw on paper tell me which size of tablet to get?

Also, while drawing at a 100% resolution, what are the diferences between the two tablet? Will it be easier on the 9x12?

Do people need to zoom in closer to achieve the same results as a 9x12 tablet, while working with a 6x8 ?

I am still planing on getting the 6x8, due to the total size of the tablets, but I would like to know about the diferences between them.

Thanks for the help ^^

Tablet Dimensions:
Intuos 6x8: 13.6" x 10.3" x .5"
Intuos 9x12: 17.3" x 13.4" x .6"

btw srilyk, I have this little bebe:

It's a wacom graphire graphics,which, as I now discovered, is different from a graphire classic :P

Anyway, thanks for replying, ill wait to be a bit more awake...and I'll try to reformulate everything if it needs to.

first question: It is less precise, because you'll have to make the same length of lines as you do with a 9 x 12 as an example, but you have less space to move. you can always zoom in though, so you can work precise enough eventually.

second one: It doesn't matter how big your lines are, because you can reach your whole screen with just a 6 x 8 tablet. If you are one that makes a lot of movements with your arms, a bigger tablet is advisable.

third: I honestly don't have a clue, since I don't have both of them, but only read other people's opinions and statements, and based my knowledge on them.

fourth: Look back at the first question.

Hoped again that I was of some help :P

fshoo`, that tablet is also casually known as the graphire 1, since it is the earliest model of the series.

5te, I knew you'd find it, I hoped I might be quick enough to save you a minute or two but whatever. :)

Sorry to bother, but do you know anything about the quality of this graphire 1? or should I definately get a new later version of the series?

Alias Sketchbook works fine with it, though.

@TKN: yes and no. I have a 6x8 that I use on my um... I think 1200x800 resolution screen... Sometimes. The only thing is your horizontal strokes won't be the same as they would be on a "normal" screen. But you can also adjust (at least with Wacom) the screen area (and even the tablet area, if you so desire) that is affected.

Otherwise, you'll find that horizontal strokes are slightly longer than they should be. Not a horrible problem, since you're not really looking, but if your muscles are used to drawing a certain way you might find some slight problems with it.

Otherwise, you'll find that horizontal strokes are slightly longer than they should be. Not a horrible problem, since you're not really looking, but if your muscles are used to drawing a certain way you might find some slight problems with it.

Alrite thanks alot, I guess I'll go with the 6x11 to be safe then :D

What I was wondering is what is the advantage of a digital display tablet vs a tablet PC? It seems to me that a tablet PC is capable of the same things that the display tablet is but also has the "small" advantage of being a PC. So why is the tablet so much more expensive? I don't want to go dropping 2.5K on a display tablet when I can spend about half that and get a tablet PC with the same functionality and also have a laptop out of the deal.

Also I'm not familiar with laptops. Can you connect one to a desktop to function as a monitor?

However, I'm just guessing from what I've read when I was shopping for a tabby ^^'

On the other hand it would also be pretty nice to have a laptop that just happens to be a decent tablet with a built in display. http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/emoticons7/39.gif

but I do have a question how much pen jitter is acceptable and why does the revolting mouse not jitter.

I complained and to their credit trust sent out a new pen straight away. This is now my second tablet I sent it back to the shop and got a new one straight away to the shops credit but the jitter is still with me.

I recon the jitter is about the same a moving the pen tip about 1mm (seems like loads to me)

i haven't bothered to upgrade yet, i've been holding out for a while. I would rather get the temporary fix for the moment, then eventually shell out for a large intous later.

Wacom Bamboo One Graphics Tablet
wacom bamboo tablet
Wacom Bamboo MTE450KEN Pen Tablet

they vary in price, but don't offer much in the way of specs and it worries me. So advice?

But i haven't tried one so dont take my word for it.

But i haven't tried one so dont take my word for it.

aparently not, each one seems to get more expensive then the last one which makes me wonder why.

The Wacom Bamboo

The difference is mainly in the size, I have recently bought one and it's suprisingly great. Offcourse it's not the best, and it's pretty small in size but it's a budget tablet and an excellent choice for beginners.
We have A5 & A4 tablets at school, there is no difference in precision practically. Since the bamboo is as light as a feather and much compacter in size it's not a space-eater. With its beautiful design it even makes a pretty good show on your desk.

