Tablet FAQ (read before asking about tablets)

[starvingartist]

thanks Shou! your a cool guy/chick. its always better getting info on this type of stuff from a fellow artist.

[KuroNekoSama]

I have a question that may or maynot have been asked already. Are the Wacom tablets interchangeable with MAC's? I was going to get a G4 for mah birthday but if my tabby doesnt work for it I may as well just build my own pc so it fits my needs and I was just wondering which way i should go.

Thanks ^_^

[MorFiuM]

what is the size in mm of all the tablets ? just want ot know what im gona deal with in less then two weeks (i buyed a wacom on ebay-at last).
i need the sizes of 4x5 and the one biger !!!6x8 or somtink !!!

[Alphaf]

4x5 inches = 101.6x127 millimeters = 10.2x12.7 centimeters
6x8 inches = 152.4x203.2 millimeters = 15.2x20.3 centimeters

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

[shadowstarre]

(Thanks, Shou!)

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

[MorFiuM]

oh cool...i drawed it on a peace of paper and the 4x5 look prety big !!! i think it will be more then anofe !!!

[KuroNekoSama]

teriffic ^_^ thanks shadowstarre

[Xphy]

i have the 9x12 intuos3 and i lubz it, if it would consent i'd sleep with it. my favourite functions from the wacom stuff is the wonderful little shortchut keys and zoom pad on the sides means i can paint with my feet on the desk and not have to touch my keyboard or mouse.

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.

[CaptainBass]

Kuro,Wacom's definatly work fine with macs.I use a graphire 2 with a G4 Ibook and it works like a dream.

[tell2075]

ive got an aipteck for £20 from ebay and its brill lol its pressure sensitive and is a4 size but i think its a bit too big lol

[jt4470]

anyone ever used a Wacom Artz II tablet? I heard it was mac only, but there are drivers for windows xp, but would it work with sp2 windows xp? Also, how is the tablet? Anyone ever used it?

[Shou]

You need to make sure it even connects to your computer. Thats a VERY old tablet and will probably be using an old type of connector not found on new computers

[jt4470]

yea, it's using an ADP port..

[jt4470]

oh, another question. Where can I get cheap pen nib replacements? Or rather, how do I prevent the nib from wearing down? It's fine for now though.
Oh, and is there a cheaper solution for a tablet that isn't wacom?

[skate_uk]

yeah!! just got myself a tablet today. thought i'd treat myself with my wage packet, and managed to get an A6 sized tablet for £23 over here in jolly old england. its not a wacom but its great for me, takes some time to get used to though.
will be posting some pics soon when im used to it

[PGT]

Originally Posted by aido179 very helpful, but what about us people here in europe? wacom have a europe base thing, they have released a tablet called the volito, i was thinking of getting the volito 2. they seem to cost quite a bit less (even with exchange) than the dollar. its 6x8 i think, its big enough. im getting it for christmas, im not sure how good it is, it sounds alright.

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

[PGT]

Originally Posted by jt4470 oh, another question. Where can I get cheap pen nib replacements? Or rather, how do I prevent the nib from wearing down? It's fine for now though. Oh, and is there a cheaper solution for a tablet that isn't wacom?

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

[PGT]

Originally Posted by KuroNekoSama I have a question that may or maynot have been asked already. Are the Wacom tablets interchangeable with MAC's? I was going to get a G4 for mah birthday but if my tabby doesnt work for it I may as well just build my own pc so it fits my needs and I was just wondering which way i should go. 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

[PGT]

Originally Posted by Xphy 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.

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.

[CaptainBass]

Yo KuroNekoSama, if you get the Mac and a graphire you'll love it.You can get the drivers from the Wacom website easily,and as for the 'annoying ctrl click' comment> 1)it's not annoying its fine 2)The buttons on the side of the wacom pen can be set to be 'right click'.