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Drawing tablets allow us to intuitively use a digital pen. On this site, I collected all my notes about drawing tablets over the years. If you are looking to buy a tablet, wanting to get help with a problem with your tablet, or just want to understand the technology, then I think you'll find the information you need here.
This site is a personal project and has no affiliation or relationship with any tablet manufacturer. The site also has: no ads, no cookies, no user behavior tracking, no affiliate links, no store.
Beginner's guide - If you are not sure really sure what a drawing tablet is, this is a great place to start.
Buying a drawing tablet - a comprehensive guide about the topics you should consider when purchasing a tablet.
Recommendations - Because I've used so many tablets, I have recommendations about which ones I think will work well.
Troubleshooting guides - for when you need help
Getting started - If you just got your drawing tablet, learn how to set it up and start drawing
If you have questions or comments contact me at thesevenpens@outlook.com
Consider joining the drawing tablet discord: Drawing Tablet discord server
I have several setups ready for testing and trying out drawing tablets. It varies over time and what I am doing. Below is my latest setup as of 2023/08/03.
#1 Primary desktop
Computer: Minisforum HX99G
RAM: 64GB
Storage: 1TB
Tablets
Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860)
Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 (DTH227)
Both tablets are connected at the same time
#2 Drawing desktop
Computer: Microsoft Surface Pro 8
RAM: 32GB
Storage: 1TB
XP-Pen Deco Pro XLW 2nd Gen (MT1592B)
XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 2nd Gen (MD160QH)
#3 Testing desktop
Computers:
Microsoft Surface Pro 8 - Primarily for testing with Open Tablet Driver
M3 MacBook pro - for testing manufacturer drivers
Tablets: various
I love creative tech. I've been using drawing tablets for a long time and wanted share what I learn.
My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thesevenpens
My notes on drawing tablets: https://docs.thesevenpens.com/drawtab/
I tweet occasionally: https://twitter.com/TheSevenPens
I moderate Reddit's /r/drawingtablet and /r/huion
I keep my code on GitHub: https://github.com/TheSevenPens
When I started my YouTube channel I had seven pens from my drawing tablets.
Now I have more than seven pens.
You can see a complete list of the tablets I currently own.
I have multiple desks with a combination of PCs and laptops for trying out different tablets. More here: My tablet setups
My general take on Drawing tablet brands
I don't have any relationship with tablet manufacturers such as Wacom, Huion, XP-Pen, etc. I'm just an enthusiast.
I do not receive tablets from manufacturers. Every tablet I have is a personal purchase.
I do attend public demo events either online or in person if I can.
I run a small discord server for drawing tablets. This is where I can sometimes be found chatting about drawing tablets.
The drivers that manufacturers release for their drawing tablets support Mouse Mode often only on their pen tablets but not on pen displays.
You just need to buy a pen of the SAME EXACT MODEL and it will work with your tablet. You don't even have to connect it - just bring it close to your tablet and it will work.
I have a lot of tablets.
In that list you can see
The tablet name, model number, and brand
When I purchased the tablet
Which store I purchased from
The year the tablet model was released
Whether the tablet was bought new or used
Invite link:
An overview of the brands and my take on some of them are here:
Read :
It is possible in some cases. More here:
YES, It is possible, but be prepared for potential limitations. Read more here:
It really depends on a lot of factors. See the full write up here:
Answer: Yes, but ONLY if the manufacturer recommends it. More here: .
See this:
To avoid the light sources from interfering with using your drawing tablet, Manufacturers apply an anti-glare treatment to drawing tablets. This anti-glare treatment disperses like from the tablet in such a way that you see it as a colorful sparkle. Read more here: .
Answer: YES. But there are some things you should consider if you want to use it this way:
This is temporary phenomena called Image Persistence () This is not a permanent change and is not screen burn in ().
Answer: YES. More here:
See this:
It MAY be possible to fix. More here: .
Answer: YES. All drawing tablets experience some kind of lag. Pen tablets experience less lag than pen displays. However, extreme lag is not normal. You should be able to comfortably draw even if there is some lag. Read my notes on
Yes. More here:
There are quite a few. See this list: .
See:
See this guide:
Answer: I personally do not recommend this,. However. YES it is possible, but BE CAREFUL and DO YOUR RESEARCH. There are potential risks to your pen and tablet. More here:
More here:
See:
It depends. More here:
See:
To see a full list of my tablets:
Some of these tablets are quite old - 10 years, 20+ years. Even though they work perfectly their age does make it more complex to use them. More here:
If you are new to drawing tablets, after reading this guide you'll understand how these devices work and be prepared to use one or to purchase one.
If you are interested in buying a tablet, read this beginner's guide first, then take a look at my guide to Buying a drawing tablet. It has links to my recommendations. If you want to get to beginner recommendations go here: If you are beginner then consider these specific models which are great introduction to drawing tablets. Recommended drawing tablets for beginners.
A drawing tablet is a device that lets you use a digital pen (also called a stylus) as an input device. As you move the pen on the tablet, your operating system pointer around (a.k.a. your mouse cursor) will match that same motion. This demonstrates the first key feature of a drawing tablet - the accurate tracking of the pen's position.
Note that the pens position can be tracked when the pen is making contact with the tablet and even if the pen is not touching the tablet - to a distance of about 10 mm away from the tablet. This ability to track the pen's position at a distance is called pen hover.
A drawing tablet knows how hard you are pressing down on with the tip of the pen. This is called pressure sensitivity. Pressure is very important for creative applications. For example, in painting application it can enlarge the size of your brush strokes based on the pressure. So small amounts of pressure result in thin strokes and pressing down harder will make the strokes thicker.
Most drawing tablets also detect how the pen is tilted relative to the surface of the tablet. This pen tilt detection is also useful for creative applications. For example, it can also be used to alter the size of stroke such that increased tilt results in an thicker stroke.
Pen tablets are the simplest and least expensive kind of drawing tablet. They are often called: "screenless tablets" or "non-screen tablets".
They DO NOT have an embedded display
They REQUIRE A COMPUTER to be used.
They REQUIRE A MONITOR attached the the computer or that the computer is a laptop.
The key skill required to use a pen tablet is that you must adjust to your hand drawing on one surface (the tablet) while you are looking at another surface (your monitor). Most people can adjust to this immediately or within a few days, but some people find this weird and for them one of the other device options may be a better choice.
Pen tablets cost between $50 to $500.
Pen displays are drawing tablets that have an embedded display panel. They are also called: "screen tablets", "display tablets".
Key attributes:
They DO have an embedded display
They REQUIRE A COMPUTER to be used.
A pen display may look like a laptop or an iPad. However unlike those devices you should be aware that the tablet will always have to have at least one cord coming from it that is connected to a computer.
Pen displays cost between $300 to $3500.
Pen computers are essentially laptops with an embedded pen tablet. You don't need them to be connected up to a separate computer to work. Because pen computers have a CPU, they are running an operating system and all current pen computers use Microsoft Windows. Some people love using pen computers but I don't recommend pen computers. Instead, I recommend you choose a mobile computer with pen support.
Pen computers cost between $1000 to $3500.
These are NOT drawing tablets, but because they are very very similar to pen computers in that they are standalone and you can use a pen to draw with them - we can talk about them as an viable alternative to a pen computer.
But the key difference is a pen computer is intended for drawing, whereas a mobile computer with pen support is meant for general purpose use, but also you can use a pen do draw.
Sometimes the drawing experience with a mobile computers can really rival that of a pen computer. Sometimes they even use the same pen technology. But other times, they use a different technology and the drawing experience is not as good or may be missing features. So you have to carefully choose which devices you pick here.
In this category I think the Apple iPad provides the most compelling experience, followed closely by a Samsung Galaxy Tab S9.
More here: Using an iPad as a drawing tablet
Drawing - Of course, many people use drawing tablets for drawing, sketching, painting, photo-editing etc. All the fundamental creative tasks.
Gaming - Drawing tablets are popular for some games. More here: Gaming with drawing tablets
Mouse replacement - Using a drawing tablet as a simple mouse replacement. Some people find a pen more comfortable to hold than a mouse. More here: Using a drawing tablet instead of a mouse
Whiteboarding - especially with so many online meetings and remote learning. Many people use a drawing tablet with virtual whiteboard software.
Educational videos - They are popular for creating videos in the same style as "Khan Academy".
Document markup and review - They are useful for going through documents and annotating them with other notes and corrections.
Note taking - Especially with pen computers, students for example, take them to their classes and write down their notes digitally. More here: Taking notes with drawing tablets
Wacom is THE UNDISPUTED LEADER of drawing tablets and have been for 40 years. They are the best and also the most expensive. But there are many other brands out there. You should familiarize yourself with them before you buy a drawing tablet. Learn more here: Drawing Tablet Brands
Tracking pen position - any modern drawing tablet does a good job with this. Learn more here: Pen tracking
Hover - Tablets detect the position of the pen even when the pen does not touch the surface of the tablet - usually up to a distance of 10 mm. All drawing tablets support hover. More here: Pen hover
Pen pressure - The pen detects how hard you are pressing on its tip. All modern pens detect about 8192 levels of pressure. But even 2048 would be enough for any creative use. Learn more here: Pen pressure.
Pen tilt - Pen tilt is useful if you work with a creative application with brushes respond to tilt. Learn more here: pen tilt.
Pen buttons - Pens usually feature two buttons. By default these buttons will act as a left mouse click and a right mouse click. You can configure the buttons to perform other actions. More here: pen buttons
ExpressKeys - These are buttons or dials on the tablet. Not all tablets have them, but many do. You can configure express keys to perform actions like undo, change brush size, change zoom, etc. Learn more here: ExpressKeys
Touch - A small number of tablets support touch. In summary, touch for tablets has never come close to how well it works with the iPad. More here: touch support
The active area is the region on the tablet that your draw on. More here: active area.
When we talk about the "size" of a drawing tablet - we are referring to the size of the active area. Different people have different needs for size. To learn how to find the right size, look here: Choosing the right tablet size
When you connect a tablet to your computer, the computer needs to know how to use that tablet with a special app called a "tablet driver". If you do not install the driver, then the tablet will not work correctly. Installing the tablet driver requires administrator permissions on your computer. More here: drivers.
All pen tablets can be connected with a single USB cable. Many pen tablets (but not all) can be connected wirelessly - for example via Bluetooth.
Pen displays do NOT have any wireless options. There is always at least one cable used with a pen display. Pen displays are more varied than pen tablets in how the cabling works. In truth, connecting a pen display can be very complicated. It's very important you understand how a pen display will connect to your computer before you purchase a pen display. More here: connecting a pen display to a computer
Any application on your computer, will treat the pen just as if you have a mouse. So, broadly speaking, all applications are compatible with drawing tablet. If the tablet driver is installed, then Pen-aware applications take advantage of special features of the pen such as pressure, tilt, etc. Great examples of pen-aware applications are Krita and Clip Studio Paint, which are popular drawing applications. More here: applications
At the end of the pen that touches the tablet is a little replaceable nib. Mostly these nibs are plastic and sometimes felt. Nibs wear down over time. Fast fast it wears down depends on a lot of factors. If it wears down too much, it might scratch the tablets. So, before it wears down too much you should replace your nib with a fresh one. More here: nib wear
A drawing tablet uses absolute positioning and a mouse uses relative positioning. They behave very differently. More here: absolute versus relative positioning. Using the tablet driver, you can mmake the tabletke tablet and pen work more like a mouse by using mouse mode.
Drawing tablets typically use a technology called Electromagnetic Resonance (EMR). One key benefit of EMR is that EMR pens don't need a battery inside, the pens get their energy just by being near the tablet. More here: EMR tablet technology
Most people buy drawing tablet to create digital art. I've collected some links below to help them get started on this journey.
I do recommend you get a drawing tablet for digital art, but remember you don't have to force yourself to use a tablet for everything.
Many people use tablets in addition to other techniques. For example, some people draw on paper and then photograph or scan the drawing to get it into their computer. From there, they just finish up their work with a drawing tablet.
If you just acquired a drawing tablet and want to start using it, this guide will lead you through the basics.
Read the manual for your tablet. You don't need to even open the box. You can download the manual from the manufacturer website.
If drop the pen to the floor, usually it will be unharmed.
When you are not using it make sure its stored in such a way it doesn't fall off your desk.
HOWEVER, sometimes a pen seems to hit just right and the fall can damage the pen.
The pen has somewhat delicate parts inside and is the most likely thing you will break. If you lose or damage your pen, there are some things you need to know:
Pens are surprisingly expensive to replace.
Some pens cost half the cost of the tablet
Some pens (especially Wacom Pro pens) are more expensive than the tablets of other brands.
You need the tablet driver installed for the tablet to work correctly.
You can go to the manufacturer site and download the driver and install now before your tablet even arrives.
If the tablet driver is installed, when you connect the tablet with USB cable the driver will just detect the tablet and the pen will work as soon as it comes close to the tablet (about 10mm)
The drivers install an app you can use to configure the driver. The apps have different names depending on your tablet brand
Pen tablet - There will be a simple USB cord. These days the cords are all USB-C cords.
Some pen tablets ALSO support wireless connection. For now ignore wireless. It just adds more complication. Get it working with a cable first
If the pen is in range (about 10mm) of the tablet or touching the tablet , then moving the pen will move the mouse pointer.
If the pen is not touching the tablet, it will be like your are not pressing down any mouse buttons
if the pen is touching the tablet, it will be like you are holding down the left mouse button
In drawing apps which are pen aware can take advantage of other features like pressure and tilt.
If you are using a drawing program, You don't need to hold down any button for it to draw, just put touch the pen to the tablet.
The active area on the tablet is the region of the tablet that is sensitive to the pen.
Wacom calls this the "Active Area" in their docs. In their driver, it is called "Mapping"
Huion calls this the "Working Area"
I will always call it the "active area" because that is the oldest term for it.
Go into the driver and and find the active area and get familiar with what it looks like. It's one of the most common things you'll need to adjust.
This step is needed for pen tablets (the ones without a screen)
The active area can be mapped to 1 of your displays or multiple displays.
For now, map the active area to a single display.
This step is needed for pen tablets (the ones without a screen). You don't have to do this for other kinds of tablets.
This step is important for pen tablets. If you don't do this there will be a distortion as you draw - in other words tracing out a perfect circle on the tablet will draw an oval on the screen.
Nadiaxel - 2022/07/04
Brad Colbow - 2020/02/24
Trent Kaniuga - 2022/03/02
Marc Brunet - 2020/12/12
Oct 4, 2022
Sep 11, 2022
I suggest you first read
If you don't have a drawing tablet, then try this .
Make sure you know the model number of the tablet. This will help you in many ways later. More here: .
Make sure you know how to for your tablet manufacturer
First drawing tablets are generally only compatible with the pen they came with or a small number of pens. So note down the model number of the pen. You will need this to get a replacement. More here:
More here:
Pen display - There are several options. See
If you encounter a "NO SIGNAL" message, follow these troubleshooting steps:
Once the tablet driver is installed and the tablet is connected it will detect the pen. It will treat the pen just like a mouse. (except a mouse uses relative positioning and the pen uses absolute positioning. more here: )
More here:
Change the active area settings to use the same aspect ratio as the screen. Explanation and instruction here: .
Perform this configuration:
Krita - I highly recommend you Install . It is a FREE and good drawing app. Eve if you are not going to draw anything, it is useful for testing and troubleshooting.
Kleki - is a FREE web-based app that is very simple. It's ideal I think for something for kids to start with before they try something complicated like Krita.
Clip Studio Paint - I draw a lot of illustrations so I pay for a subscription to .
Photopea () is a web-based Photoshop-like app. It is very good and also has a free tier.
- this is THE drawing app to get if you are drawing on an iPad.
- this is the equivalent of Procreate, but for Android devices.
Other applications - Look here to find a large number of applications to explore:
Drawing tablets are heavily used for creating educational content. For example you've probably seen the Khan Academy videos and those are created with a drawing tablet.
For this you want high reliability and durability and you DO NOT need to spend a lot of money buying a fancy tablet. And for those reasons I'll keep the recommendations short:
Pressure support - Will help you strokes look more natural. All drawing tablets have this pressure support.
Tilt - not needed for education use. More of an artist thing.
Tablet buttons (aka. ExpressKeys) - I think they can come in very useful for people. For some people these are critical. No harm in getting them, you can always disable them.
Size - Medium or Small. I always recommend medium. Even though some people are OK with small tablets, I do see a far number of people say the small size makes their hand feel cramped.
Pen tablets (no screen)
One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672)
Pressure: YES
Tilt: NO
Tablet Buttons: NO
Wireless: NO
Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100 or CTL-6100WL)
Pressure: YES
Tilt: NO
Tablet buttons: YES
Wireless: Only the CTL-6100WL supports wireless
Pen displays (have a screen)
XP-Pen Artist 12 GEN2 (CD120FH)
Pressure: YES
Tilt: YES
Tablet buttons: YES
Wireless: NO
XP-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 (CD130FH)
Pressure: YES
Tilt: YES
Tablet buttons: YES
Wireless: NO
Wacom One GEN1 (DTC-133)
Pressure: YES
Tilt: YES
Tablet buttons: NO
Wireless: NO
Sal Khan uses a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium for his videos. That is an AMAZING tablet, but honestly overkill. You can get by with a much less expensive tablet.
Which specific model of Intuos Pro he is using?
It does NOT look to be the latest model of Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660). You can tell this because in one of his videos he shows the tablet and I can see some things that clearly mark it as an older tablet.
The pen does not look like the Wacom Pro Pen 2 that comes with the PTH-660
The USB-cable connects with a thicker end and is not the L-shaped connector that comes PTH-660
The back of the tablet has the older Wacom branding.
Note that the Khan Academy has this document What software program/equipment is used to make Khan Academy videos? In that doc, they say he uses a Wacom Bamboo tablet. I suspect this probably was true at some point, but he clearly no longer uses it.
