Wacom Pen Tablet Review

The mouse has proven to be the main tool for moving a cursor around your computer screen, but for graphic artists, it is way too limiting as a creative tool. You simply cannot draw or do artwork efficiently or easily with a mouse? How else can a designed or artist work on a computer? Digital art needs a digital drawing and input tool, and Wacom has long been the leader in pen tablets and pads. What is a Wacom pad or Wacom tablet? A Wacom pad looks like a large plastic mouse pad. You can use a wireless mouse on it, but it also works with a digital stylus or digital pen, and is the best way to draw on your computer.

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One of the technical marvels of the Wacom tablets is that they are pressure sensitive, with 500 or 1000 levels of sensitivity. So the harder you push, the darker and thicker the lines that are drawn. Of course, you also need art and graphic and drawing software that interfaces with a drawing tablet like this (there are more than 100 software programs built to work with your Wacom tablet and Wacom pen). But combining those two tools, you get the ultimate graphic artist or digital artist work environment where you can use your hand and a pen, yet create dynamic digital output on your screen. If you want to learn how to draw on a computer or how to become a digital artists, these are tools you will need.

Wacom Graphire line

At the low end of their product line is the Graphire tablets. Starting at just $99, these entry level Wacom pen tablets make it easy to draw, write, or annotate on digital photos or other digital artwork. Again, the pad can also be used as your standard mouse input, so it serves double duty when it comes to navigating around your computer screen. The Graphire4 is the latest release, and it comes with Corel Painter Essentials 2 and Adobe Photoshop Elements 3 allowing you to instantly get started on digital drawing and painting.

Wacom Intuos Tablets

For more serious professional artist and users, Wacom makes the Intuos line of digital tablets. They take advantage of more powerful programs like Adobe Photoshop, where you can edit photos, create special hand drawn effects, or create digital artwork and graphics. The tablets have Express keys and Touch Strips, allowing you to access common menus or shortcuts and scroll and zoom easily, all within easy reach on the same tablet, meaning you don't have to jump between keyboard, mouse, and tablet while you are working. Starting at $219, these are more expensive professional tools, but after working with one and feeling the natural performance of these cordless and battery-free tablets, you will be hooked if you are a digital artist. At the even higher end is the Cintiq 21UX and Cintiq 17SX. These are digital drawing tablets build around an LCD acreen, so you are literally drawing and working right on the screen, able to see exactly where your pen is and what you are doing. It's like having a digital drawing pad, where you have a full color, real-time work area. Priced at $1700-$2500, these are no toys though.

Buying a Wacom tablet is easy. Check out most of the online electonic shops, including Amazon. If you are student, you can get a discount at Studica.com or CampusTech.com. Also available at Staples.

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