Total cost of ownership (TCO)

How much it really costs to own a drawing tablet

Overview

The cost of the drawing tablet is often the only cost people consider. However, that is only the most obvious cost, and I suggest everyone get familiar with all the other costs. The sum of all these other costs is the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).

All costs below are rough estimates.

Tablets

Costs of tablets vary significantly based on brand, audience (pro vs non-pro), quality, size etc,

• Pen tablets - from about $50 to $250

• Pen displays - $250 to $3500

• Pen computers - $2500 to $3500

• Mobile computers with pen support - $250 to $1200

Cables

• New tablets usually come with the cables the need. However you may need to purchase cables if you bought your tablet used, or you lose your cables, or you damage your cables.

• Pen tablet cabling - costs not much to replace. $5 to $10

• Pen display cabling - These cabling options are more complex because they have to account for a decent amount of power and bandwidth for the display signal. $30 to $50.

Drawing gloves

These are useful for cases when you want to prevent skin oil from collecting on your tablet and also very useful if your tablet supports touch because they can help aid in palm rejection. $5 to $10/glove

Pens

Pens are a big contributor to TCO. Even though pens come with a tablet, you have to consider their cost. Pens are very easily lost and very easily damaged. Replacement costs vary significantly. At the high end, Wacom's professional pens cost more than some tablets. $30 - $140.

Stands

These are popular for keeping tablets - usually pen displays at an angle. $30 to $100

Monitor arms

Instead of a stand, some people prefer keeping their pen displays on a monitor arm so that they can switch between using them like a monitor and a tablet. $50 to $400

Surface protectors

TBD

Carrying cases

$50 to $200

Cleaning solution for pen displays

$1 per 30ml

Nibs

$1 / nib