Teach with Khan - Sal's Tips for Creating Blackboard Videos for Remote Learning - this is the video where he shows that he uses Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet.
ClassPoint - Best Way to Use Wacom Tablet for Online Teaching with PowerPoint [One by Wacom] Dec 2, 2020
GRUMO - Teach with a Tablet (Full Tutorial + Demo) May 26, 2020
My hobby concerning drawing tablets is centered largely around creatives - people who are drawing, sketching, etc. Despite using tablets for well over a decade, only in 2022 did I discover people were using drawing tablets for games. And some of these games are quite popular.
osu! is a popular rhythm game and many of its players use drawing tablets instead of a mouse. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osu!)
Example of someone playing osu! with a tablet <- this video is relatively well known in the osu! community.
They have about 1.7M monthly active users who play osu!
You can get the live stats from here: https://stats.circleclickers.com/
While creatives tend to use their drawing tablets in standard ways, osu! players do a number of quite surprising things:
Players use tablets of various sizes: Small, Medium, and Large. Small is the most popular based on the videos I've seen.
Players often customize the active area to be surprisingly small - much smaller than even the default active area. In the video above, notice how the player moved the pen only in a tiny region of that tablet.
Players often do not use manufacturer drivers, but instead they use OpenTabletDriver because:
OTD has less lag than manufacturer drivers
OTD is highly customizable through it's plug-in system
OTD works across many tablet models
OTD works on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Drag players play with the pen touching the surface of the tablet.
Hover players don't let the pen touch the tablet surface.
There are various clicking styles used by osu! players.
click by tapping the pen on the tablet
click by using the keyboard
click by alternating between the pen tapping and keyboard presses
Some osu! players - at least the ones I communicate with regularly - are remarkably knowledgeable about drawing tablets.
They know a tremendous amount about the hardware, drivers, etc. Some conduct original research and testing of tablets. Some write code for OpenTabletDriver.
I would consider them absolute experts - far beyond any drawing tablet reviewer out there and myself.
They are also incredibly sensitive to microscopic behaviors, latencies, etc. in drawing tablets - far more than someone who has typically has used tablets only for creative tasks.
Players do advanced customization of osu! through OpenTabletDriver plug-ins. Some examples:
Circular/Elliptical tablet areas
Rotated tablet areas
Live active area randomization
More here: Buying a drawing tablet for osu!
Players using drawing tablets for FPS games is less common than for Rhythm games, but this is the preferred input device for some people.
example: (video)
Almost certainly you've used a mouse with a computer, and this this document will help you understand how using a drawing tablet with its pen differs from using a mouse.
With a drawing applications you'll notice that the strokes drawn with a mouse have a rougher stair-step effect and in general are not as smooth.
Position smoothing (aka "stabilization") is one of these techniques. However, Some apps may allow position smoothing with drawing tablets but not with mice.
Here's what Krita currently does:
Basic smoothing: applies ONLY to drawing tablets
Weighted smoothing: applies BOTH to drawing tablets and mice
Here's what Clip Studio Paint does:
Stabilization: applies ONLY to drawing tablets
With a mouse, you move the pointer and clicks only happen when you take a very conscious effort to click a mouse button.
A drawing tablet feels very different. To move the pointer and avoid clicking you hover the pen over the drawing tablet (up to about 10mm) and this will move the pointer without clicking. If you touch the pen to the tablet however, this will count as a click.
So with a drawing tablet you have to get used to hovering and only pressing down when you want to click.
With a mouse it's usually pretty easy to put the pointer on a single pixel and keep it there. You can just move the mouse and once the pointer is where you want it, it's easy to hold the mouse in that position. Or you can even let go of the mouse and the pointer will stay there.
Drawing tablets feel very different in this regard. First, you can't touch the tablet with the pen you have to hover the pen over that spot. While it is very easy to hover in a general location (a couple of pixels wide) its much harder to keep the pen over a specific pixel while hovering because you hand will move around a bit. Also most drawing tablet pens are sensitive to the tilt of the pen, and so if you tilt the pen it may cause some movement in the mouse pointer.
Mice are really good at this. Once the pointer is where you want it, you can click the buttons and this can be done without changing the pointer location.
This is much harder with a pen. First there is the general difficulty of keeping the pointer on a specific pixel. And then, if you press the buttons on the pen, this will almost always change the position of the pen and thus the pointer.
if you are drawing strokes or painting in an app like Clip Studio Paint or Krita, then a drawing tablet will feel MUCH more natural.
If you are layout out shapes and creating vector shapes in applications like Illustrator, a mouse might actually be better because they are easier to keep in a specific pixel location. For example, I normally just use a mouse when I use illustrator.
Using a mouse can place strain on your wrist. Drawing tablets are generally less stressful on your wrist. However, they also can place strain.
Mice get their power from either a cable or they use batteries.
Modern drawing tablets all support wired connection through USB. Some tablets also support wireless connection through bluetooth.
The pens for a modern drawing tablet neither use a cable nor do they have batteries. Instead they get power simply from being near the drawing tablet.
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.
But some people, simply want to use the drawing tablet as a mouse replacement in general.
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.
Ergonomics
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.
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.
Other experiences
Lots of them would work. The easy choices are:
One for Wacom Small CTL-472
One for Wacom Medium CTL-672
Wacom Intuos Small CTL-4100
Wacom Intuos Medium CTL-6100
Generally, I would suggest a medium size, though small can work also.
-
Wacom community forums:
To file a support ticket: You can file a support ticket with Wacom at this link:
-
Support page:
Mice and drawing tablets have very different positioning strategies. Mice use relative positioning. Drawing tablets use absolute positioning. Learn more here: . Drawing tablets can simulate relative positioning if needed with . However, I don't recommend using mouse mode.
There are many techniques and features to help you draw smooth strokes. Some will work for both mouse and tablet, and some are specific to drawing tablets. More here: .
Make sure you match aspect ratios when you are using a pen tablet so that drawing feels natural and your strokes are not distorted. More here:
Here's a detailed write up of someone's experience: ()
Feb 24, 2020
What it feels like to draw on a drawing tablet
The easiest way to understand what it feels like to draw on a drawing tablet is to compare it to drawing with pen and paper.
A pen display works just like pen and paper in the sense that you can exactly see what you're drawing. More specifically your eyes are looking at what you're drawing.
With a pen tablet things are very different - your hand is drawing in one place but you're looking somewhere else to see what's being drawn. So fundamentally using a pen tablet works differently than pen and paper.
Because it is more clear what the pen is doing with the pen display many people who use append display say that they “get the stroke right the first time”.
With a pen tablet people often feel like they have to make the stroke multiple times to get it right and have to press undo to erase Any errant strokes.
I would generally agree with this feeling. When I want to get a drawing done faster especially if I have a general sense of what it is I want to draw then I do work faster with the pen display and I find that I have to press undo far less often.
With a pen display, things are natural. You see the pen in the same place the stroke is being drawn - just like when you use pen and paper.
And just like pen-and-paper, your own hand and the pen will block your eyes from seeing the display. The easy solution to this is to reposition your eyes or take advantage of the canvas zoom and rotation features of your drawing app.
With a pen tablet, you are looking at a monitor but drawing somewhere else with your hand. Fundamentally this is no different than using a mouse. So this is kind of a convenience actually since you never have to worry about the positions of your hands. They can be anywhere and they will never block what you see.
Because a pen display works like pen and paper almost everyone can immediately start using a pen display. It's just kind of obvious how it works. And especially these days with so many people having used devices like iPads. They know how to deal with the screen that they can interact with.
For pen tablets things get a little more complicated. I would say that 80% of people can immediately or at least in a few minutes get comfortable using a pen tablet. Another 10% of people will take anywhere from a couple of days to maybe a couple of weeks to adjust to a pen tablet. And the remaining 10% of people will never be able to adjust to a pen tablet. For them it will never feel natural to use. And they are better off getting a pen display.
Unfortunately without trying a pen tablet it's really difficult to tell if you would fall into the 10% of people who just can't use pen tablets..
With a pen display, the active are and the screen have the same size. This means the pen will draw exactly where you see it draw.
With a pen tablet, the active area where you raw is separate from the monitor where you see the your strokes. Unless specifically configured in the driver, this will cause your strokes to be distorted. For example if you draw a circle on the tablet it will show up as an oval on the screen. It is easy to fix this problem in the driver. More here: match aspect ratios between pen tablets and monitors.
I want to help you make an informed choice when purchasing a drawing tablet. My goals are to (1) save you money, (2) ensure you aren't disappointed with your purchase, and (3) prevent you from damaging your tablet or pen.
If you are new to drawing tablets, read this first: Beginner's guide to drawing tablets. This buying guide builds on the beginner's guide. If you also just want to quickly get to some beginner recommendations then go here: Recommended drawing tablets for beginners.
If you prefer a watching a video ...
7P - Drawing Tablet Buying Guide (2023) Episode 2 2023/11/16
If you are ready to buy a tablet, go ahead to my tablet recommendations. Those recommendations should help you narrow your search. The recommendations cover pen tablets, pen displays, and pen computers across multiple price ranges.
I strongly urge you to read this buying guide and beginner's guide completely before you jump directly to the recommendations.
The most fundamental choice to make is the kind of drawing tablet you want:
pen tablet - does NOT have a screen and requires a computer to use
pen display - has a screen and requires a computer to use
standalone tablet - has a screen and can be used my itself without being connected to a computer.
Get a pen tablet (no screen) unless you are absolutely sure that you MUST have a pen display (has a screen). More here: Pen tablets vs pen displays
If you really need need one that is standalone get an iPad or a Samsung Galaxy Tab.
If you are a beginner I have simplified the options for you: Recommended drawing tablets for beginners.
If you want a safe choice, go with Wacom. They are also the most expensive. Competitors such as Huion, XP-Pen, and Xencelabs are closing the gap with Wacom. This guide on drawing tablet brands will help understand how to compare the brands.
If you decide on Wacom and want a pen tablet, read this guide: Overview of Wacom pen tablets. In the future, I'll add a doc covering Wacom pen displays.
I have links to information, reviews, and my notes on tablets in the product info section.
Size - Tablets come in a variety of sizes. The size has a BIG impact on the ergonomics of using the tablet. And different sizes serve different user needs. This guide on choosing the right tablet size will help you find a size size that works for you.
Pressure - The pen can detect how much pressure you are putting on its tip. All drawing tablets sense pressure. More info: pressure.
Initial Activation Force (IAF) is smallest pressure that activates the pen. In general you want a pen that has a low (<=3gf) IAF. Modern drawing tablet pens are around this value.
The maximum pressure is the most pressure the pen can detect. The pressure range is the difference between the maximum pressure and IAF. Higher maximum pressure means that the pressure range is wide and is better for drawing because it lets you have better control over how pressure affects your stroke.
Tilt can be very useful for for certain kinds of artwork. If you are just taking notes it may not be useful at all. Almost all modern tablets support tilt, except for some consumer Wacom tablets. More here tilt.
EMR resolution - This is how accurately the tablet can sense different positions of the pen. In other words, this is the tablet's ability to detect very tiny position changes. Most tablets have a reported LPI of 5080. 5080 lines per inch translates to 200 lines per mm. Without getting into details, Wacom tech is superior here, but if you are drawing you will not notice this.
Diagonal wobble - All drawing tablets all have some wobble when moving the pen at an angle - it is strongest at 45 degrees. Some have a lot and some have very little or almost none. You may be very sensitive to the wobble. Be aware of this affect and make sure the tablet you buy doesn't have too much wobble. More here: diagonal wobble.
ExpressKeys are additional inputs (buttons, dials, scroll wheels, etc.) on the tablet. Some tablets have them and some don't. They allow you to easily perform certain tasks without touching the keyboard. You should decide if they are important for you. Read more here: ExpressKeys
Touch - A few drawing tablets support touch. Overall touch is not great. I do not recommend buying a drawing tablet if you expect the touch support to be on par with an iPad. You will be disappointed. More here: Touch support
Anti-glare sparkle - To prevent glare, pen displays have an anti-glare treatment applied to them. This will produce a kind sparkle effect. Some pen displays have a lot of it and some a little. Some people can tolerate it. Some people hate seeing it. More here: Anti-glare sparkle.
Display resolution - Choosing the display resolution.
Parallax - Parallax is the apparent disagreement between the location of the physical tip of the pen and the and where the computer thinks the tip of the pen is. This is another thing, some people are more sensitive to. Learn more here: parallax.
Lamination - Lamination can decrease parallax. I highly recommend getting a pen display that has lamination. Learn more here: lamination
NO SIGNAL - The most common problem with pen displays is something called NO SIGNAL. If you are interested in pen displays you should be prepared to deal with this topic. See Troubleshoot the NO SIGNAL problem.
Even though a pen display is meant to draw on you can use it exactly like a normal monitor. Learn more here: Using a pen display as a monitor.
Display Panel tech - There are many different display panel technologies used in pen displays. These include IPS, TN, VA, OLED. IPS panels represent the vast majority of display panels used in pen displays. I recommend going with IPS panels. As of May 2024, we seen a few OLED-base displays but we don't know yet how OLED will work in terms on longevity compared to IPS.
Pen tablets can all be connected with a single USB cable. Most pen tablets even support wireless connectivity - usually via Bluetooth. Be aware that many tablet models have wireless and non-wireless versions with slightly different names and model numbers. Be sure which one you are buying.
Pen displays ALWAYS require at least 1 cable. As the pen display size starts getting to 16" and above, they tend to require at least 2 cables due to the increased power required by the display. Pen displays have many more connection options. Its a common mistake to buy a pen display and then realize you have no way to connect it to your computer. So please invest time understanding connection options BEFORE you make a purchase. More here:
Drawing tablets well work with computers and laptops running popular operating systems. More here:
Macs
Drawing tablets work to some extent with other kinds of devices. More here:
Thickness - Pen tablets are very then these days - about 8mm. Pen displays are thicker. Smaller pen displays can be around 10mm but as their size grows they get thicker - for example 35mm. Lately (2024) some pen displays are starting to use OLED display panels and are getting very then. For example the Wacom Movink 13 (DTH-135) is about 6mm thick.
Surface texture - If you are drawing, you might have strong preferences of what the texture of your tablet feels like. All drawing tablets have some surface texture but there is quite a bit of variation. There are even ways to achieve the texture you want. For example, many people want their tablet to have a rougher texture like paper. Learn more here: Surface texture
Body posture - With a pen tablet, your torso will naturally have a more vertical posture. This is because you will be looking at your monitor while you hand rests on the pen tablet which is on your desk. With a pen display, you will be leaning over a bit to draw since you must look at the pen tablet on you desk. You may experience lower back pain or strain on your neck from looking down. More here: Body posture when using drawing tablets
Arm mounting - Pen displays are essentially monitors, and many (but not all), pen displays have a VESA mount on the back that you can put the pen display on. This will allow you to use keep the pen display away and use it like a secondary display and then pull it close when you want to draw. Pen tablets do not have any kind of built in ability to be mounted like that. See: Using monitor arms with a pen display
Legs - Many pen displays (not not all) have foldable legs on the back. This allows you to keep the pen display at a slight angle on your desk which makes it a bit easier to see and draw on. Pen tablets do not have legs. If you want to place them at an angle, you will need to find and purchase some other solution.
Right-handed vs left-handed use - All drawing tablets work for people who are right-handed or left-handed. In some cases (usually due to the layout of the tablet buttons) you may need to configure the tablet to be used correctly in a left-handed way. See handedness of drawing tablets.
Noise - You may have strong preferences about noise. Generally drawing tablets are considered very quiet, and some are completely silent. More details here: Noise
Heat - Drawing tablets are either room temperature or slightly warm depending on the kind of drawing tablet. More here: Heat
Drawing - Drawing with a drawing tablet very similar to but different from drawing on paper. And there is a big difference between how it feels to draw with pen displays versus pen tablets. You must understand the differences to help you choose between a pen tablet or pen display. More here: The drawing experience and here Learning digital art
Taking notes - I don't typically recommend pen tablets or pen displays for note taking. But some people really do like doing this. Instead I suggest standalone devices like an iPad which I think work much better. More here: Taking notes with drawing tablets
Educational videos - You've probably seen those Khan academy videos. Those are done with a drawing tablet. More here: making educational videos. More here: Making educational videos with a drawing tablet
Gaming - some people actually play games with drawing tablets. More here: Gaming with a drawing tablet
Playing osu! - If you want to play osu!, there are very specific drawing tablets you should consider. More here: Buying a drawing tablet for osu!
Tablet names are confusing and often misleading. Make sure you make your decisions based on the model number. More here: Model names vs model numbers
There are a lot of applications that work well with pen tablets depending on what you want to do. More here: Applications. Here are the apps I specifically use: Recommended apps
If you buy a used tablet, you could save yourself some significant money but you should be prepared for the issues you might face buying a used tablet. More here: Buying a used tablet
Depending on the kind of tablet it will draw different amounts of power. Pen tablets requrie very little. Pen displays need much more. Some pen tablets even have batteries so that they can work wirelessly. More here: Powering a drawing tablet
Drawing tablets have been released over many years. That means when you shop online you are going to be seeing many models both old and new and that can get very confusing.
Wacom - Wacom models from any year are good quality. However keep in mind over time their latest drivers will drop support for older models.
Huion & XP-Pen - Huion and XP-Pen have so many models and some that use older pen tech are released in the same year as tablets that use newer pen tech. The easiest way to know whether you are getting a truly more modern tablet is be looking at the pen it is compatible with.
XP-Pen: Look for tablets that have X3 in their name
These are the X3 Elite, X3 Roller, and X3 Pro
Huion: Look for tablets that use more recent Huion PenTech versions:
PenTech 3.x: PW517, PW515, PW110, PW500, PW500S
PenTech 4.0: PW600, PW600S
The PenTech 4.0 Pens are better than the PenTech 3.x pens
More here: Huion pens
Troubleshooting - At some point, something is going to go wrong. I highly suggest you familiarize yourself with the Common problems with drawing tablets and be aware of these Troubleshooting guides.
