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How to Choose a Graphics Tablet that Fits Your Needs

on Sep 25th 2009 with 118 comments

The first time I tried a Wacom tablet is only comparable with the day I discovered Photoshop, bought my first laptop, tested an Apple computer or I met my girlfriend for the first time – geek joke, honey. But, why are Wacom tablets so special? In this post we’ll review the advantages of these tablets.

Choosing the Correct Tablet

  1. In my opinion, it must be a Wacom tablet.
  2. The most relevant technical specification is pressure sensitivity. The more, the better.
  3. Smaller tablets are better, cheaper, easier to fit into your desktop, and they work just like the bigger ones. I would only choose the big model if you’re going to use it for CAD.
  4. Think about the use you’ll give to your tablet. If you want if for painting, coloring and photo manipulation, it will be 100% useful. For drawing, only Cintiq models are really good, and for designing, you need no more than a mouse.
  5. There are second hand markets or brand new old models. They are really worth checking.

Amateur Tablets (80-200USD)

If you’re not a professional designer or illustrator, but you’d like to go deeper into design without investing much money, the perfect choice is the Bamboo, available in 3 sizes with the same technical settings.

Professional Tablets (200-800USD)

If you’re a professional or want to be one, you have a tight budget but you want good quality, then I would go for Intuos models. Intuos 4 has 2048 pressure levels, and even Intuos 2 and 3 with 1024 pressure levels are perfect and easy to find on Ebay, brand new or second hand.

Tablets for Rockstar Designers (1000-2000USD)

If you’re already a set up professional and you want to increase your productivity, then you need the crown jewel, the Cintiq series. These are not tablets, but rather pressure sensitive monitors. You can draw directly on the screen.

My Experience

My first pen tablet was an Intuos 2 I bought 6 years ago, when I still was a Psychology student and I was starting to color in Photoshop. I had some doubt about purchasing it because I didn’t have any resources, but my girlfriend convinced me to buy it on a whim, without knowing that she was driving me to take the first step to professionalism. Its design was terrible, it looked like a cardboard box with a very cheap pen, but it worked really well. Even after 6 years of use it still works perfectly, just like the first day.

SOSFactory Evolution

With my tablet I increased my productivity, and as a result, my quality. What used to take me endless sessions of work in the past, now I could do it in a few hours.

Intuos Evolution

I bought my second tablet about 3 years ago. It was an Intuos 3. The main difference was the incorporation of the Express Keys, and I’ve never considered them useful enough to replace the keyboard. To be honest, I bought it because these tablets were really beautiful, specially if we compare them with previous versions, although functionality was still the same.

My Desktop

My last acquisition is a precious Wacom Cintiq 21UX. From the moment I bought it, I forgot about pencil and papers and now I make my sketches directly in Photoshop. I must say that I haven’t noticed a meaningful advance in coloring, but it’s much better when it comes to drawing, an unresolved matter for tablets.

Now, I use my Intuos 3 only when I travel, and I find it very difficult. Moral: Don’t try the Cintiq if you can’t afford it.

In the video below, you can watch my Cintiq at work.

Here is another example of me coloring with a tablet.

And here you can compare Cintiq and Intuos series, the task is drawing lines at once while joining the points:

Intuos vs Cintiq

My next acquisition will be an Intuos 4 A6. We’ll see if those extra pressure levels really make a difference.

Reasons To Choose a Wacom Tablet

1. No Batteries

Wacoms uses an electromagnetic resonance technology, no batteries are needed. Plus, there’s a notable saving in maintenance, and we can avoid many issues since the pen is lighter and more comfortable to use. No wires, of course.

EMR Wacom

2. Best Value for Money

There are cheaper options, but not better. If we compare the technical specifications, we’ll find that, at the same price, Wacom models offer similar or better performance. If you have a look to any comparison of pen tablets, you’ll always find Wacom in the first position.

Wacom prices

3. Support

Wacom has a forum where the company employees or any other user will answer to your questions. Plus, their web is translated up to 15 languages, and there you can download drivers for any of their products.

