7P Drawing tablets
Welcome
Overview
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.
Popular topics
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
Product info - here you can find collected links, revies, information for many tablets and devices.
Contact
If you have questions or comments contact me at thesevenpens@outlook.com.
Chat
Consider joining the drawing tablet discord: Drawing Tablet discord server.
About TheSevenPens
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
Why "TheSevenPens"?
When I started my YouTube channel I had seven pens from my drawing tablets.
Now I have more than seven pens.
Tablets I own
You can see a complete list of the tablets I currently own.
My tablet setups
I have multiple desks with a combination of PCs and laptops for trying out different tablets. More here: My tablet setups
Key resources
My general take on Drawing tablet brands
Relationship to tablet manufacturers
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.
My tablet setups
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 Neptune 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
Drawing Tablet discord server
I run a small discord server for drawing tablets. This is where I can sometimes be found chatting about drawing tablets.
Invite link: https://discord.gg/Rr2MXeM7Ny
My drawing tablet collection
Overview
I have a LOT of drawing tablets. As of June 27, 2025 I have 106 drawing tablets.
Here is my current inventory: https://1drv.ms/x/c/c2cae95d828b7c69/EWl8i4Jd6coggMK3CAAAAAAB-HGFQ_jOG9_uDCGPt2US5g?e=Zi2dci
Quick tour
Sometimes people doubt that I have as many drawing tablets as I claim. As evidence, below is a quick tour of MOST of the tablets I have. Although not every tablet is shown, the video at least gives you a sense of how many I have.
Notes on my collection
To see a full list of my tablets: https://1drv.ms/x/s!Aml8i4Jd6crCginxzCU7kvh4NB4w?e=Mkq7sx
This list is out-of-date - I'llb e revising it in summer of 2025 to make it accurate.
In that spreadsheet, 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
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: Using older drawing tablets
Where I buy drawing tablets
Most often I buy new tablets on Amazon or occasionally B&H Photo. If Amazon does not stock the tablet, I purchase it from the manufacturer's online store.
If it is an older tablet i buy them on eBay.
Frequently asked questions
General
Q: Which brands of drawing tablet should I get?
An overview of the brands and my take on some of them are here: drawing tablet brands
Q: Which an iPad better than a drawing tablet?
Read : using an iPad as a drawing tablet
Q: Can I use a drawing tablet with my iPad or iPhone?
It is possible in some cases. More here: Using a drawing tablet with an iOS device
Q: Can I use a drawing tablet with a Chromebook?
YES, It is possible, but be prepared for potential limitations. Read more here: Using a a drawing tablet with a Chromebook
Q: What size drawing tablet should I get?
It really depends on a lot of factors.
For pen tablets - I recommend a MEDIUM size (about 11")
For pen displays - I recommend a MEDIUM size (about 16") though many start off with a 13" and I personally prefer a 22"
More here: tablet size
Q: Should I update the tablet firmware?
Answer: Yes, but ONLY if the manufacturer recommends it. More here: firmware.
Q: Should I get a pen tablet or pen display?
There is no single right answer. Each has pros and cons. More here: Pen tablets vs pen displays
Pen Displays
Q: Why does my pen display have a sparkly grain/noise/greasy look?
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: anti-glare sparkle.
Q: Can I use a pen display as a normal monitor?
Answer: YES. But there are some things you should consider if you want to use it this way: Using a pen display as a monitor
Q: Why does my pen display show a temporary after image?
This is temporary phenomena called Image Persistence. This is not a permanent change and is not screen burn in (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_burn-in).
Q: Can I use a pen display without plugging in the HDMI cable?
Answer: YES. More here: Using a pen display as a pen tablet
Q: How do I make my pen display mirror what is on my monitor?
See this: Mirroring or extending your desktop to a pen display
Q: How do I enable mouse mode on a pen display?
The drivers that manufacturers release for their drawing tablets support Mouse Mode often only on their pen tablets but not on pen displays.
Q: Can I fix a dead pixel on my pen display?
It MAY be possible to fix. More here: Dead pixels.
General
Q: Is it normal for pen to lag?
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 pen lag
Q: Can I extend the length of my cables?
Yes. More here: Extending cables
Q: What subreddits exist for drawing tablets?
There are quite a few. See this list: Subreddits for drawing tablets.
Q: Can I replace the surface of my pen tablet?
See: Protective sheets
Q: What should I do if I spilled water on my tablet or pen?
See this guide: Dealing with water damage
Pens
Q: Can I use a metal nib with my pen?
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: Using Metal Nibs
Q: How do I connect my pen to my drawing tablet?
More here: Connecting a pen to a drawing tablet
Q: My pen is lost/broken. Can I just buy a replacement pen or do I have to buy a new tablet?
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.
Drivers
Q: What do I do if a driver no longer supports my tablet?
See: Troubleshoot driver no longer supports a drawing tablet
Q: Can I have two tablet drivers from different manufacturers installed at the same time?
It depends. More here: Using multiple tablets on the same computer
Q: How to I completely uninstall a tablet driver on Windows?
Basics
Beginner's guide to drawing tablets
Introduction
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.
Device options for drawing tablets
There are different kinds of drawing tablets. The two key ways to categorize them are:
Do they work standalone or not? Standalone means you can use them without being attached (wirelessly or with a wire) to a computer.
Do they have an embedded display (screen) or not? All standalone tablets have a screen.
These two things affect how the device is used, their cost, and how well they work for certain scenarios.