Accessories - There are some interesting accessories for a tablet. More here: Accessories
Purchasing - Before you actually purchase the tablet. Go through this Before-purchase checklist.
Getting started - Once you get your tablet, here's a guide to setting it up for the first time: Get started with a drawing tablet
Maintenance - Once you get your tablet, you'll need to take care of it and perform some simple maintenance. I've written a guide on this: Caring for your tablet.
Taking notes is a popular scenario for drawing tablets.
Generally I believe you will get the most natural experience taking notes if you use a standalone tablet or dedicated note taking devices. Because both these kinds of devices have screens, are portable, and don't require a computer to use. And this makes them very convenient for taking notes.
On the other hand some people enjoy taking notes with pen tablets (screenless tablets) or pen displays (screen tablets).
Besides locating the position of the pen there are two pen features to discuss.
pen pressure - this is somewhat useful for taking notes because it will make your notes look a bit more natural.
pen tilt - for taking notes, I don't think this is very important at all. And many note taking apps ignore this feature entirely.
Some people can work very well with using a pen tablet for taking notes. Though I'm not one of these people. The chief difficulty in taking notes with the pen tablet is that you cannot see what you are writing and instead you have to look at the screen of your computer. Some find this difficult for taking notes . But for others it works very well.
Considerations:
Size. Small pen tablets don't offer much space for writing and it can feel cramped. A medium pen tablet is better, but then it takes up much more space.
Wireless. You might prefer to get a pen tablet that supports a wireless connection. Because it can be a little irritating to have the tablet always physically connected to the computer.
Recommended pen tablets
If you do want to use a pen tablet for taking notes here are some devices that will work well and don’t cost too much. You can even find them for less cost on eBay.
Wacom One Medium (CTL-672)
Wacom One Small (CTL-472)
Pen displays, because they do have a screen, generally feel more natural for note taking than a pen tablet. However the chief problem with the pen display is that it requires connection with the computer.
Considerations:
Size - a 13" or smaller pen display should work fine. In fact 13" may even be a bit large for this purpose.
Wireless. A pen display will always have at least one wire that needs to be connected to the computer.
Power. The pen display will draw a significant amount of power from your laptop. And this will really reduce the battery life of your laptop.
Complex connection. Ideally you would use a single cable to connect a pen display to a computer. But for various reasons this is not always possible. As an alternative you may be required to have a more complex cabling arrangement - often using a 3-in-1 cable. More here about using one USB-C cable with a pen display.
Pointer lag. Pen displays have a lot of pointer lag - this can be very difficult to deal with when taking notes - especially if you write fast. More here: lag
Dropping the tablet. If you are note taking in a location where you might drop your pen display, in many cases you will either experience a cracked screen or simply break the tablet entirely.
See the note taking section here: Applications
Occasionally if you're going to buy a tablet you might have an opportunity to try the tablet out before you purchase it. This is often a case when you're getting the tablet from a friend or purchasing it used.
I highly recommend that you test out the tablet before the purchase. This will save you a lot of headaches and disappointment later on.
For the sake of this discussion I'm going to assume that you're going to bring a laptop with you and use the tablet with that laptop.
Preparation:
Have the applications installed on the laptop that you're going to use with the tablet. I always test with Krita in addition to any other apps.
Depending on the brand of the tablet you're considering purchasing make sure you have the latest drivers for that tablet installed.
Connectivity
Conduct the tests with a wired connection.
Any then verify they work with wireless connection
Drawing
Check if the pen works in all locations on the active area
Check if the pressure smoothly going from zero to 100
Check tilt works in all directions
Check that the pointer generally stays where the tip of the pen is even if you tilt the pen.
Check that location of pen is tracked accurately in over the entire surface of the tablet
Check if all the buttons, dials, work. A quick way to test this is to map the buttons to keypresses. Then you can open a notepad app and press the express keys and see it typing things
Check for stuck or dead pixels
Check for basic color and brightness
All pen displays have more pointer lag than pen tablets. Verify if you are OK with the amount it has.
All pen displays have some minor edge and corner inaccuracy in tracking the pen location. Check this to see how much there is and if you are OK with this.
Verify you are OK with the anti-glare sparkle on the screen. Some people are very sensitive to this.
There should be no cuts or scratches deep enough that you can feel them through the pen
Are you getting replacement nibs with the pen?
We would all like to have completely brand new equipment. However used tablets maybe a way to save a little extra money.`
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
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
In particular you may need to use older drivers. This comes with its own set of complications. More here: Using older tablet drivers
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
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.
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)
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
If you have the opportunity to examine the tablet before you decide to buy, here are some things: Inspecting a tablet.
You can find many tablets on eBay and I've had a good experience with the 25+ tablets I've bought from there
All but 1 worked out-of-the-box
Reading the item description...
I made sure the surface didn't have any visible signs of wear
That the tablet came with a pen
That the tablet came with the cables it needed - this is very important if the tablet used proprietary cables
Some manufacturers directly sell new and used tablets on eBay
A used tablet's surface might be almost pristine or it might be heavily used and exhibit a lot of surface wear.
More here:
Ideally you get one that is not heavily worn.
Small scratches or OK if they can not be felt through the pen.
Larger scratches will interfere with your pen. You might be able mitigate that by using some surface protection. More here: Surface protectors
Keep in mind you may ge a nice deal on a tablet that does not come with a pen.
And pens - especially Wacom Pro Pens - can be hard to find and also they can be very expensive ($100).
You need to keep that in mind because if you lose your pen and need to find another, it could be expensive.
Many people use drawing tablets to play osu. More here: Gaming with a drawing tablet
If you are interested in playing osu with a drawing tablet, then do not rely on recommendations from drawing tablet reviewers. They focus on the needs of the creative users. Don't rely on my recommendations for the same reason.
Instead, the definitive resource to consult is Kuuube's tablet buying guide.
If you do want a quick answer now though, these two tablets are excellent for osu.
One by Wacom Small (CTL-472)
One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672)
Pen computers are standalone drawing tablets with screens that you can use without being attached to a computer. Essentially they are laptops that work with an EMR pen.
Even though some people love using pen computers, I do not in general recommend buying one.
Key characteristics of a pen computer:
Run a desktop OS - these are intended to be full-fledged personal computers. As of 2023, all pen computers run Windows.
Have a battery - because they must be run without being connected to a source of power
Pen tech - It varies. Some use EMR, some use MPP, some use AES.
Examples
Microsoft Surface Pro (..7,8,9,10,etc)
Huion Kamvas Studio
Wacom Mobile Studio Pro
Instead of pen computers, I recommend looking at mobile devices that support pens. These are devices such as:
Apple iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil
Samsung Galaxy Tab S series tablets that use the Samsung S pen
More here: Standalone drawing tablet recommendations
Pen computers are incredibly expensive.
I certainly do not recommend pen computers for people who are just getting started with drawing tablets. I will always recommend that you go with cheaper alternatives. And the reason for this is simple: You may find that the wrong experience doesn't live up to your expectations.
Pen computers typically have very limited upgradability.
Typically once you buy pen computer you'll be stuck with those specifications in terms of memory processor speed and GPU for the entire lifetime of the device.
If you are going to purchase a pen computer please verify how upgradable it is before you make the purchase.
Companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Dell sell a lot of laptops and all-in-one systems. These companies have built world-class customer support organizations and support systems to ensure that their customers are getting the help they need when a customer has a question or something goes wrong with these complicated devices.
The truth is that drawing tablet manufacturers aren't as big as these companies. They handle a much smaller volume of products and users and you may find that their customer support may not be as helpful as these larger companies.
As with most laptops and all-in-one systems a pen display is typically not intended to be user-serviceable. If something goes wrong it's going to be difficult to fix by yourself. Not only are these computers often not designed to be opened. Even if you are successful in opening the case and fixing whatever problem there is it will most certainly void your warranty.
If you need to have the pen computer repaired by the manufacturer. You are going to find that both the process is difficult and the cost is extraordinarily high.
You cannot take these devices into a local retail store for the tablet manufacturer to take a look at. You'll have to send the pen computer back to the manufacturer and you will have to pay for the cost of shipping. And the repair cost can be as expensive as getting another laptop.
There are three kinds of drawing tablets:
pen tablets - that don't have a screen
pen displays - that do have a screen
standalone tablets- that have a screen and you can use them without being connected to a computer
This document is discussing how you might choose between a pen tablet and a pen display.
Choosing between a pen tablet and pen display is not easy. There is no single answer that applies to everyone.
This document will identify the different dimensions across which you can compare a pen tablet and a pen display. And it will identify those cases in which pen tablets have an advantage and those cases in which a pen display has an advantage.
And ultimately the goal is to provide you enough information so that you can make an informed decision.
This document summarizes many very deep topics. If you want more information, consult the buying guide which covers all these topics in detail.
A pen display is not inherently better
Pen displays look really fancy and cost much more than a pen tablet. And it would be natural to think that this means that pen displays are in some way fundamentally better than a pen tablet. That is absolutely not true. Pen tablets have their own merits. So do not think about a pen tablet as simply a lower cost option that you have to “settle for.” For many people it is the right answer.
Professional artists use both pen displays and pen tablets
Another common myth is that professionals only use pen displays. Again this is absolutely not true. There are many professional artists who use pen tablets out of preference and or doing high quality professional work with those pen tablets.
Not everyone prefers using a pen display
I see countless stories of people who love using their pen tablet but feel the need to get a pen display and then when they tried the pen display they realized that the pen tablet worked much better for them. And then they end up returning.
You can use both kinds of tablets
And there is no rule that says you have to use only one kind of tablet. There are many people who have both a pen tablet and a pen display. And depending on what they're doing they will switch between using one or the other. See: Using multiple drawing tablets at the same time
Quality of output
Some people worry that the quality of art they want to produce can only be produced by a pen display. You shouldn't let that worry you. People have been producing amazing art with pen tablets for decades. There are definitely some benefits to using a pen display, but the quality of art than can be made is not a factor.
If you are just getting started using a drawing tablet - for example maybe this is going to be the first tablet you own - my advice is to start with a pen tablet. And learn to use it and if you can't adjust to a pen tablet in a few weeks then return it and get a pen display.
WINNER: TIE
Both pen tablets and pen displays need a computer to work. They can't be used standalone like an Apple iPad.
WINNER: Pen tablets
With a pen tablet you are drawing in generally a better posture. You will be sitting in a way such that your back is vertical and your head will be looking straight ahead at your monitor. With a pen display you will almost always have to lean over a little bit and look down at the tablet to draw. This can place strain on your lower back and on your neck. This is one of the most popular reasons why someone buys a pen display but then returns it. They just find using a pen display to be very hard on their bodies. More here: Body posture when using drawing tablets
WINNER: Pen tablets
Pen tablets cost much less than pen displays. Even the most expensive pen tablet cost less than the vast majority of pen displays. Generally a pen tablet will cost between $50 to $250. But pen displays start at around $300.
WINNER: Pen tablets
Pen tablets are the clear winner for reliability. Pen tablets are very simple devices compared to pen displays. They have far fewer components. And so there's just less of a probability that something will go wrong with the hardware of a pen tablet. And the components they have are not as delicate.
WINNER: Pen tablets
Pen tablets work with a single USB cable (And some are wireless). Pen displays are more complex. Depending on your computer and which pen display there are multiple cabling options and sometimes they can be difficult to configure. More here: Connecting a pen display
WINNER: Pen tablets
All tablets have some amount of pointer lag. But in my observation pen tablets have less pointer lag than pen displays.
And on top of it even if they have the same amount of lag you will notice it more with the pen display because you can see the tip of the pen and the pointer next to each other. And justice seeing them next to each other highlights the pointer lag. More here: lag
WINNER: Pen tablets
Many pen tablets support wireless connectivity. These days that is via Bluetooth.
However no pen displays support wireless connectivity. You will always have at least one wire connecting your end display to your computer. And if you have a larger pen display - anything at 16 inches and above - it's almost guaranteed you'll have at least two wires - one going to your computer and one for power.
WINNER: Pen displays
In general I do not recommend taking notes with pen displays. I think that standalone tablets are much better for no taking. But compared to a pen tablet a pen display is certainly much better because you can see what you're doing with the pen and so it's just more intuitive and feels like you're working with pen and paper. More here: taking notes with drawing tablets.
WINNER: Pen tablets
If you knock a pen tablet off your desktop and it hits the floor almost certainly nothing bad will happen. Pen tablets generally don't have any moving parts aside from maybe some buttons. But if you drop a pen display almost certainly that pen display will be severely damaged by the drop. This could shatter the glass of the pen display. Or it could do some severe internal damage to the display panel that's inside the tablet. And this damage to a pen display is not user repairable and it's often extremely expensive to have it repaired if it is even possible to repair.
Most of the time when I've seen someone have significant damage to their appendix display the cost to repair is as much as a new pen display.
WINNER: Pen tablets
A pen tablet doesn't require much power. If connected to your laptop it won't drain the battery as much. A pen display requires much more power. If connected to your laptop, it will draw much more power and run your battery down faster. More here: powering a drawing tablet.
WINNER: Pen tablets
In many ways a pen display mimics how it feels to draw with pen and paper. Usually this is an advantage. However it also has some of the same limitations of pen and paper. In particular with the pen display your hand and arm are between you and what you are drawing. So quite naturally you have to accommodate for this. You might have to draw from a different angle or rotate the canvas.
A pen tablet of course separates what you see from where you draw. And so your hand is never in the way of what you are drawing.
WINNER: Pen tablets
Pen tablets are considerably thinner and weigh less.
WINNER: Pen displays
Pen displays have a more natural feel because you looking at the same place your are drawing. With a pen tablet you are drawing in one place but looking somewhere else.
Most people feel like they have press UNDO much less frequently with a pen display because the stroke more often goes where they intended.
With a pen display you do have to ensure you configure the tablets active area to map to your display so that there is no distortion. With pen displays you don't have to do this.
More here: The drawing experience
WINNER: Pen tablets
Given their size and weight and need for a single cable (or even wireless capability) pen tablets have a lot of advantages for carrying around with you.
Also with a pen display, you will need to protect it more because it is more sensitive to damage. See protective cases.
Read it to clearly understand these things:
How to install the driver
Verify how it will connect to your computer this is especially important if you are using a pen display.
If the tablet supports wireless, how to initiate a wireless connection
Ensure you know how to contact customer support.
Ensure you know the warranty and how (if needed) you can can return the tablet to the manufacturer or to the retailer (example: Amazon) you bought it from
Never purchase a tablet without looking at the reviews first.
Some reviewers to explore:
Tablet names are confusingly similar. So much so, that I've seen people order the wrong tablet just because the names were close.
NEVER order by using the name of the tablet alone.
ALWAYS verify you have ordered correct model number.
Ensure you have enough space on your desk for the tablet and where your keyboard will be placed
These are highly-curated recommendations for people who are just beginning to get into drawing tablets.
All these tablets deliver the basic experiences and a reasonable price
Some of these tablets are missing so-called "pro" features.
Below you'll find my beginner-friendly recommendations for:
pen tablets (no screen)
pen displays (have a screen)
and standalone tablets.
My recommendation for beginners is to start with a pen tablet (medium size) and get used to that first. Pen displays have pros and cons - don't assume they are better.
These are tablets WITHOUT a screen that need to be connected to a computer (some support wireless) to work.
If I had to pick one item on this list, I would recommend the Wacom CTL-672 for true beginners. It's reliable and has a decent drawing experience.
Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100) [no tilt, no wireless]
Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100WL) [no tilt]
XP-Pen Deco M [no wireless]
XP-Pen Deco MW
XP-Pen Deco L (IT1060) [no wireless]
If you want better pressure handling:
XP-Pen Deco Pro LW GEN2 (MT1172B)
XP-Pen Artist 12 GEN2 (CD120FH)
If you want a larger size and better pressure handling
XP-Pen Artist Pro 14 GEN2 (MD140FH)
These are tablets that don't need to be connect to a computer.
NOTE: You will have the buy the Apple Pencil 2 separately. It does NOT come with the iPad.
NOTE: The Samsung S Pen COMES WITH the tablet.
If you are new to drawing tablets, I suggest you read the .
(No screen + require a computer)
(Have a screen + require a computer)
(Have a screen + do not require a computer)
If you are beginner, then consider these specific models which are great introduction to drawing tablets. .
2022/06/20
2022/10/01
2023/05/08
2023/08/07
For a pen display, you may want to use it with a single USB-C cable. Verify this in the manual. and if your computer has a USB-C port that supports DP-Alt Mode. More here: .
Here's a list of . Although for a majority of you everything will "just work" some small number of you will start off with issues on day one.
I have a list of troubleshooting docs here:
The most complex problem for pen displays is usually the "NO SIGNAL" problem. If it happens, this guide will help:
Teoh on Tech () Teoh has the most in-depth reviews of tablets.
Create Now Sleep Later (
Brad Colbow (
Aaron Rutten (
Adam Duff (
See this page for all the reasons why you should not rely on the model name:
Check for potential sources of Electromagnetic Interference. More here:
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you read .
If you want to see the full set recommendations go here:
Much more here:
More info:
One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672) [no tilt, no wireless] ()
XP-Pen Deco LW (IT1060B) ()
These are tablets WITH A SCREEN that need to be connected to a computer. No pen displays are wireless. I don't enjoy drawing an 13" pen display. Instead, I prefer 16" and above. But 13" is a good way to get introduced to pen displays. More info:
Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1331) ()
XP-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 (CD130FH) ()
XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 GEN2 (MD160QH) ()
More info:
Apple iPad - Any Apple iPad that works with the Apple Pencil 2 ()
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE ( )
If you are one a smaller budget, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 lite (2022 edition) () - a little bit sluggish but the price is great. The Samsun S pen also comes with this tablet.
I don't use these devices myself. Here are some popular ones.