Wacom tablets

4. Variety

Wacom offers a wide range of products at very affordable prices, from the Bamboo, which starts at less than 100USD, to the Cintiq series, that reach 2000USD in some high-end models (IVA not included).

5.- Acknowledgement

Wacom has been a regular winner in the Red Dot Awards for many years. The Red Dot Awards are similar to the "Oscars," only for industrial design.

Wacom

6.- Market Share

Wacom has stated to have a market share of 95,4% in the Japanese market and 86% in the foreign market. So they are likely to be around for the long term.

7.- Compatibility

Wacom tablets work under PC, Mac and even Linux.

8. The Most Sensitive

The new Wacom Intuos 4 have smashed the 1.024 pressure levels of the best pen tablets in the whole market, rising the threshold of maximum pressure levels.

Wacom tablets

9. Accessories

Wacom graphic tablets include some replacements, a pen and a mouse. If you find that’s not enough, you can buy more replacements or pens with different functions from their online shop.

10. Second-Hand Market

Searching on Ebay you can check that even second-hand tablets still keep a good price. So you have the chance of selling your tablet when you want to update your old one to a newer version.

Alternatives to Wacom Pen Tablets

Conclusion

After many years looking for good alternatives to Wacom tablets, I’ve given up. There are cheaper options, that could be a good choice for beginners, but nowadays there aren’t any companies able to seriously compete with Wacom. I would really like to see an Apple tablet which could match Wacom’s performance… Until that happens, we’ll always have the option of making ourselves a home-made Cintiq.

Wacom tablets have worked very well for me. They’ve held up, offer great functionality, and have helped me improve my digital artwork. Good luck selecting your own tablet.

Additional Resources

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Sergio Ordonez is SOSFactory on Graphicriver
 
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Sergio is a master of character design. He wrote the PLUS tutorial SOSFactory Style Mascot Design in Photoshop. Visit Sergio's Portfolio site and his design blog.  

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  • http://www.lichtathlet.de Mike

    How much you get from Wacom for a full blogpost of advertising?

    • http://aiburn.com/ Sean Hodge

      None. This was not a sponsored post, but rather Sergio’s seasoned and professional opinion. Thx.

    • neil

      Point taken, even if Mr. Hodge doesn’t acknowledge it.

    • tty

      this guy sure getting money from wacom…..hahahahahahahah..

  • Darren

    Thanks for the review, Sergio. I’m considering a Cintiq 12WX – the larger models are way out of my price range. Just a few questions, if you have the time:

    I was wondering, have you any experience with the 12WX? It sounds like some of the negative issues you had with the 21 inch model might not be as bad in the 12 inch.

    Wouldn’t it be true that because you would normally have the Cintiq close to your face, the 12 inch screen is effectively ‘bigger’? As I think you mentioned somewhere, some reviews even find the 21 inch screen a little big, since you’re much closer to it than a normal monitor.

    How are the viewing angles and colour fidelity on the Cintiq? No Cintiq reviews I’ve seen seem to address that very well.

    My own experience is that unless you have an expensive LCD with something like 170 degrees horizontal / 170 degrees vertical viewing angles, you can see colour shifts from the top to the bottom of the screen – luminance uniformity still seems to be an issue for LCDs -at least low to mid range ones.

    With work intended for professional printing, that hugely detracts from an INexpensive LCD’s usefulness – if you want high colour accuracy and you need to cough up for something like a high-end Eizo – which can be even more expensive than Cintiqs. I guess I’m kinda answering my own question here?

    • http://www.sosfactory.com/blog Sergio Ordonez
      Author

      Hello Darren,

      I´m not an expert on printed stuff but I think you have nothing to worry about it.

      The image quality of Cintiq 21UX is quite good, it made me forget my beloved CRT monitor. The colours are quite good and it offers a generous angle of sight. It has a resolution of 1600 x 1200 pixels, which is more than enough.