Before you continue, be sure to read this thoroughly: Types of drawing tablets. Once you understand the different types of tablets then continue.
Basics
Position tracking
A drawing tablet lets you use a digital pen (also called a stylus) as an input device. As you move the pen on the tablet, your computer's "mouse pointer" mirrors the motion of the pen. This is first key feature of a drawing tablet - the accurate tracking of the pen's position.
If a drawing tablet does not have a screen, then the pointer will move on one of you monitors.
If a drawing tablet has a screen, then the pointer will move on the tablet's screen.
Clicking
Every time you touch the pen to the tablet, your computer will interpret the contact as pressing a mouse button. If you tap quickly, it is interpreted as a mouse click. If you press down and move the pen it is just like you are holding down a mouse button and moving the mouse.
Hover
The tablet tracks the pens position up to about 10mm from the surface of the tablet and will move the pointer even if the pen is not touching the tablet. This is called hover and is very important because it lets you reposition the pointer without drawing or clicking.
Pressure sensitivity
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, a painting application a can change 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.
Pen tilt
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.
What people do with their tablets
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
Brands
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
Core features
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
Pen power - Drawing tablet pens get their power by being near the tablet itself. They don't even contain batteies. Usually the pen has to be withing abou 10mm for it to get power from the tablet.
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. More here: ExpressKeys
Touch - A small number of tablets support touch. How well touch works and which OS it works depends on a lot of factors. More here: Touch support
The active area
The active area is the region on the tablet that your draw on. More here: active area.
Tablet size
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
Drivers
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.
Connecting the tablet to the computer
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
Compatibility with applications
Once you install the tablet drivers, all applications are compatible with drawing tablets. In addition, creative applications (paint programs, etc.) can take advantage of special features of the tablet such as pressure sensitivity and tilt.
See: App compatibility with drawing tablets
Pen nibs
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
Tablets almost always come with spare nibs. Some nibs made of different material which provide a different drawing feeling. More here: Pen nib material.
Nibs that come with a tablet may be provided in a separate plastic bag or pouch, may be stored in a pen stand, may be stored inside the pen, etc.
Drawing with a tablet vs a mouse
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 make the tablet and pen work more like a mouse by using mouse mode.
Other topics to explore
Types of drawing tablets
Overview
Non-standalone devices
Pen tablets (also called "screenless tablets") - Don't have a screen and you have to use them with a computer or laptop
Pen displays (also called "screen tablets") - Have a screen and you have to use them with a computer or laptop
Standalone devices
Pen computers - Drawing tablets that are essentially laptops. I do not recommend getting these. more here: The case against pen computers
Mobile computers with pen support - These are devices like iPads and Samsung Galaxy Tab S devices that support being used with a pen. They aren't strictly-speaking drawing tablets, but they use the same/similar tech and can work as a standalone drawing tablet.
Laptops with pen support - These are devices like the Microsoft Surface Pro or Samsung Galaxy Book 5 360 that can be used with a pen.
Pen tablets
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
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 which are standalone devices. However unlike those devices:
A pen display will always have to have at least one cord coming from it that is connected to a computer.
A pen display does not contain a battery. It must always get power through a cable attached to a power supply or from the computer directly.
Pen displays cost between $300 to $3500.
Standalone tablets
Pen-enabled mobile computers
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
Pen computers
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.
Learning digital art
Overview
Most people buy drawing tablet to create digital art. I've collected some links below to help them get started on this journey.
The role of drawing tablets
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.
Videos
Digital art
Nadiaxel - Beginner's Guide to Become a Digital Artist - Drawing Tablets & Apps 2022/07/04
Brad Colbow - Digital Art for Beginners (2020 Edition) 2020/02/24
Trent Kaniuga - Getting started with digital art Tools and practices 2022/03/02
Marc Brunet - THE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO DIGITAL ART (from an art teacher) 2020/12/12
Learning to draw and paint
Drawabox (https://drawabox.com/) - Drawabox is a set of free exercise-based lessons that focus on the fundamentals
Social
Kawaii Sensei (https://x.com/KawaiiSensei_jp) - There's lots of practical tips every day.
EtheringtonBrothers (https://x.com/EtheringtonBros) - More frequent practical tips. And they publish useful printed guidebooks.
Equipment
Learning to use a drawing tablet
Brad Colbow to Use a Drawing Tablet Oct 4, 2022
Getting started with a drawing tablet
Overview
If you just acquired a drawing tablet and want to start using it, this guide will lead you through the basics.
Find out the tablet's model number
Make sure you know the model number of the tablet. This will help you in many ways later. More here: Finding the model number of a drawing tablet.
Identify how to contact support
The vast majority of time everything "just works" but you may need help or a question answered by customer support. So, Make sure you know how to contact support for your tablet manufacturer
Read the user manual
Most questions you have will be answered already in the user manual.
You will spare yourself a lot of frustration if you read it first.
You don't need to even open the box. You can download the manual from the manufacturer website.
The most important thing to understand in the user manual is how the tablet physically connects to your computer. This is especially important if you have a pen display (screen tablet).
Don't drop the pen
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.
Keep the box safe
You may need to return or transport the tablet, the original box is the best way of doing thus.
Verify the box contains what it should
The box will usually list everything that is supposed to be inside it. If you can't see it there look for it in the user manual, or the manufacturer website.
Then verify that box contains everything that is expected.
99.9999% if of the time it will have everything is supposed to have. But every now and then you might encounter a box that is missing a cable.