Onyx Boox Note Air3
Remarkable 2
Amazon Kindle Scribe
It's best if you look through the buying guide first. These are recommendations for tablets that don't have screens. If you are looking for a tablet with a screen go here: pen display recommendations. If you want a standalone tablet, go here: Standalone drawing tablet recommendations.
SMALL One by Wacom Small (CTL-472) $50
FEATURE LIMITATION: NO TILT
SMALL Wacom Intuos Small (CTL-4100) $75
FEATURE LIMITATION: NO TILT
SMALL Wacom One S GEN2 (CTC-4110WL) $100
NOT RECOMMENDED: SUBSTANDARD PRESSURE RESPONSE
MEDIUM XP-Pen Deco LW (IT1060B) $90
MEDIUM Huion Inspiroy 2 M (H951P) $70
NOT RECOMMENDED: PRESSURE INSTABILITY AT LOW PRESSURE
MEDIUM Huion Inspiroy RTP-700 $93
MEDIUM One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672) $100
FEATURE LIMITATION: NO TILT
MEDIUM Huion Inspiroy 2 L (H1061P) $90
NOT RECOMMENDED: PRESSURE INSTABILITY AT LOW PRESSURE
SMALL Wacom Intuos Pro Small (PTH-460) $200
MEDIUM Wacom One M (CTC-6110WL) $??
NOT RECOMMENDED: SUBSTANDARD PRESSURE HANDLING
MEDIUM Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100) $200
FEATURE LIMITATION: NO TILT
SMALL/MEDIUM XP-Pen Deco Pro MW GEN2 $140
MEDIUM XP-Pen Deco Pro LW GEN2 $170
MEDIUM Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660) $300
LARGE Huion Inspiroy Giano (G930L) $200 (on sale for $180)
LARGE XP-Pen Deco Pro XLW GEN2 (MT1592B) $200
LARGE Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860) $500
2024/02/04 Removed Huion HS611 (my notes) from the recommended list.
A standalone drawing tablet might be exactly what you need if you intend to be using the device often in scenarios away from home or away from your desk.
People look for standalone tablets for these kinds of reasons:
Can travel with it
Can be used on the couch in the bed on a bus etc.
Doesn't require the connection to a computer
There are many options depending on what you really need.
There are three kinds of standalone drawing tablets:
Mobile computers with pen support - Formally, these are not drawing tablets, but they can work just like one. And often I think they are your best choice for a standalone tablet. These include products such as Apple iPad Pros and Samsung Galaxy S series tablets.
Operating system: a mobile OS (iOS, ChromeOS)
Scenario: General purpose
Pen tech: varies. Apple Pencil, AES, EMR
Operating system: currently all run Windows
Scenario: Intended for artists
Pen tech: EMR
2-in-1 laptops and slate laptops - Formally, these are not drawing tablets. These are really normal laptops that have a form factor that might also serve the needs of a drawing tablet. Examples: Microsoft Surface Pro and Samsung Galaxy Book4 360.
Operating system: currently all run Windows
Scenario: General purpose
Pen tech: varies. MPP, EMR
If you're primarily interested in drawing or notetaking I think mobile computers with pen support are your best options.
Apple iPad Air (4th gen and later) ($600)
Apple iPad Pro 11 inch (4th gen and later) (starting at $800)
Supports Apple Pencil 2
Apple iPad pro 12.9 inch 6th gen (starting at $1100)
Supports Apple Pencil 2
Examples:
Huion Kamvas Studio 16 ($1700)
Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 ($2500)
Huion Kamvas Studio 24 ($2400)
Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 ($3500)
These kinds of devices are really for general purpose use. So if what you want is a full operating system where you can use things like Microsoft Office, or the full version of Photoshop, etcetera. Then these suitable choices for a standalone tablet.
Type: Slate laptop
Pen tech: MPP (similar to AES)
Type: 2-in-1 laptop
NOTE: I haven't tried it myself, but this may also be compatible with the Wacom CP-913 pen.
Two editions:
NOTE: Expensive for what it is and how dated it is, but is a decent tablet.
NOT RECOMMENDED: SUBSTANDARD PRESSURE HANDLING
NOT RECOMMENDED: EXCESSIVE DIAGONAL WOBBLE
NOT RECOMMENDED: SUBSTANDARD PRESSURE HANDLING
WARNING: LOTS OF AG SPARKLE
UNDER EVALUATION
BE AWARE: Fan noise
BE AWARE: Fan noise
2022/02/05 - Added recommendation for Kamvas Pro 27
2022/02/05 - Added recommendation tag to Kamvas Pro 19
2024/02/04 - Added XP-Pen Artist 22 Plus to recommendations
2023/02/04 - Added XP-Pen Artist 13 to recommendations
2023/02/04 - Marked Huion Kamvas Pro 16 4K Plus as NOT RECOMMENDED due to AG sparkle and better options being available.
Read this first:
Pen computers - The are true drawing tablets that you can carry around and use without a computer. .
($240) is a good a low-cost option for beginners.
($500) excellent mid-budget option
($1000) top-of-the-line performance.
NOT RECOMMENDED
NO COMMENT YET
Even though as a policy, I do NOT recommend them, for completeness here is a list of SOME pen computers. More here: .
(starting at $900)
(starting at $900)
Pen tech: Wacom EMR ()
2024/01/05
It's best if you look through first. These are recommendations for tablets that have have screens. If you are looking for a tablet without a screen go here: . If you want a standalone tablet, go here: .
Make sure you know about before you buy a pen tablet
SMALL $240
SMALL
SMALL
SMALL $400
SMALL $420
SMALL $400
SMALL $400
LARGE $450
LARGE $470
SMALL $600
MEDIUM $650
MEDIUM $600
LARGE $550
MEDIUM $900
LARGE $900
MEDIUM (DTH-167) $1500
LARGE (DTK-2260) $1200
LARGE (GT1902) $1100
LARGE (GT2401) $1300
LARGE (LPH2412U-A) $1800
LARGE $2000
LARGE $2500
LARGE $3000
LARGE $3500
As of June 2024, there are three 22" pen displays to consider buying. All three are acceptable choices depending on your budget.
Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 (DTH-227)
XP-Pen Artist 22 Plus (MD220FH)
Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (GS2202) - my notes on this tablet
Note: I personally own all three of these tablets
#1 Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 (DTH-227)
#2 XP-Pen Artist 22 Plus (MD220FH)
#3 Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (GS2202)
The Cintiq Pro 22 (DTH-227) is the clear winner on almost every level. However it is expensive.
If the Cintiq Pro 22 is out of your price range I would pick the Artist 22 Plus over the Kamvas 22 Plus. but to it having a better pen than the Huion and simpler cabling.
The Pro Pen 3 is clearly the superior pen.
The X3 Pro pen is a big improvement from previous generations of XP-Pen pens. The X3 Pro pen is also better than the Huion PW517 pen.
X3 Pro - has wider maximum pressure than the PW517
X3 Pro - has eraser, PW517 does not
The Cintiq Pro 22 has a fan that is constantly on. It's not loud but it is audible and could be an irritation for some people.
The Artist 22 Plus and Kamvas 22 Plus are completely silent.
Large pen tablets have an active area diagonal size of about 15".
Even if a tablet has "large" in its name, it doesn't mean it us truly a large tablet. A perfect example is the Huion Inspiroy 2 Large which is more of a medium sized tablet. Same with the XP-Pen Deco L/LW.
Using a large tablet is very different from using a medium size tablet. There are many things you have to adjust to. More here: Using large pen tablets
Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860) - my notes on this tablet
XP-Pen Deco Pro XLW (MT1592B) - my notes of this tablet
Huion Giano (G930L) - my notes on this tablet
In terms of drawing performance the best of the three is the Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860).
Second is the XP-Pen Deco Pro XLW GEN2 (MT1592B). The things to note about this tablet is the excellent design and vastly improved pressure handling coming from its X3 Pro pen.
Third, the Huion Giano overall is very good. It's a very close third to the XP Pen Deco Pro XLW GEN2 because the PW517 pen does not handle pressure (smaller pressure range for example) as well as the X3 Pro pen.
Intuos Pro Large - https://estore.wacom.com/en-us/tablets.html#wacom-intuos-pro-link-anchor
Deco Pro XLW GEN2 - https://www.xp-pen.com/product/deco-pro-gen-2-series.html
None of these tablets have an exact 16:9 (1.78) aspect ratio.
So, you should ensure you match aspect ratios with your monitor before you start drawing.
The Wacom Pro Pen 2 is the clear winner, but the XP-Pen X3 Pro is good. The Huion PW517 is just OK.
In my experience I see that the PW517 units vary quite a bit in their maximum pressure. The average of my tests is about 200gf.
Tablet age - don't let the fact that the Intuos Pro Large was released in 2017 dissuade you. It's still better than the most recent tablets put out by the competition
Pen replacement cost - Keep in mind the Pro Pen 2 is very expensive ay $80. It's a significant cost if you need to replace it. The PW517 is $50 and the X3 Pro is $40.
Nib wear - the Intuos Pro comes with a surface that (at least initially) has a lot of texture and can wear down nibs fast.
Wireless - All three support Bluetooth wireless connectivity
Touch - only the Intuos Pro supports touch.
Auxiliary inputs
Intuos Pro Large - 8 total buttons
Deco Pro XLW GEN2 - no buttons
Giano G930L - 6 buttons
Remotes
Intuos Pro Large - no remote
Deco Pro XLW GEN2 - comes with remote
Giano G930L - no remote
Intuos Pro Large - Low (good)
Deco Pro XLW GEN2 - some wobble at slow speeds OK
Giano G930L - Low (good)
There are many tablet brands. And picking the brand of the tablet is one of the most important decisions you will need to make.
After Wacom, Huion, XP-Pen, there are many other brands that focus on budget or consumer tablets. All these brands the same technology as the Tier 2 brands. In fact they are even owned by the same companies. But have smaller portfolios, less responsive customer support, and smaller communities.
Avoid
No brand's products are consistently perfect.
All brands will eventually ship a product that has defective units or that will have sporadic problems with their drivers, etc. So, at some point you will need help.
This is why you MUST choose a brand that:
Supports its customers well
Has enough other people using their tablets, so that you can get help from the community.
13" pen displays very popular, often representing great choices for beginners. In this document I discuss some popular options in the market
Wacom One GEN 1 (DTC-133)
These are very, very similar tablets. There is NO CLEAR winner - each has positives and negatives.
Huion Kamvas 13
slightly less pointer lag (GOOD)
slightly more more anti-glare sparkle
XP-Pen Artist 13 GEN2
a tiny bit more pointer lag
less anti-glare sparkle
Driver versions used
Huion: 15.6.2.80
XP-Pen: 3.4.0
Operating system of test machine
Huion: Windows 11
XP-Pen: Windows 10
Specs
The tables of specs come from the Huion and XP-Pen websites. For some specs, I did some testing to come up with the numbers.
Variances
Please remember that how tablets work can vary even with tablets that have the same model number. I cannot guarantee everyone will experience what I encountered.
Pen labeling
I used gaffer tape to identify the pens. Green = XP-PEN, Red=Huion.
X-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 - X3 ELITE
Huion Kamvas 13 - PW517
Wacom One GEN1 - CP-913
Accuracy in both tablets is very good for a pen display
In my testing
Both have similar center accuracy. I agree with their listed specs of ±0.5mm
Both have similar corner accuracy. I measured at ± 2mm
Both tablets have excellent diagonal wobble (i.e. very low amounts of diagonal wobble) with both slow and fast strokes.
XP-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 (CD130FH) wobble
Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1331) wobble:
Compare it to the most expensive pen tablet wacom makes the Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860):
Both the Huion and XP pen are on par with
Both tablets exhibit some anti-glare sparkle. Ideally tablets should exhibit no sparkle.
iPad -> no observable sparkle
Wacom Cintiq Pro -> very low sparkle
Wacom One -> low sparkle
XP-Pen Artist 13 (2nd gen) -> On the low end of moderate sparkle
Huion Kamvas 13 -> moderate sparkle
For both tablets you'll notice the sparkle if your eyes are close, at a normal drawing distance I don't notice it.
The XP-Pen tablet is clearly the winner over the Huion tablet for AG sparkle.
Both tablets handle these cases well
drawing lots of dots
drawing many small quick tiny low pressure lines - hatching
keeping pressure constant
moving between high and low pressure smoothly
Tapering - typical for every pen display I've seen.
Overall drawing experience is very good for both tablets.
Remember: Pressure is detected by the pen, not the tablet.
The lower bound on the pressure range is called the Initial Activation Force.
To test this I hung each pen from a string and dragged the tip of the pen across the surface. The goal is that the minimal weight for the pen will draw a continuous line. Here's how they ranked:
XP-Pen Artist 13 2nd Gen -> made no marks whatsoever
Huion Kamvas 13 -> half the time made a mark. if pen moves slowly mark is captured usually but if there the pen is moving a little faster the mark is not registered.
Wacom One -> about same as the Huion Kamvas 13
Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860) -> draws a continuous line
Huion Giano (G930L) -> draws a continuous line
Between the two, Huion is the clear winner with its lower IAF.
Both Huion and XP-pen models tested exhibit the typical pointer lag present with all pen displays. The lag is comparable to the Wacom One pen display (DTC-133).
Manufacturers don't publish lag numbers. So, this is subjective:
The Huion has about the same amount of lag as the Wacom One
The XP-Pen model has a bit more more lag than the Huion model
Both tables can be successfully used for creative applications. But Huion is the winner here over the XP-Pen model.
Thanks to their laminated displays both have very good parallax. They match that of Wacom One.
Below is a parallax photo for several pen tablet models. The XP-Pen parallax similar to the picture of the Wacom One and Huion model in the photo.
Both tablets come with a 3-in-1 cable.
The end that goes into the tablet is USB-C.
The other 3 ends are:
HDMI - connect to computer
USB-A for data - connect to computer
USB-A for power - this cable is colored red.
if your computer can provide enough power you can plug the cable into the computer
Or you can connect to a USB power adapter. Neither tablet comes with a USB power adapter.
Tablet | Resolution | Max refresh rate | Panel |
---|---|---|---|
Tablet | Pen in the box | Notes |
---|---|---|
Intuos Pro Large | Deco Pro XLW GEN2 | Giano G930L | |
---|---|---|---|
Tablet | Length x Width | Diagonal | Aspect ratio |
---|---|---|---|
Pen | IAF | Max pressure |
---|---|---|
I covered brands extensively in this video:
If you are not familiar with drawing tablets, please read the
Wacom continues to make the highest quality and most reliable tablets. In general, Wacom has tghe best drawing experience. Their products are the most expensive. I consider Wacom to be the "safe choice". More here:
Huion and XP-pen since about 2021 have been releasing decent devices and size 2023/2024 a couple very good ones that compete strongly with Wacom. In many ways they deliver 90% of what a typical person needs for about half the cost. They do trail Wacom in reliability and in customer support however. If you carefully research a tablet from these brands, you can find one that works for you. More here:
Xencelabs (founded 2019) is a new brand focused only on professional tablets and have a very strong focus on customer support. more here:
Artisul -
Gaomon -
Ugee -
Veikk -
Parblo -
Communities are where a people can learn and get help with drawing tablets. Depending on the brand there are different options. More here:
- brands compared
Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1331) - ( | | model year 2020)
XP-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 (CD130FH) - ( | | model year 2022)
For both tablets, I was able to use a single USB-C cable to connect them to the computer. More here:
Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 (DTH-227)
3840x2160
120Hz
IPS
XP-Pen Artist 22 Plus (MD220FH)
1920x1080
60Hz
IPS
Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (GS2202)
1920x1080
60Hz
IPS
Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 (DTH-227)
Wacom Pro Pen 3
XP-Pen Artist 22 Plus (MD220FH)
XP-Pen X3 Pro
Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (GS2202)
Huion PW517
Model number
PTH-860
MT1592B
GT930L
Release year
2017
2023
2022
Pen
Pro Pen 2
(KP-504E)
X3 Pro
PW517
Retail Price
$500
$200
$200
Common On-Sale Price
$400
$170
$170
Used on eBay
$150 to $250
Intuos Pro Large
12.1" x 8.4" 311mm x 216mm
14.7"
1.44
Deco Pro XLW GEN2
15" x 9" 381mm x 228.6mm
17.6"
5:3 (1.67)
Giano G930L
13.6 x 8.5 345.4mm x 215.9mm
16"
16:10 (1.60)
Wacom Pro Pen 2
<1gf
~800gf
Huion PW517
3gf
~200gf
X3 Pro
2gf
~400gf
Xencelabs (https://www.xencelabs.com/) is trying to position itself as a direct competitor to Wacom - as you can see from the pricing of their products.
They are a very new brand and have a small product line as of Jan 2024:
Xencelabs Pen Display 23
Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium
Xencelabs Pen Tablet Small
I used a Xencelabs Medium tablet (BPH1212W-A) for about six months. I was very satisfied with it for doing artwork. But that was before I started learning more about how tablets worked, so I'm sure I missed evaluating it completely.
They are very thoughtful about the design of their products. You can see small touches that make a difference. For example:
Their pen tablets are exactly 16x9 aspect ratio
The front edge of their pen tablets are slightly slopped so there's less of a hard edge hitting your wrist
The "feel" and quality of materials is excellent - Wacom tier.
Their driver experience is easily the most well thought-out, user-friendly and attractive of any tablet brand.
Their tablets come with 2 pens. This is great because if you are having difficulties you se if switching pens helps.
I don't have any direct experience with their support. I haven't needed to contact them for any issue. But from what I have seen Xencelabs support is extremely good.
Their EMR tech is the same place as XP-Pen. If they are going to challenge Wacom at the same price point this should improve.
There aren't that many Xencelabs users out there - so if you need community help there are very few people in the community who can help and you'll need to rely Xencelab's customer support.