      This is my full review of the Wacom Cintiq 21UX: http://www.sosfactory.com/blog/articles/wacom-cintiq-review/

      I didn´t try the 12″ version just tested it on the shop and I find 2 disadvantages: first is obviously the size, I find it uncomfortable (even my 15″ laptop is uncomfortable to me) and secondly the quality of the screen. Keep in mind it´s a portable device, I wouldn´t relay on it for printing stuff so a secondary monitor is a must.

    • Darren

      Thanks Sergio. Based on your evaluation of the 12WX I decided to look around.

      I’ve learned to trust Amazon.com buyer reviews, guess I should’ve looked there too:

      http://www.amazon.com/Wacom-Cintiq-12WX-12-Inch-Display/dp/B00115OFJK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1254215400&sr=8-1

      Wow, just look how many negative reviews there are!

      The 12WX apparently has terrible viewing angles, gets really hot (hotter than the 21 inch), and is unusable about 10mm from the edge of the screen, making clicking on the Photoshop toolbox near impossible, according to several reviewers.

      The 21UX, however, gets nearly 95% good reviews. So I guess I better start saving up – or get a gig that’ll pay for it.

      One thing occurs to me however: Windows 7 has muli-touch capability. I would be very surprised if Wacom isn’t working on some kind of implementation for future Cintiqs.

      So maybe I should wait and see. A multi-touch screen *might* enable the first *true* virtual replacement for a real keyboard (e.g. you could press 2 modifier keys, ctrl-shift etc at once). I don’t know much about the tech behind it, so I could be wrong.

      With a virtual keyboard that actually works, the only thing you’d need on your desk would be the Cintiq – not to mention all the cool things you could do in Painter, Photoshop and ZBrush with multi-touch functionality.

      • http://www.sosfactory.com/blog Sergio Ordonez
        Author

        Hello Darren,

        I bet the 12WX is a good device but it´s too new to be perfect, if you can save some money I would go for a 21UX, I´m really happy with my choice. Or maybe you should wait for the next version.

        Regarding multitouch features, I think it´s a bit soon to know where we are going but the new Bamboo touch is a step forward: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXYKQbAtQ2k&feature=player_embedded

  • http://emitgraphics.com Zak

    Although everything you said was true, this article reads like a wacom advertisement. Nothing against wacom, I love them and have a bamboo myself.

  • neil

    Informative, but not really a tutorial.

    More of an op-ed piece. I’ve learned why the author prefers something.

    Well written though, and genuinely felt. Like a well-thought-out Amazon review.

    : )

  • http://www.bio-bluetenpollen.de Bluetenpollen1

    Nice. I like that!

  • http://www.quickenwebsites.com Quicken Websites

    Entertaining. Not a tutorial but always good to learn something new)

  • Chris

    Thanks for the review, Sergio!

    I currently own an original Bamboo, and I’m thinking about upgrading to an Intuos 4. I saw some people commenting about if they should pick up a tablet or not. For you, stop wondering, and go get one.

    After a year with the Bamboo, I can attest that it has helped me with web-design, and has helped my bottom line. But it does have some draw backs when making lines and in my opinion having a small active area.

    The only thing I can add, is that for my non-work artwork I’m still drawing on paper and scanning in. Although it still beats a mouse for coloring. So if your like me, your going to become frustrated with the lack of the ability to draw like you would on paper with it.

    I hope that helps… kind of wish this review had a detail demonstration of all the products in hindsight. eh, oh well.

  • http://benmode.deviantart.com/ Benmode

    this is a good help. i am thinking of getting a new one. i am using a Bamboo Fun righ now. Still learning. And yes, you are now my hero, i wish i could be like you when i grow up…

  • http://www.firetext.tv mobile marketing software

    Thanks for this information! I bought myself a Intuos 4 today.

  • http://www.nelutu.info nelutu

    I have wacom bamboo fun a6 small, but works well :)

  • Tanshin

    Still have a Graphire ET (one of the original models) and it works great! It really does work way better than a mouse. I’d love to have an Intuos 4 (the pressure levels are very alluring). Maybe when I get some more money…

    Still though, Wacom makes great products that last.