Prepare for replacing your 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:
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: Pen compatibility with drawing tablets
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.
Install the tablet driver
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
More here: drivers
Connect the tablet
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. Once everything is working, then try wireless.
Pen display - There are several options. See connecting a pen display
The NO SIGNAL problem with pen displays
If you encounter a "NO SIGNAL" message, follow these troubleshooting steps: Troubleshoot the NO SIGNAL problem
How the pen & tablet work with the computer
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: Absolute versus relative positioning)
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.
Learn what the active area is (aka "Working Area")
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.
More here: Active Area
Pen tablets: map the Active Area to a single display
This step is needed for pen tablets (the ones without a screen)
The active area can be mapped to one of your displays or multiple displays.
By default, they are often mapped to multiple displays.
For now, map the active area to a single display.
If you want to use both displays, later on you can configure a "display toggle" feature that lets you switch between displays by pressing a button on the pen or the tablet.
Pen displays: map the Active Area to your pen tablet if needed
With a pen tablet, the active area should be mapped to the screen of your tablet.
Sometimes however, drivers get confused and they initially map the active area to some other display that your have. When this happens you will move the pen on your tablet but you'll see the mouse pointer move on a different display.
This is VERY easy to solve: Troubleshoot pen moving pointer on the wrong display
Pen tablets: Enable Force Proportions to match aspect ratios between the active area and your display
This step is very important for pen tablets (the ones without a screen). You don't have to do this for pen displays.
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.
Explanation and instructions here: Matching aspect ratios with Force Proportions.
Adjust the pressure curve to give you more control
Drawing tablet pens are "over-sensitive" at low physical pressure. Near the initial activation force the pressure can swing wildly. If you are using pressure to control for example the width of your strokes, then the width can vary more than you expect. This is especially obvious as you are doing linework and you brushes start getting larger (>50px).
This over-sensitivity is common to pens, and not unusual. Some people may not even notice. But if you do, you can use pressure curves to reduce the over sensitivity.
Windows
Perform this configuration: Disable the press-and-hold ring in Windows
Apps
Krita - I highly recommend you Install Krita. 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 - 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 Clip Studio Paint.
Photopea (https://www.photopea.com/) is a web-based Photoshop-like app. It is very good and also has a free tier.
Procreate - this is THE drawing app to get if you are drawing on an iPad.
Infinite Painter - this is the equivalent of Procreate, but for Android devices.
Other applications - Look here to find a large number of applications to explore: applications
Use cases
Gaming with a drawing tablet
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!
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.
osu! is very popular
They have about 1.7M monthly active users who play osu!
You can get the live stats from here: https://stats.circleclickers.com/
How osu! players use drawing tablets
While creatives tend to use their drawing tablets in standard ways, osu! players do a number of quite surprising things:
Active area size
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.
Drivers
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 vs hover
Drag players play with the pen touching the surface of the tablet.
Hover players don't let the pen touch the tablet surface.
Clicking
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
Tablet expertise
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.
Advanced customization
Players do advanced customization of osu! through OpenTabletDriver plug-ins. Some examples:
Circular/Elliptical tablet areas
Rotated tablet areas
Live active area randomization
Picking a drawing tablet for osu!
More here: Buying a drawing tablet for osu!
FPS games
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)
Making educational videos with a drawing tablet
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.
Easy tablet choices
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:
What features you need
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.
My recommendations
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
Which tablet does Sal Khan use?
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.
Resources
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
Taking notes with drawing tablets
Overview
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).
General considerations
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.
Using pen tablets (screenless tablets)
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 a bit 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)
Using a pen display (screen tablet)
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.
Applications for taking notes
See the note taking section here: Applications
Resources
Whiteboarding with drawing tablets
Type of drawing tablet
Any type of drawing tablet works for whiteboarding.
However those drawing tablets with screens (pen displays and standalone devices) do work better in my experience. This is because it just feels more natural to see what your whiteboarding on the screen as you draw.
Applications
Excalidraw - https://excalidraw.com/
Draw.io - diagrams.net
Microsoft whiteboard (windows, iOS, web) - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/microsoft-whiteboard/digital-whiteboard-app
Miro - https://miro.com/
Lovable - https://lovable.dev/
Built-in whiteboarding features in communication apps such as Microsoft teams and zoom.
Microsoft Powerpoint - Some people use Microsoft PowerPoint as a whiteboarding app. This allows the whiteboard to have a collection of pages - with each page being a slide in the PowerPoint presentation. And then they can take advantage of PowerPoint drawing tools.
Using a drawing tablet as a mouse replacement
If your are a creative, then it's pretty obvious why there's a benefit to using a drawing tablet instead of a mouse when you are drawing.
Some people simply want to use the drawing tablet as a mouse replacement. They can definitely serve this purpose.
My personal experience
I did this for about 10 years. Although I always had a mouse connected, 99.9% of the time I used a drawing tablet.
Size
I used a MEDIUM sized tablet - something the size of a Wacom Intuos Pro Medium.
For a few years I a SMALL sized tablet - something the size of a Wacom Intuos Pro small. When I was using the small tablet, I was in a non-artistic phase so I was not drawing with it much.
I generally recommend MEDIUM sized tablets as a mouse replacement, but SMALL can work also.
Wrist pain
One of the reasons I avoided using the mouse was that it was causing wrist pain. The pen was helpful in reducing the pain. However, if I do draw a lot over a month or so, I can develop wrist pain. So a drawing tablet might help, but it will not eliminate these kinds of problems.