As of September 2023, their Windows driver does not support connecting multiple Xencelabs tablets being connected at the same time. In my observation, their driver becomes extremely confused when multiple Xencelabs tablets are plugged in and it requires a driver restart to get it back to normal. All of Wacom, Huion, XP-pens drivers handle multiple tablets at the same time.
As of Jan 2024, they have some portfolio gaps
They don't have a LARGE pen tablet model - something comparable to the Wacom Intuos Pro Large.
They don't have a pen display in the 16" size.
HUION (https://www.huion.com/) and XP-PEN (https://www.xp-pen.com/) are the next big tablet brands. Their recent (2021 and later) models have been pretty good - but still trail Wacom a bit in quality and reliability. In general I think they offer 90% of what you get with a WACOM but at a substantial price reduction.
In 2023 and 2024 Huion and XP have released models with upgraded tech that are challenging Wacom's professional line.
Huion Kamvas Pro 19
Huion Kamvas Pro 27
XP-Pen Deco Pro GEN2
XP-Pen Artist Pro GEN2
A lot of their improvements with these tablets are due to their pens handling pressure better: lower IAF and much wider pressure ranges than before.
Good price vs cost
Their latest offerings since 2021 are very usable for creative tasks.
They introduce new models frequently - much more often than Wacom.
Their consumer level tablets tend to have more features than Wacom's consumer models (tilt & tablet buttons, dials, knobs)
Huion pen displays - especially the high PPI ones tend to show more AG sparkle. more here: Anti-glare sparkle.
Pointer lag:
XP-pen pen displays tend to exhibit slightly more pointer lag than Wacom or Huion. More here: lag.
XP-Pen and Huion's pen tablets seem to have the same level of pointer lag.
Improve their Core EMR tech and specs - while on paper equivalent to Wacom are still trailing. For many artists they may not notice this, but tablet enthusiasts do certainly notice it. (Will be a topic for a future video)
Improve customer support. Both Huion and XP-Pen struggle with customer support. They tend to take more time to respond.
Reliability - Huion and XP-pen a little lag behind Wacom.
Huion and XP-Pen offer too many products - with new models (with newer tech) and older models (with older tech) sitting alongside them. This makes it confusing to buyers.
They should monitor and answer questions on https://www.reddit.com/r/huion/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/XPpen/
Long-term reliability unknown compared to Wacom. This can't be helped, they have only been around since 2011 (Huion) and 2005 (XP-Pen). And their passive EMR tablets (the ones where the pens do not have a battery) have only been around since the late 2010s.
All drawing tablets have multiple components, but the primary component is the EMR sensor - which also called the digitizer.
And despite all the many brands of drawing tablets you see, there are only a couple of manufacturers of digitizers. These are: Wacom, Hanvon Ugee, Huion.
Wacom digitizers are used in their own products.
Hanvon Ugee supplies digitizers to Xencelabs and XP-pen tablets
Huion supplies supplies digitizers for: Gaomon, Huion, Veikk tablets. And Huion supplies digitizers for Artisul tablets through their acquisition of UCLogic.
Huion acquired UCLogic in 2019 (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC-Logic_Technology_Corp.)
The undisputed leading brand is Wacom (https://www.wacom.com). They have a variety of products and different price points that should fit everyone's needs. If you don't want to weigh the pros and cons of different brands and want an easy answer then choose Wacom.
My experience: I currently own 39 Wacom tablets (6 pen displays and 33 pen tablets). I have extensively used every tablet in their professional series.
Some basic summaries of their leading series of tablets
Intuos Pro - professional pen tablets. continue to be the best pen tablets ever made
Cintiq Pro - professional pen displays - continue to be the best pen displays ever made
One by Wacom - consumer pen tablets - are terrific beginner tablets
Wacom One - consumer pen tablets an pen displays - mixed bag of results here.
Best EMR tech. This may not be obvious just by comparing specs, but their EMR tablet technology is ahead.
Long-term reliability. Their older tablets (20+ years old) still work today if you use the appropriate driver.
They have products for beginners, intermediate users, and professionals - but even their beginner products are very high quality.
They have good support.
They monitor and respond to questions on https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom
One thing you'll notice about Wacom is that they tend to keep certain features in their professional line of products. In fact over time they have tended to remove features from their consumer tablets and move them only to the pro line. Other manufacturers tend to have those features consumer and professional lines.
See this page: https://www.ifixit.com/Wiki/Electronics_Water_Damage
Leave the pen/tablet to draw dry for at least 48 hours. Keeping it in a dry warm (but not hot) place will help.
if your tablet is connected with any cables, disconnect the cables.
If your tablet is connected wirelessly, it may have an on/off button. Turn it off.
Remove the nib to help it dry faster
Keep the pen upright with the nib removed and pointed down to help drain water
Some pens buttons are a "rocker" type which can be removed and put back in. if you are confident you won't harm your pen this is one option.
Some people, disassemble their pens - but only try this if you find a good reference on YouTube and are confident around electronics.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/tcmqpz/ctl4100_wacom_intuos_pen_accident_with_water/ -
With a little care and light maintenance your tablet will keep working for a long time. Here are some basic tips.
They are surprisingly expensive to replace. They can cost from $40 USD to $120 USD for a Wacom Pro Pen 3.
Because drawing tablet pens usually have a case of black plastic they can be difficult to see under some lighting conditions, also they can be mistaken for other pens, etc. To give them some additional visibility I use gaffer tape or masking tape to add some some color to make it more visible and serve as a label.
Here is an example:
Pens are the most sensitive component because they have some small parts and some moving parts. A fall onto a floor can damage your pen:
The can completely break the internals of your pen. Your pressure may be less sensitive, stuck at a certain pressure value for example either 0% pressure or 100% pressure , have sudden changes in its pressure profile.
The nib can be broken and make it be stuck inside the pen and very hard to remove
Normal drawing is fine. But don't *mash* it or hit it on a surface. You can damage the pressure sensor or you might break the nib. Use it for drawing on your tablet and nothing else.
A pen tablet, has fewer moving parts and most of the time nothing bad will happen to it.
However, If you drop a pen display, you almost certainly will cause significant damage that cannot be repaired. For example, any of these things can happen:
The pen displays will not turn on again
The screen will crack
The display panel will break and not show a full screen or will show random color patterns
The ports can get damaged, preventing it from getting a display signal
Keep water away from your tablet and pen. If you get them wet, consult this guide on dealing with potential damage: Dealing with water damage.
Periodically, clean your tablet. Some people recommend lightly cleaning your pen displays before you start drawing. More here: Cleaning a drawing tablet.
In general store your pens so that you avoid pressure on your nibs. More here: Storing your pen.
The surface of your tablet will be in contact with your pen, that contact and the friction that comes from it will cause some wear. It's good for you to understand what this wear will look like and how you can control it. Read the two documents below.
There are options to protect the surface from damage. See: protective sheets.
If you are carrying your tablet with you or transporting it, consider some extra protection via a case. More here: Protective cases.
Monitor your nibs and replace then when they are getting too worn down. Nibs that are worn down to flat surface may be scratching up your tablet. See more here: Nib wear
To remove a nib see this guide: Removing nibs
Avoid doing any of these things:
Disassembling the tablet
Disassembling the pen
Using metal nibs with the pen
If the nib is broken in half and stuck deeply inside or there's not enough of it to grip then normal techniques may not get it out.
Here are some other options.
I used this iFixit set of precision tweezers. Specifically I used the one in the middle. I wasn't able to put both both ends into the pen. Instead, I put one end into the pen and pressed against the side of the nib to slowly push the nib out a little bit at a time. Once enough was out, I used the tweezers normally to pull the nib out.
A little bit of hot glue at the end of a toothpick
Stick a heated needle into the nib and when the plastic of nib cools, pull it out. Some people suggest combining this technique with glue on the needle tip. Use this option with great caution. People have ruined their pens and made the problem worse with this hot needle technique.
Cleaning your drawing tablet should be a regular part of how you care for it. I recommend cleaning your drawing tablet once a month - and more frequently if needed.
Depending on the brand of tablet and the kind of tablet you'll find that manufacturers provide different advice for cleaning. For example, some manufacturers say it's OK to clean the tablet with isopropyl alcohol. While other manufacturers explicitly indicate that you should not use isopropyl alcohol.
Below are a few links I found from different brands about how to clean their tablets. It may not be comprehensive but it's a start.
STEP 1 - First, I remove dust from tablets, pens, and monitors with a microfiber duster. Specifically this one: the OXO Good Grips Microfiber Hand Duster ($12) that I bought on Amazon.
STEP 2 - I gently wipe down the tablet with a damp (not wet) cloth or towel. If the tablet is a little greasy I may put a bit of soap with the damp cloth. I want to emphasize that the cloth is damp and not wet. You shouldn't have any water drops coming off the cloth.
Store your pens so that the nib is not experiencing constant pressure. Some tablet users suggest that if the nib has a constant pressure applied to it, over time the pressure could damage the pressure sensor.
If you pen came with a case designed for it, that is the safest place to store it. These cases provide a lt of protection for the entire pen and the pressure sensor
In the photo below you can see how a case has extra room for the nib so nothing can press into it.
Below, three conceptual options are presented for storing a pen.
The one on the far right places no load on the pressure sensor
The one on the far left places the entire weight of the pen on the pressure sensor
The one in the middle places only the weight of the nib on the pressure sensor. This is the way I store my pens.
When you bought your drawing tablet, it likely came with a nib remover. It's usually either a piece of metal or a metal part of a pen stand
Xencelabs has a a simple ring of metal. Using it, you pinch and pull out the nib from the pen.
The XP-Pen has a nib remover built into a pen case. See the metal ring below.
If don't have a nib remover, it's not a problem you can use any instrument that can pinch the nib. Here are some options:
Tweezers
Needle-nose pliers
Fingernail clippers
A nib that has snapped off and left part of itself inside the pen requires some special techniques. more here: Removing a broken nib.
Scratches are a form of permanent damage. Depending on how deep the scratch is, it can affect your drawing experience. For more examples of surface wear and how to minimize it go here: Surface wear on pen tablets.
Below is an example of some scratches that while ugly, do not interfere with the drawing experience. Small scratches are also hard to see sometime and greatly affected by the lighting conditions.
As you can see the scratches can be very small. These kinds of scratches will not affect your drawing experience.
Here is a close up view through a microscope:
Deeper and larger scratches are also possible. This can definitely affect your drawing experience.
Dropping sharp objects onto the surface of a pen tablet can result in big changes. The crater below was formed by an accidental dropping of scissors from a height of about 6" above the pen tablet.
All pen tablets (those without a screen) will experience some form of wear. The amount and type of wear will be affected by:
The material of the surface
The texture of the surface
The material of the nib
How you draw
Other sources of damage not related to normal use of the pen tablet
In general, surface wear is not a problem, unless it interferes with your pen. Typically this means a deep scratch which deflects the tip of the pen. This deflection may be strong enough that you will get little "bumps" if you try to draw a line across the scratch.
There are options to help protect the surface
Maintain your pen nibs so that they don't develop a flat edge
Use a felt nib which is softer than a plastic nib.
Don't press down so hard on the tablet
When traveling with the tablet, make sure you put it inside something to prevent something from scratching the surface
Texture erosion - where the surface texture starts getting a little smoother as you continue to move your pen over it. More here: .
False scratches - False scratches are things that look like scratches but are really the result of a tablet surface that isn't clean. More here:
Scratches - permanent grooves cut into the surface. More here: .
Use
The surfaces of a pen tablet usually have some texture applies to prevent drawing on them from feeling "slippery".
Tablets vary quite a bit in how much texture is on them. The Intuos Pro models (PTH-460, PTH-660, PTH-860) are known for having a lot of texture.
As you drag your pen on the surface you will eventually notice two forms of texture erosion:
thin or thick marks
broad areas where the texture has been worn off
For more examples of surface wear and how to minimize it go here: Surface wear on pen tablets.
These texture erosion marks can be very difficult to see. Depending on the lighting, they may be invisible, lighter than the texture color, or darker than the texture color.
Some texture erosion marks aren't even caused by then pen. Other objects that come in contact with the tablet can cause them. You can often detect these because they produce much wider marks than the pen can produce.
Here is an example of broad area texture erosion on a Wacom Intuos Pro PTH-860. The overall area can be uniformly smooth/shiny or smooth/shiny in patches.
Here is an close up example of the texture of a Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860)
The texture erosion can be very subtle.
Below is an example of deliberately trying to erode the texture over a wide area by moving the pen back and forth over an area. Notice how much of the texture is gone.
Texture erosion is typically benign. While it is unattractive and sometimes visible it does not deflect the tip of the pen.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/144a6lk/is_my_wacom_intous_pro_m_okay/
Pen displays (tablets with a screen) come in two varieties
those that have a glass surface, where your pen is making direct contact with the glass surface
And those that have a film on top of the glass surface, where your pen only touches the film and does not touch the glass
the glass surface is usually an etched glass surface. The etching is a very subtle texture created on the glass usually through the means of some acid that has eaten away a little bit of the surface.
The texture gives two benefits. First, it helps the glass avoid feeling slippery as you draw. That slippery feeling is a very common complaint for some devices like an iPad. Second, that texture also disperses light that is coming from the room and this dispersion will reduce glare. So the etching is often referred to as an anti glare treatment.
One negative aspect of the etching is that it can create an effect called anti glare sparkle. Sometimes the anti glare sparkle is very subtle but sometimes it is extremely strong and people do not like it. More here: Anti-Glare Sparkle.
in this case the film provides an anti glare treatment typically and provide some texture. Though I typically find that the texture.
In a general sense the glass that is used for append display is highly durable. They are designed to be directly drawn upon with the pens / nibs that the manufacturer also supplies.
And while these glass surfaces are designed to be very durable, they are not infinitely resistant to damage from various sources.
Let's talk about the first kind of damage which is damage from just basic drawing. There are a wide variety of experiences people have with scratching up or damaging the glass of their pen display.
Some people like me have drawn on pen displays for many years and have never seen any kind of scratching or damage that came from drawing.
But you can easily find people posting on online forums who show you photos of how the surface of their pen display has become worn. You can see for example regions of their pen displays that seem more scratched up and where the etched texture has clearly changed.
Some people suggest that small particles of various materials can be on your land on the glass or attach themselves to the nib of the pen. And they suggests that as you draw on the glass with your pen that you might see scratches that are caused not by the pen and nib itself, but by the motion of those small particles as your nib moves them across the surface of the glass.
I cannot say that I have personally experienced this myself. But I do think it is in your best interests to keep the surface of your pen display and your pens clean.
Some artists are very careful to remove anything metallic from there hands or wrists when they draw. And I think this is also a very reasonable thing to do to avoid the potential damaging the glass.
If you were transporting your pen display you should make sure that the glass is covered by something to protect it during it's journey. I have seen people mentioned that they put their pen display in a backpack but that's some other object in the backpack made contact with and
The glass surface of a pen display is not designed to be removed. In the case of fully laminated pen displays, remember that the glass is bonded to the display panel with the layer of optically clear adhesive (OCA). So in summary the glass you have is going to be there forever.
And anywhere or damage you caused the glass will also be there forever.
I have never seen anyone find anyway to somehow remove any on the glass surface
Protective sheets on top of the tablet glass naturally protect the glass from damage.
One benefit of protective sheets is if they do get damaged you can generally replace them.
More here: protective sheets
From this reddit post:https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/zv593v/does_cintiq_13hd_have_screen_protection_see_coment/
Sometimes you may encounter something that looks like a scratch on a tablet. But it is what I call a "false scratch" or a "temporary scratch". I use these terms because, these kinds of "scratches" can be removed by cleaning the tablet or even rubbing the it away with your finger.
These marks are caused by the pen displacing material on the surface. This material can include includes:
Oil from your skin
Dust and other grime
Tiny bits of the nib that have worn away.
Here are some options for cleaning your tablet: Cleaning a drawing tablet
The aspect ratio of your drawing tablet's active area, can have a big impact on how good it feels to draw on them.
Any rectangular area has an aspect ratio. Which is the relationship between the width and height. Usually we will express the AR as a ratio like 16:9 or 16x9.
Displays (monitors) tend to have aspect ratios like 16x9 and 16x10. 16x9 is the most common aspect ratio.
If you are using a pen tablet, it mostly likely does not match the aspect ratio of your monitor and you will see some distortion when you draw.
This will make give you a weird and unpleasant feeling while drawing. You can fix this by forcing the aspect ratios to match. More here: Matching aspect ratios.
The active area of a pen display and their display panel inside the pen display are equivalent. So they always match.
As of 2023, NONE of Wacom's pen tablets have an exact 16:9 aspect ratio.
Nib wears down due to friction caused by the nib moving against the tablet surface.
Many factors influence how fast a nib wears down and people have vastly different experiences. For some people a nib may last years. Some people seem to go through a nib in a week.
Below you can see the wear on an Wacom Art Pen nib which has been used on a Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860) surface after two weeks.
Tablets vary in the amount of surface texture they have. The more texture, the more likely the nib is to wear down. More here: surface texture.
Keep in mind, even the surface texture can wear down and become smoother. So, even if the texture is eating through your nibs at first, later it may not affect them so much. More here: Surface wear on pen tablets
Some people draw "heavy-handed" and put a lot of pressure on their nib. This will increase the friction and the rate at which the nib wears down.
Some people a have drawing style that features lots of strokes drawn over and over. For example they might fill in an by drawing hundreds of cross-hatched lines. This can accelerate nib wear.
Nibs are typically made of plastic or felt. And the material choice will affect how fast the nib wears down. For example felt nibs wear down faster than plastic nibs. More here: Nib material.
Try drawing with less pressure. You can change the pressure curve in your driver to help lessen the need to press down so hard.
If you are doing a lot of back and forth strokes to fill in an area, that repeated motion of the pen can wear down the nib fast. Consider using some other way of filling in an area.
Some tablets like the Wacom Intuos Pro have replaceable texture sheets. In Wacom's case there are three texture styles: standard, smooth, rough. Try the smooth texture sheet.