If you cannot afford an A5 or simply want a smaller surface to draw on go for the Bamboo,.

For me, it's not really a difference. The A5 is bigger, but the A6 is compacter and a smaller field to draw on which I think is easier.

I don't think programs have cum, however.

Most tablets have a software CD included and the drivers offcourse but you can always use Photoshop for the better results.

Tablets vary, a Bamboo costs about 70-90$ USD depends where you buy it. If you want a bigger sized one it will go up to 300-400$. And if you are really are enthusiastic you could buy a portable Wacom starting at around $800 :D

also, i'm on a low budget, and a beginner, so what kind of tablet would be best?

I have one, it's not bad at all.

Still. $300. :squint:

Kosmo - I found the 'standard' ratio tablets are actually closer to a wide screen ratio than the 'wide' ratio tablets. The wide ones are like that to work with dual screens, at least that what I understand. I would go for the 6x8 or plunge for the 9x12, go ebay, you get about 33% off retail there.

About Bamboo - Consider the Bamboo Fun an exact replacement to the Graphire4's, though Ive heard it has a rougher surface to imitate paper. The standard Bamboo however is different, the pen has no pressure sensing in the eraser tip, it comes with no mouse, and no added software. These are all minor things however and people looking to squeeze their cash can go for it, though you can only get the bamboo in the smallest size.

About sizing of tablets. You can think of bigger tablets as being more accurate (which they are), but you also have to make use of that bigger area.
- the 4x6 tablets require only finger and wrist movement but may get jumpy on today's large wide screens (22in and up stuff).
- the 6x8 tablets only require minimal elbow movement along with your wrist. IMO this is the optimal size for comfort yet precision, works fine on big screens.
- 9x12 and up sizes move you into a different painting style. Now to use your full tablet you must use full painterly strokes. Plenty of arm movement here, so it could get tiring after some time. I have a friend with wacom's massive 12x19 tablet, he has to downsize the active area to use it in comfort, so its all to waste.

Remember Wacom's site is full of spec sheets and comparison pages, so do your research. Always check out the 2nd hand options before paying retail, aka "don't pay retail!".

Thanks for the info on the sizes. But I'm still curious how, if your tablet is using the standard drivers where the left side of the tablet represents the left side the screen, the right, the right, top, top, etc., a tablet with a width to height ratio of a standard display can be more accurate for widescreen than a wide tablet. It seems like the x-axis would move slower than the y-axis.

edit: yeah, actually. I halfway confirmed my hypothesis. Here's two sides of a 'square' I drew using a 4x6 tablet on a 1440x900 native resolution screen:

(

I ran the numbers again really quick, though, and it turns out that 4x6 is the closest, since 1440 x 900 comes really close to a 2:3 ratio. And it's odd, considering how that likeness isn't really shown in that test I just ran. Seems like a pretty big difference.

Ive been using a wacom graphire 3 4x5 on a 22" widescreen all year.

I have had no issues with my graphire4 in terms of precision/jumping. But definitely go for the intuos3 if you want to have the best, that's what I've just done. Beyond the added precision (realistically just smoother pressure transitions) it just has a bit better of a feel to it, and all the hotkeys and strips allow you to work keyboardless.

(foot note: Muzz you are one poor bastage, upgrade already)

Recently my pressure sensitivity vanished in CS3 with my Intuos 3. I figured my stone age machine was probably just dying. At first it was only when I was using higher resolutions but when it stopped working completely, even on 72dpi, I got a bit worried/annoyed.
After some digging I discovered that some programs don't like pressure sensitivity and need to be told what to do. You'd expect photoshop to like pressure sensitivity but I figured I'd follow this line of investigation and see where it led. Apparently some of these programs can be gently encouraged to allow pressure sensitivity by simply right clicking the .exe and going into the properties. From there you just click on the 'Compatibility' tab, then go down to the 'Input Settings' box and click 'Turn off advanced text services for this program'. It actually worked for my photoshop \o/
Just a heads up in case anyone else runs into this issue as well.
I really don't know where the problem came from though so I should probably dig some more.

