Buying used drawing tablets
Overview
We would all like to have completely brand new equipment. However used tablets maybe a way to save a little extra money.`
My experience with used drawing tablets
I have bought and worked with MANY used drawing tablets - 26 used tablets as of April 2024. You can see the list of all my tablets here: my tablets
pen tablets - Pen tablets are generally very reliable devices and are fine to buy used I own many used pen tablets, some over 25+ years old that still work.
pen displays - I have purchased one used pen display.
pen computers - I have no experience with used pen computers. And in general I do not recommend pen computers. See: The case against pen computers
Tablet age
Because the used tablets might be older models, you should prepare for issues that might arise due to their age. More here: Using older drawing tablets
Older drivers
In particular you may need to use older drivers. This comes with its own set of complications. More here: Using older tablet drivers
Which brands for buying used
Wacom products have always been the most reliable and higher quality devices. So even going back years, their models work well. Because Wacom professional pen tablets are the very highest quality, those make great choices for buying used. More here: drawing tablet brands
Used Wacom Intuos professional tablets
There are some factors you MUST take into account when buying them used. I've summarized those issues in this video below. In the description of the video, please make sure to note the errata.
Even though this video is about used pen tablets, I think it may be useful even if you are looking to purchase a used pen display.
Likewise even though this video is about professional tablets, the topics raised also apply to consumer level tablets.
Notes on Wacom drivers
As of Wacom Driver 6.4.0 released in October 2022, Wacom has dropped support for Intuos 5 tablets and older Intuos tablets - except for the Wacom Intuos 4 XL which is still supported. (https://cdn.wacom.com/u/productsupport/drivers/win/professional/releasenotes/Windows_6.4.0.html)
Alternative to Wacom drivers for older tablets
If you have an older tablet and need a driver check out OpenTabletDriver
For creative work in Windows see Using OpenTabletDriver on Windows for drawing
Testing out a tablet before you buy
If you have the opportunity to examine the tablet before you decide to buy, here are some things: Inspecting a tablet.
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