I do NOT recommend using a metal nib.
I recommend you replace you nib when:
Most of the tip has become flat
The nib is getting short - nib remover tools need to be able to grasp enough of the nib to pull it out. If you let them get to short, they are going to be stuck or very difficult to remove.
Here's some videos related to this topic:
Aaron Rutten - When to CHANGE Drawing Tablet Pen Nibs
Aaron Rutten - Wearing Down Nibs & Tablet Scratches
For me what works best is just buying more nibs because they are cheap and easy to replace.
The active area of a drawing tablet is the rectangle region of the tablet's surface that detects the EMR pen. Some drawing tablet manufacturers (Wacom & XP-pen) use the term active area while others (Huion) use the term working area.
When we talk about the "size" of the drawing tablet, we are referring to the active area.
The active area is usually marked in some way on the surface. Sometimes it is marked at its four corners. Some tablets show a grid of of dots.
The active area of a pen display is very easy to detect because it is the exact the same area of the display panel.
To prevent glare a pen display will have either:
An etched glass surface
Or a anti-glare film.
Besides reducing the glare, films have the added benefit that they prevent the glass underneath from being scratched. Also the films can be removed and replaced.
This document covers the case when your tablet has an anti-glare film.
If it has an anti-glare film, the film can be carefully lifted off.
You can start at a corner and gently and slowly start lifting it up. And then slowly working your way across the entire surface.
How much anti-glare sparkle do you want?
If you want less ag sparkle, you should consider getting a film which has less. This is where you should evaluate options from companies like photodon. They sell little samples you can try out to evaluate how much the film will look on your tablet. I highly recommend trying those samples first before you commit to putting a new will film on.
Here's a video where you can see me try some of these photodon samples and talk about how it affected the ag sparkle:
Usually when we discuss the size of an active area, we talk about its diagonal length. Drawing tablets vary quite a bit in their active area size. More here: .
The relationship between the width and height of the active area is its aspect ratio. More here: .
First, you should realize than manufacturers might sell replacement films for their tablets. But even if they do not, you can find third party films that are pre-cut for your tablet or for which you can order them cut to a specific size. More here on your options:
Your replacement will will likely have some amount of anti-glare sparkle effect. If you buy the replacement film from the manufacturer you will get the same amount of ag sparkle as you originally had. More here on .
Almost all drawing tablets can detect the tilt of the pen. The support tilt for drawing tablets usually ranges from 0 degrees to 60 degrees.
The tilt is measured in both the x and y directions
Think about how you use a pencil - when you want a fine line you keep the pencil more penpendicular. However, when you want a wider line - maybe you are shading in an area - you tilt the pencil.
Many drawing applications have digital brushes that mimic that same behavior.
For example, here is a stroke I drew with Krita. I configured the brush to ignore pressure entirely, but to let the amount of tilt control the width of the brush.
As draw left to right I started with the pen very perpendicular and gradually started tilting the pen.
Mapping tilt to brush width is just the most common way of using tilt. However, depending on the application you could have tilt control other attributes of the stroke.
For many years now tilt has been a common feature on drawing tablets. And today the vast majority of tablets support tilt.
However, Wacom seems has traditionally included tilt only on its professional models. In particular tilt is NOT supported in these entry-level Wacom tablets:
One by Wacom Small (CTL-472)
One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672)
Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100 & CTL-6100WL)
Wacom Intuos Small (CTL-4100 & CTL-6100WL)
The vast majority of drawing tablets have tilt support, but a few entry-level Wacom ones do not.
For some people tilt is critical and for others, it is not useful at all. It strongly depends on what they are doing.
whiteboarding -> tilt not useful
taking notes -> tilt not useful
educational videos -> tilt not useful
digital painting with natural media brushes -> can be very useful if you would like your brushes to respond to it.
line art -> can be useful but many people do line art without using any tilt features
You don't need to know these details, but if you are curious how an EMR tablet actually detects the tilt of the pen go here: EMR tilt detection.
The standard range is +/- 60 degrees for both X and Y directions
I don't know of any tablets that support a wider range
Even if your tablet is sending tilt data to your computer, your application may or may not be using the data.
Some applications don't use the tilt data at all. An example would be most note taking applications like OneNote. They tend to recognize pressure but not tilt.
Other applications do recognize tilt but the use of the tilt data is only for specific brushes. So for example, typically a "pencil" brush would support tilt. But other kinds of brushes may not. Even then, these brushes has settings that let you customize whether and how tilt is used for the brush.
Here's a good example for a brush in Krita. You can seee that the Rotation of the brush is set to the Drawing Angle, but that it could also be set to the tilt.
To calculate the location of the pen, the tablet must take into account how much the pen is tilted. This process is called tilt compensation. Remember: no tablet has perfect tilt compensation and at extreme title angles you might see some deviation - This is normal.
You may not always want to have tilt affect your drawing. It is possible in some cases to disable it. More here: Disable pen tilt
Pressure is the physical force being exerted on its tip. Remember that it is the pen that measure the pressure, not the tablet surface.
The Initial Activation Force (IAF) is the smallest amount of pressure that an EMR pen will detect and report. The maximum pressure the maximum amount of pressure that an EMR pen can detect and report. The pressure range is the range of physical force the pen is capable of sensing and outputting as pressure. In other words its lower bound is the IAF and its upper bound is the maximum pressure.
A wide pressure range is very desirable. It contributes a lot to a good pressure experience. A wider pressure range is even more important than the number of pressure levels.
A lower IAF is good because it allows you to draw finer details better.
Some people REALLY need that EXCELLENT IAF of <1gf.
Others like (myself included) work fine with a 3gf IAF. I definitely notice the difference but it doesn't effect me with the kind of art I create.
These days tablet brands say that they can handle 8K (8192) levels of pressure. Some tablets even claim to support 16K pressure levels.
Don't get caught up in hype about pressure levels.
Pens - even if they are of the same model - differ a little in their pressure sensitivity
Pressure sensors are subject to wear. Over time, you may find that a pen is less sensitive to pressure than it used to be. Though in practice, I have never experienced this in any noticable way myself.
There are two techniques. The techniques have two things in common:
The pressure is measured by the pen.
Then transmitted to the tablet.
The modern technique: the nib contacts a pressure sensor inside the pen. The nib goes through the hollow ferrite rod and then the nib touches the pressure sensor deeper in the pen. The ferrite rod does NOT move. The pen digitally encodes pressure data into the electromagnetic signal generated by the inductor coil. The tablet then decodes the digital pressure information from the signal.
The very old technique: Nib goes into the hollow ferrite rod but does not come out the other side. The nib is shaped in such a way that it is firmly embedded in ferrite rod. Ads the nib moves, so to does the ferrite rod. The movement of the ferrite rod changes the resonant frequency of the inductor coil. That change in frequency is then sensed by the tablet and translated to pressure.
Besides drawing, pens have varying support for specifically erasing things. Typically this is done either with an eraser on the pen or using the pen buttons to perform the erasing.
Below you can see the nib and the eraser for the Wacom Pro Pen 2 (KP-504E). As you can see the nib is quite a bit larger than the nib.
The eraser is also pressure sensitive and retracts into the pen. The eraser has a much bigger retraction distance than the nib.
Erasers are relatively uncommon for EMR pens.
Drawing apps have to add deliberate support for erasers. Some do have support. Some do not.
Remember that a specific tablet is compatible with only specific pens. Avoid buying a pen that has an eraser and assuming it will work with your tablet. Always check with the manufacturer.
Another option is to map the side buttons to switch to the eraser tool in the app you are using. You can do this in the tablet driver app.
To get a broad view into how different pens handle IAF and max pressure, consult this document:
I claim you only need 2048 levels of pressure (and probably even less than that). As a quick example watch this 35 second video:
Sometimes it is useful to disable pen pressure. For options on how to do so go here: .
Brand | Pens |
---|
Wacom | This is a partial list of Wacom's more recent pens.
|
Huion |
|
XP-Pen |
|
As a rectangular region, we can discuss the size of the active area in different ways
Width & Height
Diagonal length
Area
But most often we will talk about active area sizes using the diagonal length.
If you need help picking the right size for your tablet, consult choosing the right tablet size.
You can often see the diagonal length in the names of pen displays. For example:
Wacom Cintiq Pro 27
Huion Kamvas Pro 16 Plus 4K
For pen tablets, manufacturers often use descriptive names such as "small", "large" instead of numbers.
Wacom Intuos Pro Medium
Wacom Intuos Pro Large
By looking at the Wacom's product line and naming, we can establish a decent framework understanding how descriptive words like "small" and "large" map to numbers. Note that the size names are different for pen displays and pen tablets.
If we look at how drawing tablet models are distributed along this scale we'll see that there is a lot of variation.
Is it reasonable to use the active area's Diagonal length vs the Active area's area measurement.
I think it is, because the diagonal is reasonably well correlated with area for drawing tablets.
Let's see how diagonal and compare buy plotting the values for 180 different tablets.
For pen tablets:
And for pen displays:
Overall, I think using the diagonal is reasonable.
Smooth changes to physical pressure should produce smooth changes to the pressure readings from a a tablet. When this is done well I use the term "pressure transition stability".
An unstable transition would mean that smooth changes in physical pressure would produce exaggerated or wild swings in the pressure readings. I call this "pressure transition instability"
No pen is perfect, but most are pretty good. However, it is not uncommon to discover a pen that has problems with these pressure transitions. Usually it happens in the lower range of pressure.
These unstable readings may not be visible if pressure used to alter the size of small brushes - for example 5px or 10px. So to see the behavior we need to scale up the effect by using larger brush sizes - for example 300px.
NOTE: Your hand itself will introduce imperfections in a stroke. So it takes some practice to learn how to distinguish the effects you are causing, versus what is happening with the tablet.
Compare the three cases below. The example on the far right has noticeable "pulsing" effect which is a common way this instability shows up.
The bezel of a drawing tablet is essentially all the area on the surface of the drawing tablet that is not the active area.
For many devices such a phones and TVs, people make a big deal about having the smallest bezels possible. For drawing tablets, it is good to have a wide bezel.
Avoids your pen uncomfortably "dropping off" if you are making strokes near the edge of the active area
Provides a place for you rest your wrist or forearm so that the edge of the tablet is not digging into them.
The EMR sensor (digitizer) needs to be a bit wider than the active area so that it is still accurate at the edges. A wider bezel provides that extra space for the digitizer.
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/qjjgj5/why_all_cintiqs_have_humongous_bezel/
All drawing tablets detect the position of the pen - even if the pen is not touching the tablet.
If you think about it, this is how the tablet MUST work, because the EMR sensor (aka the digitizer) is below the surface (plastic or glass) that the pen touches. So, obviously the pen is always detected at a distance.
This explains why we are able to place a sheet of paper or a plastic cover over the tablet, and the pen will still be detected correctly.
You can reposition the pointer without drawing or clicking.
You can see where your drawing stroke is going to be before you start the stroke
For some art styles it is very important: https://youtu.be/ZpcKfipVy24
This is rare, but a small number people don't like seeing the pointer move as they move the pen over the surface of the tablet.
The maximum distance the tablet can detect the pen is about 10mm for a modern EMR tablet.
Even though the typical hover height is 10mm, The EMR sensor itself can detect the pen at a much greater distance. For example, even around 20mm. But the greater the distance, the less accurate the the pen can determine the position of the pen. So for this reason tablet drivers enforce a lower max hover height.
Drivers from tablet manufacturers offer no user control over the maximum hover height. The height locked into the code of the driver. However, OpenTabletDriver does have plugins that let you control the hover height.
With a drawing tablet Hover is an intrinsic part of how the tablet works. There is no way to disable hover. Though in some apps it might be possible for you to hide the pointer when you use the pen which might achieve a similar effect.
Based on my analysis of pen pressure ranges, I have developed this simple rating scale for IAF and max pressure. This represents my initial thinking and I expect to revise this in the future based on feedback.
For more general information about pen pressure go here: pen pressure
Consider this diagram to be a DRAFT. it will evolve as I learn more.
I think the pressure categories here (EXCELLENT, VERY GOOD, etc) are reasonable.
But be aware, that for a specific pen there can be significant differences for IAF and max pressure for individual units.
Manufacturers
From tablet experts such as Kuuube
And my own measurements: https://1drv.ms/x/s!Aml8i4Jd6crCkTerfXD_1zsIxg3A?e=2aCPfI
Pens, even of the same model, vary in how their pressure handling
Drivers can potentially affect IAF.
Comments on pen pressure levels and ranges for Wacom products: https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/10l0ujb/comment/j5u1v3z/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
Comparison of minimal gram-force ("initial activation force"/"initial activation pressure") recognized by various digital pens and digitizers ( https://www.reddit.com/r/stylus/comments/opc44f/comparison_of_minimal_gramforce_initial/)
Initial Activation Force / Initial Activation Pressure Cintiq Pro 16 2021? (https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/v9989o/initial_activation_force_initial_activation/)
Barrel rotation is very easy to understand. It's just a rotation of the pen along its long axis.
In the diagram below, the pen is oriented perpendicular to the tablet and you can see the shadow cast on the tablet is directly under the pen. This means the pen has no tilt.
Barrel rotation is indicated by the arrows and the long axis of the pen by the dotted line.
Barrel rotation is a very rare feature on pens.
Only Wacom has ever had supported feature in their pens.
Only two Wacom pens support barrel rotation:
Wacom Art Pen (KP-701E)
Wacom 6D Art Pen (ZP-600)
Keep in mind these two, pens only work with specific Wacom tablets.
Pen tracking is the tablet's interpretation of the physical position of pen.
Pen tracking accuracy = excluding parallax and lag, this is how close the the operating system cursor (mouse pointer) is to the physical tip of the pen.
Perfectly accurate pen tracking means the tablet things the pen is exactly where the physical tip is. Any deviation from that is an inaccuracy.
All tablets are slightly inaccurate. Naturally it is much more obvious when a pen display is inaccurate.
If your pen's position is not matching where the pointer is, pen tracking calibration may help.
Pen pressure information is always sent from the tablet to the tablet driver and from there to the operating system and then to pen-aware applications.
Sometimes when drawing it can be useful to turn off pressure. There are several options
Drawing apps that use brushes may let you control how pressure affects the brush. So, you can configure specific brushes to ignore pressure. Examples of applications that support this are Clip Studio Paint and Krita.
In some applications you can completely flatten the pressure curve. This allows you to have the pressure report. This means the pressure is constant and will not result in the brush changing due to pressure.
SOME tablet drivers let you simply turn off pressure so that it isn't reported to your operating system or applications.
XP-Pen drivers have this feature.
Unlike a pen and paper system, where there is essentially an instantaneous feeling to drawing, a drawing tablet being a digital system where many components are processing and communicating data is always subject to some form of lag.
In the context of drawing tablets, I use the word log to describe how things are "following" the physical pen.
There are two kinds of lag
The details on lag are described in this video series:
Drawing tablet lag - Episode 1: Basics (https://youtu.be/CRwzPJPA_5A) Apr 28, 2023
Drawing tablet lag - Episode 2: Pointer lag (https://youtu.be/tNj6vxx0FWM) Aug 7, 2023
Drawing tablet lag - Episode 3: Position smoothing in the tablet firmware and tablet driver (https://youtu.be/sWvluY9w-Bk) Aug 7, 2023
In order to correctly represent the position of the pen. The tablet has to perform something called tilt compensation. This means adjusting the pointer position, depending on how much the pen is tilted.
This is very important for EMR tablets because the digitizer is sensing an inductor inside the pen. And that inductor is not close to the tip of the pen. It's deeper inside the pen.
Some other pen technologies. For example, the apple pencil don't have as big a separation as EMR tablets have.
Now no tablet does tilt compensation perfectly. I have seen some very old habits to do this very badly almost as if they don't compensate for tilt at all. But these days, a modern EMR drawing tablet does a decent job compensating for tilt. And so the pointer doesn't really shift too far away from where the tip of the pen is. But there is some variation. Some tablets are better at this than others.
Diagonal wobble is a regular displacement of the tablet's interpretation of the pen's position.
You might also see this referred to as: "jitter"
I covered wobble extensively in this video on pen display accuracy (https://youtu.be/M4rEk_RNBrM)
If you slowly draw line on a tablet WITH A RULER the wobble will be apparent on diagonal lines. The diagram below exaggerates the wobble
The wobble can happen with any kind of pen movement - straight lines, or curves.
As the name suggest, the wobble is apparent with the pen is moving at an angle.
A 45 deg angle exhibits the most wobble
A 0 deg or 90 deg angle exhibits no wobble.
Angles between 0 and 90 exhibit more wobble as they approach 45 degrees.
The wobble is just more obvious with straight lines even the the same amount of wobble occurs with curves
Generally the wobble will be present the slower the pen is travelling
Some tablets exhibit the wobble even when moving the pen fast. This is less common.
Diagonal wobble is present in all drawing tablets in varying amounts.
There's no clear pattern by price or by brand or by device type about when wobble appears.
The wobble is NOT due to the nib wobbling in the pen.
The nib can be perfectly fixed in the pen and you would still observe the wobble.
In any case, remember that the nib is not what the tablet senses to detect position, but rather the inductor coil deeper inside the pen.
The wobble comes from the tablet and how it senses the pen position.
The wobble is due to how the tablet senses and interpolates the pens position.
The wobble is present in multiple digital pen technologies
The wobble is present with EMR pens
The wobble is present with non-EMR pen technologies such as MPP, AES, and the Apple pencil.
If there is wobble, it tends to show up at slow speeds. This is a bit expected.
If the wobble shows up at faster speeds, that is unusual.
Tilt could affect the wobble.
Most often I have not seen tilt have an affect on wobble, but I have tablet where an extreme tilt angle (an angle that would not be used in drawing) causes a massive wobble. I haven't tested all my tablets at extreme tilt, so I am not sure how common this is.
