Using a drawing tablet as a mouse replacement
If your are a creative, then it's pretty obvious why there's a benefit to using a drawing tablet instead of a mouse when you are drawing.
Some people simply want to use the drawing tablet as a mouse replacement. They can definitely serve this purpose.
My personal experience
I did this for about 10 years. Although I always had a mouse connected, 99.9% of the time I used a drawing tablet.
Size
I used a MEDIUM sized tablet - something the size of a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium.
For a few years I a SMALL sized tablet - something the size of a Wacom Intuos Pro small. When I was using the small tablet, I was in a non-artistic phase so I was not drawing with it much.
I generally recommend MEDIUM sized tablets as a mouse replacement, but SMALL can work also.
Wrist pain
One of the reasons I avoided using the mouse was that it was causing wrist pain. The pen was helpful in reducing the pain. However, if I do draw a lot over a month or so, I can develop wrist pain. So a drawing tablet might help, but it will not eliminate these kinds of problems.
Holding the pen while typing
To make it easier to switch between typing and using the pen I ALWAYS held the pen in my hand even when typing.
When drawing I held it like you would normally hold a pen, but when I switched to typing, as I extended out my fingers the pen I would rotate the pen so the tip is pointing up and to the side.
Pen pressure
The vast majority of drawing tablets support pressure sensitivity. For a mouse replacement, tilt is not important.
Pen tilt
The vast majority of drawing tablets support tilt. This is useful for art. Even then not all artists use the tilt feature. For a mouse replacement, tilt is not relevant.
Sturdiness
Modern mice are incredibly sturdy devices. They don't even have moving parts except for the buttons. You could drop them from your desk and they will still work.
Drawing tablet pens are much more sensitive. They have more delicate and sensitive parts. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you DO NOT DROP THEM. Sometimes they work perfectly after that. But they can malfunction in all sorts of ways after a drop. And keep in mind that the pens are not cheap. If you need to buy a replacement it will be anywhere from $35 USD to $90 USD.
Pointer positioning
Aspect ratios
Moving the pointer vs clicking
In a a mouse, you can independently move and click. This means you can move the pointer without accidentally clicking.
The same thing works with drawing tablet pen. But you should realize how it works.
To click - you tap down on the tablet with the pen
To move AND click at the same time - you press down on the tablet and move the pen. The click lasts as long as you are touching the tablet.
Holding pointer position completely still
With a mouse this is SUPER EASY you can jsut not move the mouse. And it is EASY to keep a mouse still. You can even let go of the mouse from your hand the pointer won't move.
With a drawing tablet, this is actually very hard. Because you have to HOVER the pen at the exact same spot above the tablet. That is very hard to do, because any motion of your hand will often move the pointer.
Not clicking
It's easy to avoid accidental clicks with a mouse.
With a pen you have to HOVER. And if you accidentally touch the surface it will count as a click.
Drivers
For the vast majority of mice, you can just plug them into a computer and they will "just work". This is because the computer has drivers for mice already installed.
That isn't quite the case for drawing tablets. You will need to install the tablet driver.
Compatibility with apps
Once you install the tablet driver, the tablet is compatible with all applications.
Wired vs Wireless
Mice can be:
Wired only
Wireless only
Wired + Wireless
Drawing tablets can be
Wired only
Wired + Wireless
There are no drawing tablets that are wireless only.
Wireless issues
Latency - There is a little extra latency when using wireless. Some people don't use wireless for this reason.
Interference - Usually tablets use Bluetooth. You may find that devices liek phones when they are close to your tablet may interfere. Usually this takes the form of an unresponsive pen or stuttering of pointer position as you move.
Tablets that work well as mouse replacements
Lots of them would work. The easy choices are:
One by Wacom Small (CTL-472)
One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672)
Wacom Intuos Small (CTL-4100)
Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100)
Other brands also have tablets that work as mouse replacements, but the safe choice is Wacom because of their track record of reliability.
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