  • David

    I bought an Intuos 3 on a whim a few years ago. I moused it for years the long way; click-click-stroke, click-click-stroke. It hardly does a newb much good until ya build the manual dexterity to draw a consistent line and stop pressing those damn stylus buttons by accident, and it’s quite a learning curve going from watching your hand draw to drawing while watching the screen.

    Since then I’ve picked up an Intuos 4 (medium). Some helpful tips I’ve picked up:

    Practice by using the pen for EVERYTHING initially. Web surfing, icon selecting, writing your name, etc.

    For freehand drawing zoom in to 200 or 300% for better accuracy with tiny tablets.

    Tick the Force Proportions option in the Wacom preferences.

    Skip Photoshop and draw in Illustrator with brush options set to pressure. The self-smoothing is handy if you’re a caffeinated artist.

    Tablet settings between programs would be a handy tutorial.

  • http://mljarmin.daportfolio.com mljarmin

    It actually depends on what expertise or kind of work you have and you don’t have to buy expensive ones. I use Graphire 4 and Bamboo Tablet for my works mostly vector (all almost 4×6) in mouse mode so i don’t have to raise my hand to navigate the whole screen. and you are right about the productivity when you go with a high-ender products like cintiq. you can produce much faster, finer and even explore more ideas for your art and projects.
    I have read this article on your blog way before and it is very useful as i will be buying a 12wx within this month.

  • http://www.philippineglobaloutsourcing.com Philippine Outsourcing

    Very true post. My first tablet was a wacom which I bought years ago but when I lost my pen, I found a new cheaper set on the shop and decided to try that one. True to some of the testimonials here, the cheap one was really frustrating to use. It was hard to control the pen movement so it ended up looking like a useless mouse pad on my desktop. I liked my wacom so far but would also like to try other brands to really see for myself which one works best for me. =)

  • http://cynicdesign.com cynicdesign

    Seriously good article. Sergio is one of the sickest character artists designing. I could read his tuts all day… as long as I can mute the Creed soundtrack.

    Thanks for posting.

  • Bob DeMarco

    Under #4 – and for designing, you need no more than a mouse. – I disagreed. I design websites and print layouts with wacom product as well. It’s a lot easier than using the mouse. I know some people uses wacom for TV shows and movies as well.

  • Dem

    Hey mate- for a couple of bucks you can score some real black ink and colour, nibs, brushes and a pen holder + paper and draw well. Your missing out !

  • Jacobo

    Sergio, or anybody who feels like helping:

    I’ve been reading several reviews and after reading everything I could find I decided that I’m going to buy a pen tablet and my options are these:

    -Intuos3 9×12 (used) $300
    -Intuos3 6×8 (Used) $185
    -Intuos4 small (new) $300
    -Intuos4 medium (new) $430

    (those are the best prices I can get here)

    And I pretend to use it with a 24″ iMac as a photographer.

    What could be best for me? I’d prefer the Intuos4 small for the price and new technollogy but i don’t know if it’s going to be wierd having a tablet that small with a 24″ screen (though it’s the only one with the same 16:10 ratio).

    Thanx a lot.

  • CA advertising

    Thanks for the insightful article. I’ve used wacom tablets before, but not extensively. this info helps me know how to shop next time.

  • RedC

    Hi

    I am beginner who simply wants to experiment with drawing and designing and then definitely upgrade.
    Am confused with the options of Bamboo Craft and Bamboo Fun. (My budget cannot exceed 150$ )

    Also I will be using my EEE PC, will that lead to any complications (operates on Windows XP home version).

    Appreciate your inputs.

  • RedC

    What is your take on Wacom release of the Wacom comic series, how will that differ from Wacom Fun or Craft??