All tablets have wobble.
But for most, you would only notice the wobble when TRYING to find the wobble. In other words, it won't affect your normal drawing.
The real problem comes when the you notice the wobble creating alterations to the strokes that you didn't intend.
It also depends on what you are doing. You might notice wobble more if you are doing line art but not notice it at all if you are using an airbrush.
OPTION 1 : Turn on smoothing
Applications have different brush smoothing options. Explore those to see if they eliminate or reduce the wobble.
OPTION 2 : Zoom in
Try zooming in on the canvas in (for example by 2X) and drawing the same stroke. The wobble will technically still be there but because it is a happening on the physical moment of the pen, if you zoom 2X with the canvas in it will have 1/2 the effect on the stroke.
OPTION 3 : Draw a faster
Wobble is often something that occurs when you are drawing slower. Try drawing the stroke faster, in most tablets this eliminates the wobble.
If your strokes are small and drawing faster would cause you to have less control, then try zooming in more. This will make your physical stroke longer, but keep them the same size on the canvas.
OPTION 3: Use vector tools and brushes
Instead of drawing your stroke manually, if your application supports it, use vector strokes.
These are my wobble samples across a number of tablets.
https://1drv.ms/f/s!Aml8i4Jd6crChTjTXo89k5jO8mb8?e=t3ijPC
All were created using my a standard testing process: Diagonal wobble testing.
Some recent models with XP-Pen feature some excessive diagonal wobble. This is something you should check into when looking into these models. Here are examples of of the line wobble in recent XP-Pen:
XP Pen Deco LW 8:06 in this video : https://youtu.be/0VaH-UTRL7A?t=486
XP Pen Artist 16 (GEN2) 7:04 in this video: https://youtu.be/0VaH-UTRL7A?t=486
XP Pen Artist 12 (GEN2) 5:45 in this video: https://youtu.be/O6OzBT7BLsA?t=345
The nibs of drawing tablet pens can be made of different materials. The most common nib material is plastic or felt. The vast majority of pens, by default, have a plastic nib pre-installed. Though I know of at least one case where a pen has a felt nib preinstalled (The Huion PW600 and PW600S). The numerical can greatly affect the drawing experience.
Surface texture - Drawing with plastic nib feels smoother. Felt adds a little extra sensation of texture
Nib wear - Felt nibs will wear down more than plastic nibs.
Impact damage - I've dropped pens with felt nibs and found that a drop is more likely to affect damage the felt nib.
Wacom offers three materials for some of their tablets such as the Wacom One:
standard
elastomer
felt
See this video for an explanation of how standard, elastomer, and felt feel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APAO-yWc_PY
I DO NOT recommend using a metal nib.
For a more general introduction to lag, see Lag.
If you you are "painting", there is a separate kind of lag called brush lag.
With the Apple Pencil the iPad has lag but the overall perceivable lag is very low compared o an EMR drawing tablet. I suspect the lower lag is due to some of these factors:
Very tight and optimized integration between the pen subsystem and the operating system. It makes sense Apple can do this because they own the entire tech stack.
in a normal drawing tablet the EMR pens have a coil that is detected by the tablet and that coil is deeper inside the pen while the equivalent Apple Pencil component is close to the tip of the pen and thus to the tablet. This smaller distance should result in less electromagnetic interference. In turn this should require less position smoothing to remove the interference which then shows up as reduced lag.
Relating to the previous point about distance. Just based on the visual parallax it seems like there is less physical distance between the tip of the Apple Pencil and the display panel compared to other EMR-based pen displays I have used. So, again this should reduce the amount electromagnetic interference and thus require less smoothing and result in less lag.
From some things I've read, the iPads do some position prediction with the Apple Pencil so that results in an reduction in lag at the cost of reduced accuracy with abrupt changes in direction. I've even seen one video showing that iPads also can predict contact with the surface of the iPad so that they can start drawing just a moment before physical contact is made.
YES - in theory and to some degree. But it is not a trivial thing to do.
Pointer lag comes from two sources: The tablet firmware and the tablet driver
It's possible to get rid of the lag caused by the driver by using a third party driver - for example OpenTabletDriver.
I've tried this with both an Intuos Pro and a Cintiq Pro. My results here
Intuos Pro - Noticeable reduction in lag (at the cost of a little more imprecision in the tracking of the pen)
Cintiq Pro - slight reduction in lag. But mostly stays exactly the same. From that I think the Cintiq Pro lag is primarily caused by the tablet firmware - probably to deal with the electromagnetic noise caused by the embedded display panel.
The pointer lag in the firmware cannot be removed because essentially it is impossible for a user to modify the tablet firmware.
For a more general introduction to lag, see Lag.
There is a separate kind of lag called pointer lag.
Aaron Rutten did a nice video to explaining how to minimize brush lag
All drawing tablets have a slight texture on their surface. The amount of texture varies quite widely. And people have strong opinions and preferences about it.
Pen tablets - the tablets without a screen - have various amounts of texture on the surface based.
Some tablets like the Wacom Intuos Pro (PTH-860, PTH-660, PTH-860) are known to have a lot of texture compared to older Wacom professional pen tablet models.
The consequences to a lot of texture is that it can wear down your nibs fast - especially if you are making lots of strokes over and over.
Also depending how much you are using the tablet, you may see over time that you will wear down the texture on the tablet. You'll mostly see this as regions where the tablet will look smooth or shiny. Despite the unattractive look, it doesn't intefere with using the tablet. The pen still feels like it has enough texture so it isn't a slippery feeling like an iPad.
Some tablets like the Wacom Intuos Pro (PTH-660, PTH-860) have a surface that has a replaceable textures.
These texture sheets can be very hard to find in 2023 - and they aren't cheap - but they offer two advantages:
You can get a texture more like what you want. Wacom offers them in Smooth, Standard, and Rough variants. Standard is what with the tablet out of the box.
If you damage your surface you can easily replace it.
Again, this is an incredibly rare feature for a pen tablet and only specific models of Wacom professional tablets offer this capability.
All pen display I know of have a little bit of texture.
The texture will either come from:
a matte film (that film is also usually providing an anti-glare treatment also)
an etched glass surface (the etched glass also provides an anti-glare treatment
Apple iPads
The surface of any Apple iPad is very smooth glass. Many people feel that using an Apple Pencil on an iPad screen feels "slippery". The pen seems to easily unintentionally "slide" as they draw because there is so little friction.
No drawing tablet by default has a texture that comes close to the feeling of paper.
There are some options that can increase the texture. In SOME cases they may give you something close to that feeling of drawing on paper.
Also you can use felt nibs - if they are available for your pen. These felt nibs also can provide some extra texture.
ExpresKeys is a Wacom-specific term, but people use it in general additional inputs for any tablet. Drawing tablets often have additional "inputs" such as:
Buttons (both physical and capacitive)
Dials
Touch-sensitive strips
Huion calls these buttons "Press Keys"
Some people love using these kind of inputs, but some people do not like them because either they
take up space on the tablet
are accidentally triggered
or their workflow just doesn't benefit from them
For these cases, you should be aware that these inputs can often be configured in the tablet driver to "do nothing".
You can map the buttons to take a variety of actions. Broadly the categories are
Mouse-related actions - right click, left-click, double click
System navigation - scroll left, scroll right, zoom in/out, pan, switch applications
System tasks - run application, open a file
Keyboard - Press a key, hold down a modifier key
Tablet drivers also let you configure how these buttons work depending on the app you are using.
For example you can set a button to
Increase brush size when you are using Photoshop
Increase opacity when you are using Clip Studio Paint
Increase the volume of your speakers under all other conditions
Undo | Redo
Zoom In | Out | to 100% | Zoom to Fit
Increase | Decrease brush size
Increase | Decrease burhs opacity
Rotate Left | Right | Reset to 0 degrees
Switch between tools (brush, eyedropper, etc.)
Select All | None | Invert | Lasso selection | color similarity selection
Go to layer above | below
These are great for "paired" tasks
Zoom In / Out
Increase / Decrease brush size
Increase / Decrease brush opacity
Rotate canvas
Some rotary dials support turning as well as a third press action. This is useful for a situations where there are three related actions such as rotate right, ritate left, and reset rotation.
Note that the anti-glare treatment stops the display from being glossy - but it also introduces some thign called anti-glare sparkle:
You can buy protective sheets that you can stick on top of the surface of you drawing tablet which will provide the texture. More here: .
Size = Active Area Size. The way we measure a tablets size is NOT the physical size of the device. Instead we measure the diagonal of the ACTIVE AREA of the tablet. The ACTIVE AREA is the region on the surface of the tablet that is responsive to the tablet's EMR pen. Learn more: Active area & Active area size
I've given convenient labels ("small", "medium", "large") to drawing tablets. This will make it easier to talk about their sizes. These categories are based off the standard sizes that Wacom uses. The sizes here are approximate. For each category a typical value is provided, and also a range of values.
Manufactures also sometimes provide size categories in the names of their pen tablets. But don't trust the size categories - always calculate the actual diagonal distance when comparing sizes.
Here's are some great examples:
The XP-Deco L is much closer in size to a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium than the Intuos Pro Large.
Inspiroy 2L is sort of in-between a medium and large size.
Here's what you should consider in your choice
What is your natural drawing style? some people draw a lot from the wrist and others use much larger motions driven from their elbows and shoulders
Do you have enough space on your desk?
Do you intend to be mobile and use the tablet in different locations?
Small (7") pen tablets are good for scenarios where the focus is less on creating strokes. For example, if you need to simply use a tablet as a replacement for a mouse, then a small tablet will work fine. One creative task that works great with small tablets in photo editing - since it doesn't typically require "drawing". Most people who are drawing would find using a small tablet, to feel very "cramped".
Medium (11") pen tablets are the best combination of size, cost, and ergonomics for most people interested in drawing tablets and is my standard recommendation. Medium tablets are the minimum size I would recommend for anyone who is interested in drawing, sketching, painting, or any creative task that requires drawing with strokes.
Large (15") pen tablets are these days the largest size available. They are popular for some artists. They are large enough though that you will have to adapt to using them. More here: Using large pen tablets.
Extra large (23") pen tablets are no longer produced but for some users they are ideal but require quite a bit of adjustment to use. More here: Using Extra-large pen tablets.
If you have a pen tablet (which does not have a screen), then you use it with a monitor. You should consider the relationship between these two sizes. I find that that relationship influences how it feels to draw on the pen tablet. A much more detailed explanation is here: Matching pen tablet size to monitor size.
SMALL (13") pen displays may be good choices for children.
If you are drawing the minimum size I would recommend is MEDIUM (16"), though many people work very effectively with SMALL pen displays.
LARGE (24") are great but they do occupy a lot of space so ensure you have a desk that is big enough.
I think the best balance is around 20" to 22" - these provide enough space to draw on without being to cumbersome, occupying too much space on a desk, or being difficult to move.
Anti-glare sparkle - For a given anti-glare treatment, the higher the pixels-per-inch of the display, the more anti-glare sparkle you will notice. For example using the same anti-glare treatment a 4K 24" display will show less AG sparkle, than a 4K 16" display.
Some of you like to think of a tablet size relative standard papers sizes. The tablet below shows the paper sizes with their diagonal size and you can see how specific paper size matches my standard tablet sizes
Tim McBurnie - Which Size Wacom Is Right For You? Nov 28, 2022
The SevenPens - Is a LARGE pen tablet right for you? Jun 27, 2022
Size category | Pen tablet | Pen display |
---|---|---|
Tablet and manufactr | My size category | Active area | Diagonal |
---|---|---|---|
Pen tablet | Pen display | |
---|---|---|
Standard tablet size | Nearest ISO paper | Nearest US paper |
---|---|---|
SMALL
Typical: 7" Range: 6" to 9"
Typical: 13" Range: 11" to 14"
MEDIUM
Typical: 11" Range: 10" to 13"
Typical: 16" Range: 15" to 19"
LARGE
Typical: 15" Range: 14" to 19"
Typical: 24" Range: 20" to 29"
EXTRA LARGE
Typical: 23" Range: 20" to29"
Typical: 32" Range: 30" to 33"
Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660)
MEDIUM
8.7"x5.8"
10.5"
XP-Pen Deco L
MEDIUM
10"x6"
11.5"
Inspiroy 2 L
MEDIUM (high end of medium)
10.5"x6.56"
12.38"
Wacom Intuos Pro Large
(PTH-860)
LARGE
12.1"x8.4"
14.7"
Starter tablet
MEDIUM (11")
SMALL (7") if budget is a constraint
MEDIUM (16")
SMALL (13") if budget is a constraint
Drawing, Sketching, Painting
MEDIUM (11")
LARGE (15") if you know you need it
MEDIUM (16")
LARGE (24") if you know you need it
Photo Editing
SMALL (7") is enough
SMALL (13") or MEDIUM
Note taking (more here: Taking notes with drawing tablets)
MEDIUM (11") (I don't recommend pen tablets for note taking)
SMALL (13") (I don't recommend pen displays for note taking)
Mouse replacement (More here: Using a drawing tablet instead of a mouse)
SMALL (7")
N/A
For children
SMALL (7")
SMALL (13")
What I prefer and use
LARGE (15")
22" - on the low end of LARGE
Pen Tablet Small (7")
ISO A6 (7.1")
n/a
Pen Tablet Medium (11")
ISO A5 (10.1")
US Letter (13.9")
Pen Tablet Large (16")
ISO A4 (14.3")
US Legal (16.4")
Pen Display Small (13")
ISO A4 (14.3")
US Letter (13.9")
Pen Display Medium (16")
ISO A4 (14.3")
US Legal (16.4")
Pen Display Large (24")
ISO A3 (20.2")
n/a
That means the tablet knows the (x,y) location of the pen precisely on the active area of the tablet.
The pen does not even have to touch the tablet. As long as the pen is close - about 10 mm typically - to the active area and within the bounds of the active area, the tablet knows the pen's position. This position detection without touching is typically called "support for hover".
That means that a mouse does not know its exact position on your desktop. The mouse has no idea what surface it is in contact with. In a general sense a mouse only knows that it is moving in relation to some surface.
The mouse does not now its location. The mouse only knows about changes in position - i.e. either it is moving or it is not moving.
The mouse reports this movement as a change in x position and a change in Y position (dx, dy)
What happens if you simply keep a pen or a mouse perfectly still and don't move them at all.
Drawing tablet will continuously report the (x,y) position of the pen.
In theory a mouse will report (0,0) indicating no movement. In practice mice don't even report the (0,0) because that data doesn't provide any interesting information to the computer.
One of the ways absolute and relative positioning really stand out is what happens when the input device jumps from one location to another
With the drawing tablet if you hold your pen let's say at the bottom left of the tablet - that means the operating system pointer will also be at the bottom left of your display. If you then pull the pen straight up and away from the tablet so that the tablet does not sense the pen's location and then you move the pen to the upper right hand, then suddenly the operating system pointer will suddenly appear at the upper right hand corner of the display
For a mouse if you try the equivalent thing something different will happen. If the pointer is at the bottom left and you suddenly pull the mouse away from the surface and then place it anywhere else, then you'll see that the pointer does not move.
Drawing tablets can simulate relative positioning when talking to a computer. This is called mouse mode. More here: Mouse mode
Pen tablets require minimal amounts of power. They get enough power from a normal USB 2.0 port.
Pen displays require much more power than a pen tablet due to the embedded display panel. They may have a power adapter that you need to plug into the wall. Or they may be able to be powered with through a USB-C cable.
Pen tablets that have wireless support have built-in batteries that can usually last the entire day and do recharge quickly when they are plugged back in.
Pen displays DO NOT have batteries. They must get their power from a cable that is either attached to a computer or to power coming from a wall.
For some occasions and for some people they would prefer if a drawing tablet pen behaved more like a mouse.
For this reason drawing tablet drivers offer something that is called mouse mode.
Drawing tablets are absolute positioning devices. But enabling mouse mode will make them behave like a relative positioning device like a mouse.
Learn more here: Absolute versus relative positioning
Mouse mode is implemented in the tablet driver has no effect on the tablet hardware.
The tablet continues to use absolute positioning internally.
The driver takes the absolute positioning information it receives from the tablet and then translates that into relative positioning data when it sends data position data to the operating system.
In theory it shouldn't affect the quality of drawing.
In practice, it depends on what the driver is exactly doing.
Here's an example of the Wacom driver vs Huion driver in Krita on Windows.
As you can see the Wacom driver creates very jerky position data when mouse mode is enabled. It does not have to be like this, they could do better like Huion does.
Also, this difference is not due to hardware. I tested the same Wacom tablet with OpenTabletDriver also set to mouse mode (OTD calls this "Relative mode") and the lines were smooth.
This section is incomplete
XP-Pen (ver 3.4.7): Enabling Mouse Mode loses pressure sensitivity on Windows
Wacom: TBD
Huion: TBD
On Windows, Mouse Mode in some drivers may disable Windows Ink
You may need to restart an drawing application if you change the mouse mode setting.
In Wacom Tablet Properties app, select your pen, navigate to the Mapping tab, then under the Mode area you will see a setting you can switch between Pen and Mouse
Once you enable mouse mode, you'll see some new configuration options.
In the Huion driver, click Digital Pen, then enable or disable Mouse Mode at the bottom
Some drawing applications may get confused if they are running and mouse mode is switched on or switched off. So you may need to restart those apps.
Sometimes you will see that a driver does not have a mouse mode option for a pen display. The reason for this is probably that it would be somewhat unusual and a little bit unnatural to use append display in this way.
If the aspect ratio of your pen tablet's active area does not match your monitor's aspect ratio. You will see distortion. The diagram below shows that if you trace out a circle on the pen tablet, you will have traced out an oval on the screen.
Don't worry! You can correct this. And it's important you do. Because not only does it produce a distorted drawing experience, the mismatch between what your hand is doing and what is happening on the screen can be incredibly frustrating.