Holding the pen while typing
To make it easier to switch between typing and using the pen I ALWAYS held the pen in my hand even when typing.
When drawing I held it like you would normally hold a pen, but when I switched to typing, as I extended out my fingers the pen I would rotate the pen so the tip is pointing up and to the side.
Pen pressure
The vast majority of drawing tablets support pressure sensitivity. For a mouse replacement, tilt is not important.
Pen tilt
The vast majority of drawing tablets support tilt. This is useful for art. Even then not all artists use the tilt feature. For a mouse replacement, tilt is not relevant.
Sturdiness
Modern mice are incredibly sturdy devices. They don't even have moving parts except for the buttons. You could drop them from your desk and they will still work.
Drawing tablet pens are much more sensitive. They have more delicate and sensitive parts. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you DO NOT DROP THEM. Sometimes they work perfectly after that. But they can malfunction in all sorts of ways after a drop. And keep in mind that the pens are not cheap. If you need to buy a replacement it will be anywhere from $35 USD to $90 USD.
Pointer positioning
Mice move the pointer through relative positioning while drawing tablets use absolute positioining: Absolute versus relative positioning.
However, you can configure the tablet driver to use mouse mode to provide relative positioning which will make it feel more like a mouse. more here: mouse mode.
Aspect ratios
If you are using a pen tablet (a tablet without a screen) you ABSOLUTELY SHOULD also configure the tablet to match its active area to that of your monitor. More here: Matching aspect ratios
Moving the pointer vs clicking
In a a mouse, you can independently move and click. This means you can move the pointer without accidentally clicking.
The same thing works with drawing tablet pen. But you should realize how it works.
To move without clicking - you have to hold the pen above the tablet (within a range of about 10mm). This is called hover. more here: Pen hover.
To click - you tap down on the tablet with the pen
To move AND click at the same time - you press down on the tablet and move the pen. The click lasts as long as you are touching the tablet.
Holding pointer position completely still
With a mouse this is SUPER EASY you can jsut not move the mouse. And it is EASY to keep a mouse still. You can even let go of the mouse from your hand the pointer won't move.
With a drawing tablet, this is actually very hard. Because you have to HOVER the pen at the exact same spot above the tablet. That is very hard to do, because any motion of your hand will often move the pointer.
Not clicking
It's easy to avoid accidental clicks with a mouse.
With a pen you have to HOVER. And if you accidentally touch the surface it will count as a click.
Drivers
For the vast majority of mice, you can just plug them into a computer and they will "just work". This is because the computer has drivers for mice already installed.
That isn't quite the case for drawing tablets. You will need to install the tablet driver.
Compatibility with apps
Once you install the tablet driver, the tablet is compatible with all applications.
Wired vs Wireless
Mice can be:
Wired only
Wireless only
Wired + Wireless
Drawing tablets can be
Wired only
Wired + Wireless
There are no drawing tablets that are wireless only.
Wireless issues
Latency - There is a little extra latency when using wireless. Some people don't use wireless for this reason.
Interference - Usually tablets use Bluetooth. You may find that devices liek phones when they are close to your tablet may interfere. Usually this takes the form of an unresponsive pen or stuttering of pointer position as you move.
Tablets that work well as mouse replacements
Lots of them would work. The easy choices are:
One by Wacom Small (CTL-472)
One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672)
Wacom Intuos Small (CTL-4100)
Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100)
If these, my strong recommendation is the CTL-672. My notes on this tablet. You could get the CTL-6100 but all it gives you for the extra cost is some buttons on the tablet.
Other brands also have tablets that work as mouse replacements, but the safe choice is Wacom because of their track record of reliability.
Resources
Contacting support
Wacom
Wacom community forums: https://support.wacom.com/hc/en-us/community/topics/360003085353-Welcome-General-Discussion
To file a support ticket: You can file a support ticket with Wacom at this link: https://support.wacom.com/hc/en-us/requests/new?ticket_form_id=1500000134982
Huion
https://www.huion.com/support.html -
Go to the bottom of the page to find links to contact Huion support
XP-Pen
Support page: https://www.xp-pen.com/support
Gaomon
service@gaomon.net
Drawing tablets vs mice
Overview
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.
Positioning strategy
Mice and drawing tablets have very different positioning strategies. Mice use relative positioning. Drawing tablets use absolute positioning. Learn more here: Absolute versus relative positioning. Drawing tablets can simulate relative positioning if needed with mouse mode. However, I don't recommend using mouse mode.
Stroke smoothness in drawing apps
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.
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: Drawing smooth strokes.
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
Clicking and moving the pointer
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.
Keep the pointer on a single pixel (without clicking)
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.
Keep the pointer on a single pixel (while clicking)
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.
Application considerations
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.
Ergonomics > Wrist Pain
Using a mouse can place strain on your wrist. Drawing tablets are generally less stressful on your wrist. However, they also can place strain.
Power
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.
ProTip: Match aspect ratios when using a pen tablet
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: Matching aspect ratios
The drawing experience
What it feels like to draw on a drawing tablet
Overview
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.
Getting strokes right the first time
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.
Dealing with your hands
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.
Adjustment period
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..
Matching aspect ratios
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.
App compatibility with drawing tablets
Summary
Once the tablet drivers are installed, All applications are compatible with drawing tablets. Pen-aware apps (such as Krita) can make use of features such as pressure and tilt.
