Shrinking the active area

Overview

You may have a pen tablet with a larger active area than you'd like. For example it may feel like you're having to move your hand too much over the tablet surface in order to draw.

The good news is you can actually configure your pen tablet to use a smaller active area. You can control the active areas dimensions and make them as small as you need so that drawing feels comfortable.

This is something supported in all tablet drivers.

Instruction for for Wacom drivers

• Open the Wacom tablet properties app

• Then go to the Mapping tab

• Enable the force proportions checkbox

• Change tablet area from full to portion

• The Portion of tablet dialog will launch

• At the top part there's a region that shows a red rectangle drawn on top of a photo of tablet.

• Using the corner handles, resize the rectangle roughly to the area you want to use for the active area

  • Don't worry about matching the aspect ratio of your display - the force proportions check box will ensure that the correct aspect ratio is used.

• Now click OK

• And now in the mapping tab you will see a red rectangle that is smaller and has the correct aspect ratio.