The issue with pen tablets is that the tablet and the display are separate devices. And each device has its own aspect ratio. The odds of the aspect rations matching by chance are very low. For example, as of 2024 most pen tablets do not have a 16x9 aspect ratio even though most displays do have a a6x9 aspect ratio.
If the aspect ratios match, then there is no distortion when you draw.
Here are some examples of what happens some Wacom pen tablets because of the mismatched aspect ratios when using a 16:9 monitor.
This mismatch of aspect ratios is SIMPLE to solve. All tablet drivers have a setting for this, although they call it by different names and the drive UI has a different way to enable it.
What this setting does is let you use only the region of the active area that matches to that of your monitor - so the aspect ratios will match.
Trade-offs
If you enable this setting you will not be able to take advantage of some of your tablet's active area, but BY FAR this is the better alternative than the distorted drawing.
Should everyone use this setting?
YES. I highly recommend it for for the vast majority of cases.
The setting is called Force Proportions.
Launch Wacom Tablet Properties
Under the Mapping tab, enable Force Proportions
The setting is called Screen Ratio.
Launch the HuionTablet App
Go to Working Area
On the bottom left there is a drop down.
Switch the dropdown to Screen Ratio.
The setting is called Screen Ratio.
Open the Gaomon driver app
Go to Workspace
Select Screen Ratio
The setting is called Proportion.
Open the XP-Pen driver app (called PenTablet)
Go to Work Area
Go to Pen Tablet
Select Proportion
The setting is called Screen Ratio
Open the Xencelabs driver app
Go to Device Settings
Look in Tablet to Screen Area Mapping
There's a drop down on the left side. It has three options: Full Tablet Area, Define Portion, and Screen Ratio
Select Screen Ratio in the bottom
The active area of a pen display and their display panel inside the pen display are equivalent. So they always match.
A large pen tablet has an active area diagonal of about 15 inches.
Generally I advise against getting a LARGE pen tablet unless:
you already have experience using one
or are highly confident your art style will benefit from it and you are ready to deal with the ergonomic issues that come from using one.
With a medium pen tablet most people put their tablet to the right or left of their keyboard.
You can certainly try this with a large pen tablet. But what you'll discover is that it is extremely difficult to reach the more distant edges of the keyboard or tablet depending on how they're situated in front of you.
So a large pen tablet typically means you will have to have it directly in front of you. And then you place the keyboard above it. This of course means that it's more difficult to reach the keyboard.
Often if I'm not really drawing I'll in fact put the keyboard on top of the tablet.
With a large pen tablet your hand is really moving quite a distance to do some things. So for example if you are trying to reach a menu item at the very top of the screen you might be surprised how much distance you're going to have to move your pen. This can be very tiring for some people.
If the active area is too big for you, then you should keep in mind that you can always scale down the active area to any size you want. You can make the active area match a medium sized tablet for example.
If you want a large pen tablet, pick from one of these:
In this video I go through a lot of detail about what it's like to actually use a large pen tablet. In this case I'm specifically using a Wacom intuos pro (PTH-860). But the same general issues apply to any large pen tablet.
This video goes into great detail about this topic.
Wacom Intuos Pro PTH-860: EXCELLENT ()
XP-Pen Deco Pro XLW GEN2 (MT1592B): VERY GOOD ()
Huion Inspiroy Giano G930L: GOOD ()
In terms of what you see on it, your pen display is just another monitor/display to your computer. So, you can control how the computer shows its desktop to the pen display.
You have two options:
Extend the desktop - this means you can see different things on the pen display from your monitor. This is what I recommend you use.
Duplicate the desktop (aka "Mirror ther desktop") - This means your pen display and monitor will try to show the same exact thing. Sometimes this is very useful but generally I think Extend is better choice for most people and situations.
The steps depend on which operating system you are using.
Open Display Settings
The displays your computer is connected to will be shown and each one is numbered. The one in blue is the display currently selected.
If a display has two numbers, that means the desktop is being duplicated across those displays
NOTE: If you only see one display then the these settings do not apply.
Select the display that corresponds to your tablet
Towards the button right (to the right of the Identify button) you will see a dropdown setting that controls how the desktop is being applied to this display. Depending on how the display is already configured, the dropdown will say either
Extend desktop to this display
Duplicate desktop on X and Y
X and Y will be the numbers referring to the displays
Switch the dropdown between the Extend or Duplicate option as needed.
Go to Displays > Display Settings
Select your monitor, then set Use As to Primary Display
Then select your drawing tablet's display and set Use As to Mirror.
Using a pen tablet with a widescreen monitor presents some challenges and some new opportunities with a pen tablet due to the extreme differences in aspect ratio.
Normally a pen tablet aspect ratio has an aspect ratio of around 16:10 but monitors often have an aspect ratio of 16:9. By default this distorts shapes drawn on the pen tablet so that they appear stretched slightly in one direction. The solution is to force the tablet's active area aspect ratio to match that of the monitor.
Because the aspect ratios are close (1.6 vs 1.78), we lose a little bit of active area on the tablet, but now the drawing is without distortion.
But in the widescreen case, the aspect ratios are quite different (1.6 vs 2.33). So, if we match the tablet's aspect ratio to the monitor, we lose much more active area.
You could map the active area of the tablet to a region of the monitor with the same aspect ratio.
The region is shown in the center of the monitor, but it could be left or right aligned.
You get to use the full area of your tablet, but then you have to carefully possition yoru drawing application into a region that the tablet is mapped to.
This is pretty rare, but I've seen people do it.
If you can reliably tile your windows to the left half and right half, this is an alternative arrangement
It loses active area on the tablet, but may be easier to work with in terms of resizing windows.
Some widescreen monitors, support presenting themselves to a computer as two separate monitors. Usually this requires two separate cables for two separate video signals.
In this case you can map the tablet to one the monitors.
This still loses some active area on the tablet, but now it is very easy to get windows into the appropriate regions.
Also some tablets, have the ability for you to use an express key or a pen button to swap between monitors. This means you can use your tablet with the entire physical display of your monitor.
Extra-large pen tablets have an active area diagonal of about 23".
Are very specialized and not appropriate for most people
Are no longer in production - only Wacom made them and the most recent models series - the Wacom Intuos 4 XL is from 2011.
Require lots of adjustment to your work style due to their size
Watch this video to learn about the reality of using EXTRA LARGE pen tablets:
There is a relationship between the size of a pen tablet and the size of your monitor that you should pay attention to. They both have different sizes and certain combinations may work better than others.
For more general information about choosing the right size, go here: Choosing the right tablet size.
My general guidance works out like this:
This table is based on my preferences - you might find you find that difference combinations work better.
This video helps explain the thinking behind it:
If you are wearing out your plastic pen nibs too quickly, you might be considering a metal nib. Metal nibs in theory never wear out.
Are metal nibs safe for your pen tablet?
I DO NOT recommend using a metal nib
ferrite core damage - Some people report that the metal nibs can cause the pen's ferrite core to easily break. When the ferrite core breaks it cannot be replaced. You have to buy a new pen. I did not experience damage to the ferrite core even after I dropped my KP-504E pen repeatedly with the metal nib hitting the floor directly. However, I don't doubt that others have experienced real damage.
I DO NOT recommend using a metal nib directly against the glass of a pen display
I haven't tried it with a pen display and I right now would not recommend someone doing doing that. I do believe there's a chance it can damage the screen. I've even seen people with plastic nibs damage the screen of their pen display.
You may find different options for nibs, here several I know of.
For Wacom Pro Pen 2
This is the nib I use for the "Are metal nibs safe" videos
For Wacom CTL-672,CTL-671,CTL-471, CTL-472
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/740ktd/metal_nibs_where_do_you_purchase_them/ -
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/ts2ted/titanium_alloy_pen_nib/ -
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/tklhcn/stainless_steel_nib_finally_came_time_to_art/ -
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/t7lraf/better_nibs_for_ctl472/ -
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/gyo4ug/pro_pen_2_stainless_steel_nib/ -
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/kyl5lj/but_seriously_why_are_all_my_nibs_sharpened_to/ -
Pen tablet Size | Monitor Size |
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(part 1) ()
(part 2) ()
(part 3) ()
(part 4) ()
(part 5) ()
pressure sensor damage - I personally experienced that a metal nib cause a permanent increase in the initial activation force of my Wacom Pro Pen 2. This means the pen become less sensitive and going back plastic nib does not restore a low initial activation force. See this video for more details ().
If someone is going to do use a metal nib with a pen display, I would recommend using a protective sheet. See this doc .
TWITE Graphics ()
I purchased from () but you may find other sources.
REEYEAR ( )
TWITE Hybrid metal/plastix nib ()
Store:
REEYEAR metal nibs ()
Extra Large (23")
40" - 50"
Large (15")
30" - 40"
Medium (11")
20" - 30"
Small (7")
20" - 25"
You can use a pen display like a regular monitor. However, there are a few things you should be aware of.
It's completely safe.
Just like any monitor or TV you can just keep them on all the time.
I've used multiple pen displays as a second display and leave them on 24/7 and my computers are set to never sleep so they are always showing something.
Specific pen displays I have used this way (each has been continuously turned on and showing something for several months at least):
Wacom Cintiq Pro 16 DTH-167
Wacom Cintiq Pro 27 DTH-271
XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 GEN2 MD160QH
Wacom One GEN1 (DTC-133)
Wacom One 13 GEN2 (DTH-134)
Wacom One 12 GEN2 (DTC-121)
Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (GS2202)
Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1331)
Huion Kamvas Pro 16 Plus 4k (GT1562)
Huion Kamvas Pro 24 4K (GT2401)
Xencelabs Pen Display 24 (LPH2412U-A)
Pen displays typically they only up to 60Hz. Higher refresh rates are EXTREMELY rare. More here: Pen display refresh rate
A monitor often has a variety of inputs. For example, most of the monitors I have support these display inputs such as HDMI, DisplayPort, USB-C.
Some pen displays have a variety of inputs. The Wacom Cintiq pro 27 DTH271 is a great example of one. It supports all of the inputs mentioned above.
But most modern pen displays now have only USB-C ports - usually two. One for a display signal & data and one for additional power if needed.
Typically monitors have to aspect ratios: 16:9 and 16:10. And there are variety of widescreen or ultra-widescreen monitors that support many other aspect ratios.
Pen displays have much less diversity of aspect ratios. The vast majority of modern pen displays are exactly 16:9. A very small number are 16:10.
Learn more: active area aspect ratio
Monitors and pen displays use various panel tech such as:
IPS
TN
VA
OLED
OLED introduction to pen displays. Starting by around May 2024, we seen the introduction of a few pen displays with OLED panels. The first pen display to use OLED was the Wacom Movink 13 (DTH-135) and the second OLED pen display was the Xencelabs Pen Display 16.
Most often monitors support VESA mounting so you can attach them to a stand or an arm.
Many pen displays support VESA mounting also. However, the pen displays that are 16" or smaller often do not support VESA mounting. Likely they do not support VESA mounting because these sizes of pen displays are to thin to do so.
More here: Using monitor arms with a pen display
Monitors tend to have the normal power cables and adapters.
Modern pen displays tend to support getting power via their USB C ports.
It varies quite a bit among pen displays, but often they exhibit more Anti-Glare sparkle than monitors. Sometimes it is quite noticeable. Some people are very irritated by the visual effect of this anti-glare sparkle.
More here: Anti-glare sparkle
Many monitors come with built-in speakers. They usually sound terrible, but they can be useful.
As far as I am aware, no pen displays do not have speakers.
One of the benefits of supporting multiple display input ports is that it makes it possible to display two or more inputs simultaneously.
Many monitors allow this now and it is very useful for very wide monitors.
This is not something found on pen displays. Or at least it is very rare.
It's common question whether pen displays would get to hot if they are continually used. Pen displays don't get any hotter than a normal monitor. More here: Heat
Monitors are almost always completely silent and don't even have fans.
However, some pen displays - notably some Wacom Cintiq Pro models - have fans are are known for fan noise. If you are sensitive to noise research this first.
Sometimes people want to take a pen display and use it as a pen tablet. There are several options here. In this case, someone doesn't want to see anything on the pen display. It should be blank.
Some pen displays have their power button configured to effect only the screen. You can power off the tablet, which will turn off the screen, but since the tablet is still connected to the computer it will essentially act just like a pen tablet.
Not all pen displays are like this. Many have their power button set to turn off everything. So if you turn the tablet off, you wont be able to see anything on it or use the pen.
If your tablet is connected via an HDMI cable to the computer, you can disconnect the HDMI cable. In every pen display I know of, this will result in a blank screen but the pen can still be used with the tablet.
In your operating system, you can configure the displays settings to not use the screen in the pen display. This should leave you with a pen display that shows nothing and the pen should still work.
If you use a pen display even if the screen is off, you will still likely see the larger pointer lag.
These days many monitors and pen displays support very wide colors gamuts.
While these can look amazing, many people often find that they are too intensely saturated. This is often observed with reds, purples, and greens.
Often changing saturation levels or brightness might not do anything to reduce the intensity of these colors.
There are some techniques you can use to reduce the intensity of these colors
Many monitors an pen displays have an "sRGB emulation mode" that will rude the intensity of these colors.
This is the first option you should try.
A possible negative is that often these displays not only restrict the color gamut, but also keep reduce the brightness. If reduced brightness is not working for you you can try other options
Launch AMD Radeon Software
Click Settings
Click Display
Enable Custom Color
Disable Temperature Control (CTC)
Use the novideo_srgb tool
Extract the files in the release.zip
Launch novideo_srgb.exe
Click Clamped
Pen tablets have low pointer lag. Pen displays have higher pointer lag. More here:
Download the release.zip file from here:
Taming the Wide Gamut using sRGB Emulation ()
r/Monitors - 10/24/2021
r/Monitors - 8/24/2021
novideo_rgb tool ()
Blog: Wide Colour Gamut & SRGB Clamp ()
What Is sRGB Emulation Mode And Why Is It Important? ()
A 3-in-one cable is a special kind of connection cable used for pen displays to connect to a computer.
More here on the different ways a pen display can be connected to a computer: Connecting a pen display to a computer
A 3-in-1 cable typically looks like this:
The power end can work in different ways depending on which 3-in-1 cable you have
Older 3-in-1 cables may have a proprietary connection to the tablet instead of a regular USB-C connection.
Simplifies the physical design of the tablet. It minimizes the number of physical ports on the tablet. Instead of having an HDMI port, power port, and USB-A data port, the tablet can just have 1 USB-C port.
It also makes it easier to keep track of cables. You just have to have 3-in-1 cable instead of three separate cables.
Ideally you would connect your table to the computer with a single USB-C able. But this is not always possible.
USB-C ports on your computer may not supply enough power
USB-C ports on your computer may not support sending a display signal (aka DP alt mode)
Your computer may not have a USB-C port at all
So a 3-in-1 cable allows you to use older ports that many computers do have such as HDMI and USB-A and way to get enough power to the tablert.
For a display tablet your are pointing at one location on the pen, but the pointer is showing somewhere else. It could be do to the pen being incorrectly calibrated to the display.
Most pen displays offer a pen calibration to solve this problem.
Some, like the Wacom Cintiq Pro 27 offer this claibration because they are well-calibrated when you get them.
Pen calibration is a feature found in pen displays. Pen tablets don't need the feature.
Open the XP-Pen Pentablet app
Under Work area > Screen, press Calibrate
Follow the calibration steps
Open the HuionTablet app
Under Pen Display > Working Area, press Monitor Calibration
Follow the calibration steps
Typically, when you press down with your pen and touch the tablet it will be interpreted is a "click" action - just as if you left clicked with a mouse.
However, in some rare circumstances and depending on the tablet and tablet brand and tablet driver, you MIGHT be able to modify the behavior to a slight degree.
Sometimes you can enable or disable the clicking of the tip
I don't know of any way to assign the tip to perform some other behavior when pressed. For example, no way for the tip to be assigned to the SHIFT key or something.
Wacom pens just always "click". There's no way to change this behavior.
The Huion driver lets you disable clicking.
In the Driver UI it is a little confusing though. The tip is shown as being in one of two states: valid and invalid.
The default is valid and this means the pen works normally.
The invalid setting, disables clicking.
In the XP-Pen driver, you can only disable the tip.
In the driver, press the gear icon and you can disable the tip by checking the box that says disable pressure.
All pen tablets connect to a computer with a USB cable. Some pen tablets ALSO connect to a computer wirelessly - almost always Bluetooth.
If you are getting a tablet setup for the first time, use the cable.
In general, I recommend using the cable because any wireless connection typically has a little extra latency and is more prone to interference. Also in general, I've found wireless connection to sometimes just be a bit flakier and require manual reconnection sometimes.
Pen tablets, because they do not have a screen, don't draw much power and don't transmit a lot of data. So any USB 2.0 cable will work that fits the tablet and that carries data.
Modern pen tablets all have a standard USB-C port flush with the edge of the tablet.
Older pen tablets may use micro-USB ports. Some even older tablets, have the cable permanently affixed to the tablet. An example is the Wacom Intuos 4 XL.
If you want to use 3rd party cables, learn more here: .
Pen tilt information is always sent from the tablet to the tablet driver and from there to the operating system and then to pen-aware applications.
Sometimes when drawing it can be useful to turn off tilt. There are options
Drawing apps that use brushes may let you control how tilt affects the brush. So, you can configure specific brushes to ignore tilt. Examples of applications that support this are Clip Studio Paint and Krita.
Turn off tilt in the driver - SOME tablet drivers let you simply turn off tilt so that it isn't reported to your operating system or applications.
XP-Pen drivers have this feature.
When you press down on the nib they travels (or retracts) a little bit into the pen. This is NORMAL. If the nib didn't travels at least a little, the pen would not be able to detect pressure.
How much the nib travels depends on the specific pen involved.
The general consensus is that most people don't want too much retraction because it "feels funny" to use the pen.
A typical nib travel distance for Wacom's pens is about 1mm.