  • http://www.videosgen.com Curious

    Thanks! You helped me to make up my mind))

  • http://blog.martindoersch.at MartinDoersch

    Hi
    The intuos4 series is now at 2048 levels of pressure detection. This is just amazing. And of course the new Cintiq 21UX (2010 model) has also jumped on this level.
    I also can totally agree: If you once tried the Cintiq 21UX you won’t go without it.
    I can’t draw very well but I use the tablets (currently intuos4 m) for retouching and image manipulation. And if you once retouched with the Cinitq the same is true as mentioned above.
    Best regards from Austria
    Martin

  • http://www.studiobergeron.com Steve Bergeron

    Really good article. My only question is about the importance of all these pressure sensitivity levels. Not sure that over 1000 level is really that important over 256, or even 128… Imagine your line have 128 degree of thickness instead of 1000… Would you really notice it?? Not sure! It look for me like a marketing issue, more than a real advantage. Of course, this doesn’t diminish at all the great quality of the Wacom product. I’m using a Cintiq 12 inch, and beside the bad point about it, which are true, I like it a lot, using it onscreen for drawing, and as a tablet with my old Apple Cinema Display 23 inch for Photoshop or design.
    I’m still curious about your opinion on sensitivity level, if you’ve experienced something different.
    Thanks,
    Steve from Quebec

  • Natalia

    Hi Sergio!

    I´ve a question and I´m not sure if you would be able to help me. I´m thinking of buying one of this for my boyfriend who works editing and postproducing (I´m not sure if this is the correct word in English) with “Final Cut” and also “Illustrator”. Do you know if this graphics tablets will work with this programmes?

    Thank you so much!!! :)

  • Robert

    I would have to disagree with those who say this isnt a tutorial. A tutorial by definition teaches you something on a one to one basis. I am a beginner, just looking into tablets. This piece taught me what some preferences are and why. Ultimately I may not buy a wacom, but now I am informed and can shop around…again..based on input from a professional.
    Good article.
    Thank you
    Robert

  • Keith M.

    I don’t know about ya’ll (southern speaker here, lol), but I feel differently.
    As a “noob” in the world of Visual Design, I chanced upon this article with no prior knowledge of tablet specs or brand…
    Now, after reading this, I feel I learned a great deal and maybe able to soon make an “educated” purchase…

  • http://www.wacomtabletreviews.net/ Jenn

    Thanks for the reviews. I have a Bamboo Pen because I couldn’t afford the better ones. It does a good job, but this blog makes me want the Cintiq 21 even more! Sigh, one day… :-)

  • Faroth

    Here, in Argentina a cintiq costs something like ….$ 4~5k it’s ridiculous

  • fatma

    can you tell me please

    I have a problem in my hand , i have to keep it slant all the time

    so drowing on tablet it’s hard for me becuase i have to keep the pen stright all the time and i can’t

    can you tell me please if there is any tablet that don’t need a special pen??

    i mean it’s sensitive enough to use any pen on?

    thank you

  • Lizard Lady

    I have been looking at different tablets and know that I want a Wacom, simply due to the high quality that the company demands of its products and I like how it is reversible…for in case you want to give one hand a break but want to continue working.

    However, this would be my very first drawing tablet and I guess what I am getting at is this:

    I don’t intend to go professional and just would like to be able to doodle on the computer but in a more advanced manner than with the mouse and MS Paint.

    Money is tight and so I don’t want to pay more than what I am going to need, even if a bigger active area would be worth the few dollars extra.

    Space is not much available either as this would be a personal use and desk is just big enough to hold my laptop and a cabinet for documents, a few shelves.

    Which tablet would be the best for someone of my economical needs as well as skill level; as a doodler but average ability?

  • Luke Powell

    If you live in Canada a Wacom tablet is probably not the way to go. Though the Wacom works fine, it will need a new pen tip in time, and the tablet surface will pit rather badly over time, even with careful use. When you call Wacom to find out hot to buy a new pen or new surface they send you a list of Canadian companies from which to order, and these are all places like Costco, London Drugs, and Best Buy. These will quite often tell you that they do not carry Wacom products at all, but if they do carry the tablets, they know nothing about replacement parts. If they do happen to carry the pens, they are out of stock, and if they manage the surface kit, they send it without any directions whatever, and the Wacom site has none. I gave up and ordered a repair kit for the surface from B&H in Boston, and that took weeks to arrive and came with no directions.