All apps
All applications - even an app that is not "pen-aware" that app easily be used with a drawing tablet. These kinds of apps simply treat the drawing tablet as mouse. In fact they don't even know that a drawing tablet is being used.
Changing position - instead of moving the mouse -> you move the pen
Clicking - instead of pressing a mouse button -> you tap the pen on the tablet
Double clicking - instead of pressing a mouse button -> you tap the pen on the tablet in the same location rapidly
Dragging - instead of pressing a mouse button and then moving the mouse -> press down on the tablet with the pen (do not lift up) and then move the pen
Right-clicking - instead of clicking the right mouse button -> You press a button on the mouse
Apps that are pen-aware
Some apps are pen aware. These apps are designed with the possibility (or even expectation) that a drawing tablet may be used. Typical examples are creative apps Krita, Clip Studio Paint, Photoshop, etc.
These apps can take advantage of additional features of the drawing tablet such as pressure sensitivity and tilt sensitivity.
Uninstalling tablet drivers
Overview
Just as they are installed, tablet drivers can also be uninstalled.
Normally, you would only be interested in uninstalling a tablet driver if you don't plan to to use your drawing tablet again. However, uninstalling/re-installing is a common troubleshooting technique so it is useful to be familiar with the process.
Normal uninstall process
Windows
Steps
Go to Start > Apps > Installed apps
On earlier version of Windowss, search for "Add Remove Programs" and then uninstall apps
Locate the applivation for your tablet brand
Click on it and select to uninstall
The uninstall process may ask you to restart your computer, do that.
If you are not asked to restart your compute, after the uninstall process is finished, restart your computer anyway.
About the needed to restart the computer
Uninstalling a driver may require a restart of your system. So, get this out of the way before you proceed with the next steps. Even if a driver uninstalled without asking you to restart. I highly recommend you restart your computer after you uninstall a tablet driver.
Extended uninstall process
Some tablet drivers leave bits of themselves installed, even after an uninstallation process. To ensure nothing remains, use the Tablet driver cleanup tool.
Starting the uninstall process from the driver
Even though I normally use the standard operating system methods to start the uninstall process, for some tablet brands, you can launch the uninstall process from the driver app itself.
Resources
Buying a drawing tablet
Introduction
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.
Buying guide videos series
If you prefer a watching a video ... I've got a playlist here:
My recommendations
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.
Choosing the type of drawing tablet
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.
Basic guidelines
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.
Brands
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.
More here:
f 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.
Product info
I have links to information, reviews, and my notes on tablets in the product info section.
Core drawing tablet features
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.
The difference between the max pressure and IAF is the physical pressure range. A range of 300gf is GOOD. 400gf and above is very good. Not all brands publish this information for their pens but some do. If you can't find the information ask customer support or ask people in the community.
Pressure levels - the physical pressure range is divided into segments - each segment is a pressure level. They go from 0 to some number like 8192. Despite what marketing says, I believe you only need 2048 pressure levels. All modern tablets have at least 4096 level, and the vast majority have 8192, and a few have 16K. In other words, EVERY tablet has enough pressure levels. So don't worry about choosing a tablet based on pressure levels.
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 less than a handful of pen 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. You don't need to worry about this spec. All modern tablets have enough resolution.
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.
Secondary features
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
Pen display topics
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.
Brightness - Pen displays are bright but not super bright like some other displays you might be familiar with. More here: brightness.
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 - Most pen displays use an IPS display panel. Though a handful use OLED. Currently I recommend sticking with IPS panels because we don't know how long OLED displays will last in the scenarios we use drawing tablets. More here: Display panel technology.
Connections & cabling
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:
Compatibility with operating systems
Drawing tablets work with many computer operating systems. They do work better or more fully with desktop Operating systems like Windows, MacOS, and Linux than with standalone operating systems like Android, ChromeOS, iOS, and iPadOS.
For more information on how tablets work with a specific OS, go here: Operating systems
Ergonomics
Thickness - Pen tablets are very thin these days - about 8mm. Smaller pen displays can be around 10mm larger pen displays can be 35mm.
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
Use Cases
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!
Look at model numbers, not just names
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
Applications
All apps work with drawing tablets (once you install the drivers). Creative apps can take advantage of things like pressure sensitivity and tilt sensitivity.
More here:
Buying used drawing tablets
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
Power
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
"PRO" tablets
Some tablets are labelled "PRO"- for example Wacom Cintiq Pro or Wacom Intuos Pro. But there is no clear definition of Pro in the industry. And many new non-Pro tablets are better than older Pro tablets. More here: Buying "PRO" tablets
Picking tablets with more recent tech
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 3.0: PW517, PW515, PW110
PenTech 3.0+: PW500, PW500S - in my research these are clearly better pens than PenTech 3.0. In terms of pressure range as good as PenTech 4.0.
PenTech 4.0: PW600, PW600S. The PenTech 4.0 Pens are better than the PenTech 3.0 pens
More here: Huion pens
Preparing for a drawing tablet
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.
Be prepared for the total cost of ownership. Just buying the tablet is one thing. But you will likely purchase other things. More here: Total Cost of Ownership
Resources
shar - how to choose a drawing tablet 2025/07/07
This is a a very good overview for buying a drawing tablet. It covers a lot of topics. The video is a great starting point for getting familiar with the overall set of things you need to think about.
