I am in the market for a graphic tablet. I always hear good things about the Wacom tablets. The only problem with the Wacom is the price. a 4x6 Wacom tablet is the same price as a 9x12 in another brand. I am not tried any other brands personally so I am looking for advice. I have a 24" Imac and I do not know how well a 4x6 will work. Any advice will be great. Thanks
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Graphing Tablet
- Thread starter jdl8422
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DO NOT use any other brand besides Wacom. My boss tried to cheap out on this area and we ended up being guinea pigs for every other option available. Poor OS X support (if any) unreliable pressure sensitivity, buggy software, etc. etc. etc. We ended up with Wacom in the end. I cannot stress this enough - DO NOT buy any other brand.
That said, I have a trio of Intuos 3 tablets. 2 - 9x12 I use everyday at home and work and a 4x5 I take on the road with me. Which model you get depends on what you are using it for. Are you just starting out and just touching up photos/learning Photoshop, drawing programs, etc? If so you could probably get by with the Wacom Graphire. If you're a bit more advanced , want greater pressure sensitivity, etc. go with the Intuos 3 line. A 4x5 will work well with any size screen. If you can afford it go larger if portability and desk space isn't an issue. Any tablet will take a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it you'll love it.
That said, I have a trio of Intuos 3 tablets. 2 - 9x12 I use everyday at home and work and a 4x5 I take on the road with me. Which model you get depends on what you are using it for. Are you just starting out and just touching up photos/learning Photoshop, drawing programs, etc? If so you could probably get by with the Wacom Graphire. If you're a bit more advanced , want greater pressure sensitivity, etc. go with the Intuos 3 line. A 4x5 will work well with any size screen. If you can afford it go larger if portability and desk space isn't an issue. Any tablet will take a bit of getting used to but once you get the hang of it you'll love it.
jdl8422 said:
Anything other than wacom is a false economy unless you like painting with a brick. I would suggest you get a 9x12 wacom as the difference in price between that and a smaller wacom makes the small wacoms very bad value. Remember a good tablet will last you for at least 10 years and there's no reason it won't last 20 years. You don't upgrade tablets with computers or monitors. That's why I'd suggest not less than 9x12. You will never regret buying it. Unless you use a big monitor and like to paint a lot then you might wish you had an A3 tablet.
Wacom all the way.
I use a 6x11 with my 20" ACD and it works great. I suggest getting the 6x11 as it is better oriented to use with widescreen monitors and feels better when used with one compared to using a standard 4:3 ratio tablet like the 4x5, 6x9, etc.
I use a 6x11 with my 20" ACD and it works great. I suggest getting the 6x11 as it is better oriented to use with widescreen monitors and feels better when used with one compared to using a standard 4:3 ratio tablet like the 4x5, 6x9, etc.
have to have wacom. i got a 4"x5" and that is awesome even though it is tiny (I don't have much money)
Since you have a 24", a wide screen is prefect for you. I got my lil bro a Wacom Intuos3 6X11 with a 6D pen.
Bigger is not always better when it comes to graphic tablets. I use a 6x8 Intuos 3 for a 2 monitor setup and I like it. It depends more on your hand movements, some people like small spaces to work with and others like larger ones.
BTW Wacom is the way to go.
BTW Wacom is the way to go.
i have a wacom 9x12 it is great. don't cheap out when it comes to a tablet, you wont be as happy.
9x12 on a 30" monitor is like a little slice of heaven.
9x12 on a 30" monitor is like a little slice of heaven.
I have heard the Wacoms are the way to go, but I use an AIPTEK 12000u 12x9 tablet and have for years. It works very well and cost a lot less then the Wacom. My wife got it as a gift for me about 4-5 years ago. They finally have an OS X driver and it works like a charm in Photoshop and as an input devise.
If we could have afforded the Wacom at the time we would have got it, but this one was $149 and 4-5 years ago that was a steal for the size!
Cheers
If we could have afforded the Wacom at the time we would have got it, but this one was $149 and 4-5 years ago that was a steal for the size!
Cheers
chasingapple said:
A friend recently bought an Aiptek 1200u and I couldn't get it to work even using all the latest drivers. I wrote to the company for some support but I got no answer. I thought the feel of it was very cheap and plasticy. Does the Aiptek pick up bearing and tilt?
dogbone said:
Hmm, drivers worked fine for me, as for bearing and tilt I dont think so. It does have many levels of preasure though.
Wacom 16:9 Intuos 3 here. Love it to bits, have tried other brands and they really are not worth the money, just false economy. Wacom pad will last you longer than the others and is simply the best period.
chasingapple said:
The AIPTEK were one of the garbage brands my IT department bought us - we returned them all and got Wacom instead. When they bought the AIPTEKs had no drivers and did not work at all with Photoshop or Illustrator. Once they did get drivers working the drivers were buggy and didn't work half the time. The company itself never returned one support email or phone call over a the span of a month. You get what you pay for. As far as tablets go Wacom is the only way to go.
I was in the same boat as you jdl8422 . In the end i just saved my money and bought an a3 intuos 3 from wacom. I have never regretted it.
aricher said:
Bummer. I have had mine for 4-5 years now, has worked flawlessly in Windows and OS 9, and now works flawlessly in OS X. Drivers have worked 100% and works in every app I have ever used. Wacom is not the "only" way to go. I'm sorry your experience was not good with the AIPTEK. I also recommend the Wacom though, I have heard from many they are awesome, but like I said this was a present from my wife and has served me for years, completely working
I recently bought a Wacom Graphire4, 6X8. I wish I hadn't. There is a fraction of a second delay when I touch the surface that is oh so annoying. It works pretty well once contact is recognized (aside from the odd bug), but I now wish I had bought into the Intuos line. I may sell this one and do just that, as I now catch myself opting for the mouse as the tool of choice when editing photos. It may be that things will improve when I upgrade from my PPC 1.42 Mac Mini to an Intel machine.
My recommendation is avoid the Graphire4 units and get an Intuos.
My recommendation is avoid the Graphire4 units and get an Intuos.