    My advice for Canadians is to guy a cheap, Chinese-made tablet that can be discarded and replaced several times for the cost of a Wacom one. Unless on is doing something very complex work involving new graphic programs cheaper tablets may well work just fine for basic image cleaning or drawing. Only if your work is very high end and experimental do you need to go through a three month marathon of hassles trying to refurbish a work Wacom in Canada.

  • liz

    I have only just discovered these graphic tablets. I do a lot of design work on my laptop in Adobe Illustrator, creating vectors and logos using my mouse. Stupid question coming up… if I buy a graphic tablet and connect it to my laptop (however you do that) can I use it with my current (latest) copy of Illustrator already installed on my laptop? I am so excited about using one now… where have I been!!! Really appreciate some feedback as I can’t seem to find this info anywhere on the net. Cheers, Liz

  • Luke Powell

    My Wacom Intuos PTZ-630 is a 6×8 tablet, and once I learned to turn off the useless and annoying buttons I was very happy working with it, certainly compared with a mouse. When the pen and surface began to wear out and give problems I called Wacom, and they referred me to a page on the web listing the places in Canada where replacement parts could be purchased. This turned out to be a list of consumer junk discount mega-stores where, when someone finally answers the phone, they actually laugh at the idea that they would carry small replacement parts. The first store on the list had not heard of Wacom. One does not deal with individual customers, and nobody knew anything about my needed part. Finally I ordered from B&H in Boston, but they sent the wrong part. When I called they said the Wacom no longer made the part that I needed.

    I have wasted far more work time on this than the original cost of the tablet is worth. Had Wacom simply been honest, telling me that this model was no longer made and no longer serviced, I would have been far far better off. Instead they jerked me around so that I wasted valuable time.

    What is the best quality alternative to Wacom? All I plan to do with a new tablet is to clean scans from 35mm slides, and I do not need buttons on the tablet at all. If I want to save the image I can use my keyboard. The buttons on the Wacom that I had were a nuisance until I turned them all off. However, I do not want a surface any smaller than the 6×8. I certainly do not need a mouse to go with the tablet, and I resent having to buy unnecessary items like that. After several years of pondering, I still cannot imagine what I might do with the Wacom mouse. Does anyone make a tablet as capable of fine detail on cleaning images without the extra junk, one that is either cheap enough to replace fairly often, capable of being refurbished, or that will not wear out so fast.

  • http://llikeoavsine.deviantart.com/ Risuna

    thank you for this info – you’ve definitely sold me – my next tablet is gonna be a webcom – I’m just a hobbyist digital artist but i really want to improve my artwork & I believe I need a better tablet *& a better software* to work with ^-^

  • Sheikar

    Hi, if you had thousands of simple road layout drawings that have to be digitally produced,what would be the easiest way to go about it? will a graphics tablets help in this case?

  • sassio

    hello
    can you do the same interesting test “you can compare Cintiq and Intuos series, the task is drawing lines at once while joining the points:”
    with ipad and galaxy note II and galaxy note 10.1 ?

  • Rob.E

    excellent thanks.. :)

  • CAD Guy

    I use autoCAD & need to trace templates that are larger than the tablet size, is that possible?

  • http://www.thebestgraphicstablets.com/ Roy

    For the most part I agree with everything you’ve written here, but lately I don’t know if I would chalk everything under $200.00 into the amateur category. Some other manufacturers are making strides in the graphics tablet technology, plus we have to be honest and admit that every Wacom owner isn’t a happy camper. Anyone can visit their community to research through various complaints. With that said, yes, Wacom is a good, more well respected and trusted tablet for professionals. The Cintiq is a great option if you have the money, if not look at tablets from VisTablet, Monoprice, Adesso, Aiptek, etc. Weigh your options. Some of these may not be Wacom, may come with flaws, just like a Wacom, but may offer all the bells and whistles you need to get by without the hefty price tag. I’m not hating on Wacom, I enjoy their product…but I just want people to make informed decisions rather than uninformed ones.

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