Here's my problem:

My tablet will only work on OC and GIMP in "pen mode"...

"pen mode" maps the position of the curser on screen relative to the position of the pointer device on the tablet; as opposed to "mouse mode" which allows you to pick up and repositon the pointing device on the tablet without changing the curser's onscreen position

But it's extremely difficult to draw in pen mode. When I try to reposition the cursor, it just goes back to the same place. Although it's possible to draw like this, it's very uncomfortable and frustrating.
When I use "mouse mode", the cursor doesn't show up where I have it positioned at all. It draws really weird...

Here is me trying to draw on OC with "mouse mode" enabled:

(if the video is not available it is likely still processing)

Is there any program/software I can download to fix this problem? If I could use mouse mode on Open Canvas, I would definitely finish more of my art. I haven't been because of this problem.

Aaand, here it is:

(might be processing again)
Magic teleportation ability! :O
I can't lift my pen 1 cm off the tablet and positioning it elsewhere on the tablet without having it teleport" like that. It's really annoying.

I've probably reinstalled my tablet 30 times in the past month, and it doesn't work.
One of my friends uses GIMP with "mouse mode" enabled just fine.
So that's why I was asking maybe I need to install/download something for my computer?

I don't like using pen mode because it's difficult to use, but only pen mode works on OC or GIMP. I want to be able to use mouse mode in OC or GIMP.

brs: How the hell is pen mode difficult? lol if you expect the pointer to stay where it is when you lift away and move to another spot how do you plan on drawing? You may as well not even lift away and move the pen. I have no idea what you're trying to achieve. Pen mode is the easy and natural way of drawing digitally, it's just like using pen and paper apart from the hand eye coordination being a bit displaced haha. Basically, you're gonna need to figure out how to explain yourself better for me to understand what you're trying to achieve here.

Anyway, I solved the problem myself. Guess the actualy program for the tablet is what messed it up. Uninstalling the tablet worked and now I can use "mouse mode" all I want. :3

Another thing, I've noticed that when anyone tried to help you (even when you ask for it) you often respond in a way that seems to try and make the person offering help feel stupid or wrong and you wave off help in all directions unless you get ganged up on with it. You're very defensive about what you do wrong (or in this case differently). Stop being a douche, we don't offer up help and suggestions for fun y'know?

And if no one can help, i guess i'll have to go back to my Graphire3 : D Or draw without pressure sensetivity.

If pressure sensitivity works in one program, I'm not sure why it wouldn't in others. However, if there's no program that gets the sensitivity... you may have a problem :P

Edit: I installed some new drivers, and it works. Thanks alot for the Tip srilyk! : D
I'm just angry that i didn't come up with that idea, i thought i had the latest. Oh well, all is well that ends well : P
And ye, Msn messenger has pressure sensetivity on that little Scribble function they have : P just mixes with the size tho...

I looked in a flyer today, and I saw this action concerning a Medion tablet.

Now I think I only heard the name Medion a few times before, so I knew it isn't that good. BUT, the price was only 35 bucks. European bucks ;D

The suspicious part is that I can't find any tablets at all in the Dutch site of Medion, and in the flyer they don't notify all the specifics or even the model-name.

Translated specs:

extra large 16:9 surface (ca. 25.4 x 15.9 cm)
• can be used for any graphic uses.
• 29 makro-sensor keys (Dunno what those are :p)
• plug & play in Window Vista
• included wireless pen and software-package

What I don't like is that I can't find the model and thus no specs about the pressure levels. What I do like is the prize and the size of the thing.

So, should I buy it? I got a wacom graphire 3 as of now, but I'd like to have a bigger one, mine is an A5. It's a cheap investment, but I'm afraid of it turning out to be crap.

Any thoughts on the Medion tablet?

This tablet you're looking at now does have pressure sensitivity, up to 1024 levels. The model is MD85637. If you're in need of something huge and don't have the money to spend on an Intuos, I'd say go ahead and buy it.

So I bought it, and it IS so huge that it's a bit awkward yet, but I hope that goes away with time ;D
So far it seems to do fine, let's hope it stays that way. The 29 shortcut-buttons are very handy, I still have to modify all of them though.