Buying used drawing tablets
Overview
We would all like to have completely brand new equipment. However used tablets maybe a way to save a little extra money.`
My experience with used drawing tablets
I have bought and worked with MANY used drawing tablets - 26 used tablets as of April 2024. You can see the list of all my tablets here: my tablets
pen tablets - Pen tablets are generally very reliable devices and are fine to buy used I own many used pen tablets, some over 25+ years old that still work.
pen displays - I have purchased one used pen display.
pen computers - I have no experience with used pen computers. And in general I do not recommend pen computers. See: The case against pen computers
Tablet age
Because the used tablets might be older models, you should prepare for issues that might arise due to their age. More here: Using older drawing tablets
Older drivers
In particular you may need to use older drivers. This comes with its own set of complications. More here: Using older tablet drivers
Which brands for buying used
Wacom products have always been the most reliable and higher quality devices. So even going back years, their models work well. Because Wacom professional pen tablets are the very highest quality, those make great choices for buying used. More here: drawing tablet brands
Used Wacom Intuos professional tablets
There are some factors you MUST take into account when buying them used. I've summarized those issues in this video below. In the description of the video, please make sure to note the errata.
Even though this video is about used pen tablets, I think it may be useful even if you are looking to purchase a used pen display.
Likewise even though this video is about professional tablets, the topics raised also apply to consumer level tablets.
Be clear what you are getting in the box
Find the information about the manufacturer included normally in the box for the tablet. You can find this from the manufacturer website, contact customer support, or even watch a review or unboxing video of the tablet on youtube.
Then, compare what the manufacturer delivers with what the seller has available. The most import things to verify you are getting are the pen and any cables you need.
Be prepared to clean the tablet
Some used tablets will arrive in a pristine condition - either through disuse or the seller thoroughly cleaning the tablet beforehand.
Sometimes though the tablets are filthy. For example they may:
Have food crumbs, dust, skin cells in crevices
Have stickers attached
Have remains of adhesive on the surface (perhaps from some removed stickers)
It may be worth asking the seller how clean the tablet is.
Notes on Wacom drivers
As of Wacom Driver 6.4.0 released in October 2022, Wacom has dropped support for Intuos 5 tablets and older Intuos tablets - except for the Wacom Intuos 4 XL which is still supported. (https://cdn.wacom.com/u/productsupport/drivers/win/professional/releasenotes/Windows_6.4.0.html)
Alternative to Wacom drivers for older tablets
If you have an older tablet and need a driver check out OpenTabletDriver
For creative work in Windows see Using OpenTabletDriver on Windows for drawing
Testing out a tablet before you buy
If you have the opportunity to examine the tablet before you decide to buy, here are some things: Inspecting a tablet.
Buying online
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
Tablet Manufacturers on eBay
Some manufacturers directly sell new and used/refurbished tablets on eBay
Surface texture
A used tablet's surface might be almost pristine or it might be heavily used and exhibit a lot of surface wear.
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
More here:
Pens
Keep in mind you may get a nice price on a tablet, but it may not come with a pen. So verify whether a pen is included or not before you purchase.
If you need to buy a pen or you break your pen, keep in mind that
You have to make sure you find the exact model number of pen that is compatible with your tablet. A random pen from the same brand may not be compatible.
Replacement pens can be very expensive even if they are a decade old. For example, older Wacom Pro Pens can be very expensive (>=$100).
Replacement pens can be incredibly hard to find on the used market.
In the used market, sellers do not sell the pen by itself. So you may even have to purchase ANOTHER tablet with a pen. I've personally had to do this myself.
More here: Replacing a pen
Bite marks on pens
Some people hold their pens in their mouths and use their teeth to lightly chew their pens. You can sometimes find teeth marks on the pens.
Below is a used Intuos1 pen (GP-300E) I bought on eBay displaying what I believe are bite marks on and near the eraser.
This is a reminder that you should thoroughly clean any used equipment you purchase.
Nibs
Often, depending on the tablet and how you draw, the pen nib wears down as you use a pen.
Verify whether your purchase includes spare nibs or not.
Compatible nibs may be difficult to find.
Compatible nibs may be difficult.
Reddit threads
Inspecting a drawing tablet
Overview
This is a list of some things you should check when you (a) first set up your drawing tablet or (b) have an opportunity to inspect the drawing tablet before you purchase it.
This will save you a lot of headaches and disappointment later on.
Testing before you setup the tablet
Tablets usually have a list of things they come with. This list will include things like cables cleaning cloths, pen nibs , etc. The list might be printed on the box, or it might be on a piece of paper inside the box, or it might be a list on the website of the tablet brand.
Verify that you have all the things you're supposed to have.
Examine the screen carefully with your eyes. You're looking for scratches or areas where the surface is worn out. If it's a new tablet you shouldn't see anything like that.
Sometimes it might be difficult to see scratches so you might want to shine a bright light across the surface at an angle to identify any scratches.
Getting prepared for functional testing
In order to perform test the tablet actually works you'll need to set it up. Follow this guide: Get started with a drawing tablet.
Then install any applications you need. I strongly suggest you install Krita from Krita.org. It's free and its behavior is consistent so it makes it an ideal application to test the functionality of a drawing tablet. So even if you don't plan on using Krita it's a very useful tool for troubleshooting.
Mobile phones can interfere with the operation of a tablet. Keep them away.
Ensure there isn't anything magnetic underneath the tablet. Some stands use magnets. Don't place the tablet on top of an electronic device like a laptop.
Basic functional testing
Connectivity
Conduct the tests with a wired connection.
Any then verify they work with wireless connection
Drawing
Check if the pen can draw in all locations on the active area
Just draw a lot of lines alll over the screen. You want to ensure that there aren't any gaps were you can't draw and that the position of the pen is accurately tracked.
Check if the pressure going from 0% to 100%
First do this in the driver. They usually have some regio where you can test the pressure.
Then do this in an application. I suggest using Krita.
You want to ensure that:
The pen isn't "stuck" at 0% pressure or 100% pressure
You may notice that the pressure is "jumpy" any low pressure this is normal for EMR pens. You can use pressure curves to control this.
Check tilt works in all directions
draw some strokes and tilt the pen in different directions.
do this in multiple locations across the active area
Pen display pen tracking accuracy
With the pen held vertically and not moving, check that the pointer is close to the tip of the pen.
With the pen held at a 45 degree angle and not moving, check that tilt compensation is working. As you tilt the pen check to make sure the pointer doesn't deviate too far from the tip of the pen. A little bit of drift is normal. Keeping the pen at 45 degrees, rotate the pen in a full circle.
Check that location of pen is tracked accurately in over the entire surface of the tablet
Express keys
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
Pen display features
Check for stuck or dead pixels
Check for basic color and brightness
All tablets have some pointer lag. Usually it is very obvious in pen displays. 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.
Verify that the display does not have a color tint on the edges. More here: Color tint on edges of display.
Surface
Take your pen and move it around the surface.
There should be no rough patches. There should be no cuts or scratches deep enough that you can feel them through the pen. More here:
Pen tablets vs pen displays
Overview
There are three kinds of drawing tablets. This document is discussing how you might choose between a pen tablet and a pen display.
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
Approach
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.
Details
This document summarizes many very deep topics. If you want more information, consult the buying guide which covers all these topics in detail.
Dispelling common myths
MYTH: A pen display is inherently better than a pen tablet
REALITY: Neither is inherently better. Which one you should use depends on a lot of factors
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.
MYTH: Professional artist only use pen displays
REALITY: 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.
MYTH: People naturally prefer using a pen display. The only reason they use pen tablets is because they are cheaper.
REALITY: Lots of people try pen displays, and go back to pen tablets
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.
MYTH: Pen displays let you create better art
REALITY: Both pen displays and pen tablets can create equivalently good art
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.
Advice for first-time tablet users
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.
Need to be used with a computer
WINNER: TIE
Both pen tablets and pen displays need a computer to work. They can't be used standalone like an Apple iPad.
Posture
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
Cost
WINNER: Pen tablets
Pen tablets cost much less than pen displays. Even the most expensive pen tablet cost less than the majority of pen displays.
Pen tablets cost between $50 to $250. The most expensive on the market is $500 and often discounted to $400.
Pen displays start at around $300 and can go up to about $1300. Wacom professional pen displays are in a special price category and can cost from $2500 to $3500.
Reliability
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.
Cabling
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
Pointer lag
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 looking seeing them next to each other on the same screen highlights the pointer lag. More here: lag
Wireless connectivity
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.
Taking notes
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.
Surviving a fall
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.
Power requirements
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.
Hand covering what you are drawing
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.
Physical size and weight
WINNER: Pen tablets
Pen tablets are considerably thinner and weigh less.
Drawing experience
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 tablet, you must configure the tablet's active area to map to your display so that there is no distortion while drawing or moving the pen. (This is done with a "Force proportions" setting in the tablet driver.) With pen displays, this is not required. They are pre-configured correctly. More here: matching aspect ratios with Force proportions.
More here: The drawing experience
Portability
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.
Diagonal wobble
Diagonal wobble is a slight "wobbly" inaccuracy in tracking the pen position. It is present in ALL drawing tablets to various degrees.
In my testing I have found no clear pattern that indicates that pen tablets or pen displays are prone to more or less diagonal wobble. Instead it seems to be linked to the specific tablet model involved.
You can see the different diagonal wobble samples I have collected here: Diagonal wobble samples.
Pen pressure handling
The behavior of a tablet with regard to pressure (IAF, max pressure, etc.) depends on the pen that is used, not the tablet.
There are a few exceptions - there are 1 or 2 tablets that I think do a particularly bad job of pressure independent of the pen, but those are exceedingly rare.
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
Videos
The case against pen computers
Overview
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 that are specifically designed for drawing and are made by drawing tablet brands such as Wacom.
Examples of pen computers are:
Wacom Mobile Studio Pro
Huion Kamvas Strudio
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
Huion Kamvas Studio
Wacom Mobile Studio Pro
Alternatives to pen computers
Instead of pen computers, I recommend looking at the other kinds of standalone devices: pen-enabled mobile devices or pen-enabled laptops.
pen-enabled mobile devices
Apple iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil
Samsung Galaxy Tab S series tablets that use the Samsung S pen
pen-enabled laptops
Microsoft Surface Pro
Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro
More here: Standalone drawing tablet recommendations
Another alternative is to use a normal drawing tablet that is connected to a small mini-pc or laptop. This will allow you to draw in different locations even though dealing with the additional cabling may be cumbersome.
Cost
Pen computers are incredibly expensive.
For example the Wacom Mobile Studio 16 (2019) cost $3500 at time of release.
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.
Upgradability
Pen computers typically have very limited upgradability compared to using a normal drawing tablet that requires a PC.
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.
if you use a non-standalone drawing tablet attached to a PC or laptop, you can either upgrade the PC or get a new laptop with significantly upgraded specs.
Customer support
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.
Repairs
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.
Buying a drawing tablet for osu!
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)
You could also buy one of these tablets below, which are also great for osu, but they are very expensive and are not any better for osu than the ones listed above.
Wacom Intuos Pro Small (PTH-460)
Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660)
Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860)
Wacom guidance (with caution)
Wacom lists recommended tablets for osu here: https://estore.wacom.com/en-us/osu. However, they list some tablets that are NOT recombed for osu. So, I recommend you disregard their list andpick from the models listed above or the one Kuuube recommends.
Buying tips
Video
Read the user manual
The user manual contains so much information that can help you understand if the tablet will work for you. It'll answer most of the questions you'll have about connecting the tablet and the basics of how it works. It will also give you a chance to familiarize yourself with potential problems you might encounter and how to handle them.
If you read the user manual before you make a purchase you'll save yourself a lot of time and frustration.
The key thing you want to understand from a user manual is:
How to install the driver
how the tablet will connect to your computer. This is especially important to understand if you are planning on purchasing a pen display.
Pen tablets vs pen displays
Because it is so common that people struggle with the decision between getting a pen tablet and pen display. You should go into the purchase decision knowing that each kind of tablet has its advantages.
Many people think that pen displays are simply inherently better. This certainly is not true. I strongly suggest you carefully consider the strengths and weaknesses of both.
Here you can find the comparison between pen tablets and pen displays that should help you make your decision: pen tablets vs pen displays.
Tablet brands
There are many tablet brands. I usually stick to talking about and recommending tablets from Wacom, Huion, XP-Pen, and Xencelabs. That's because I have owned many of those tablets and I believe there's a large enough community of users of those tablets that if you need help you're likely to find it from them.
You can read much more about these brands here: Drawing tablet brands.
Community size
Based on my experience with tech products when a user of a product has a question or needs help more than 50% of the time they get their answer or help not from customer support but rather from other users in the online community.
In other words the community around a drawing tablet brand has a great impact on your satisfaction with that tablet.
That's why I tend to recommend the brands that I do because they have so many users that I can see online.
Since Reddit is a popular online location for discussions around drawing tablets here are some numbers that help you see how big these communities are.
Understand how the tablet will connect to your computer
For pen tablets this is pretty easy. All pen tablets can connect with a USB C cable. And some pen tablets can also support wireless connectivity.
In the user manual you'll find diagrams like this for a pen tablet.
For a pen display wiring them up is much more complicated. There are more cables and ports involved. And more requirements on those cables and ports.
The user manual will show diagrams like these below indicating how pen displays may connect to a computer.
With pen displays you should also be very clear about which cables come in the box. Sometimes it user manual may show you how to wire up the connections. But sometimes some cables are not included. So it's best to understand that before you make a purchase.
In addition to just understanding how the cables are connected for pen display you also have to make sure your computer has all the ports that are needed and that they meet the requirements.
To help you understand this I recommend you watch this video on connecting a pen display.
Test the ports on your computer
Once you know how a once you know how the connection should work even before you order the tablet you should confirm if the ports on your computer will work as intended.
A pen tablet will lead you to a simple USB port. So you can verify it works by testing that port with a mouse or some other similar input device.
For a pen tablet you should verify any ports used to transmit a display signal work.
In particular because using a pen display essentially counts as adding another monitor to your computer. You should make sure that your computer can support as many simultaneous displays connected as are needed to account for both your monitor and the pen display.
Use model numbers not names
So many tablets are on the market right now and many of them have confusingly similar names.
For example Wacom has one series of tablets called Wacom 1 and another series of tablets called one by Wacom. They have very different levels of quality, they are different types of tablets, and they have different ages. If you rely on name alone you're likely to buy the wrong tablet.
Another example are names like these from XP pen which are confusingly similar.
Ultimately the way you can avoid purchasing the wrong tablet is by making sure you know the model number.
Do not stress out about the numbers of pressure levels.
These days it's very fashionable for drawing tablets to advertise that they have 8000 levels of pressure or 16,000 levels of pressure. In my analysis the vast majority of users only need about 2000 levels of pressure and could get by with far less. Almost every tablet on the market today has more than 8000 levels of pressure and only a handful have 4000. So any tablet you buy will have enough.
More here: How many pressure levels do you really need?
Be prepared to handle common problems
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
Here's a list of Common problems with drawing tablets. 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: Troubleshooting
The most complex problem for pen displays is usually the "NO SIGNAL" problem. If it happens, this guide will help: Troubleshoot the NO SIGNAL problem
Check the reviews
Never purchase a tablet without looking at the reviews first.
Some reviewers to explore:
Teoh on Tech (https://www.youtube.com/@teohontech7141) Teoh has the most in-depth reviews of tablets.
Create Now Sleep Later (https://www.youtube.com/c/Createnowsleeplater)
Brad Colbow (https://www.youtube.com/c/thebradcolbow)
Aaron Rutten (https://www.youtube.com/c/aaronrutten)
Adam Duff (https://www.youtube.com/@AdamDuffArt)
Verify the model number, not just the model name
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.
See this page for all the reasons why you should not rely on the model name: Model names vs model numbers
Make sure your working environment is usable
Check for potential sources of Electromagnetic Interference. More here: Electromagnetic interference
Ensure you have enough space on your desk for the tablet and where your keyboard will be placed
How many pressure levels do you really need?
Overview
You need about 2000 levels of pressure could probably get by with a lot less.
These days it's very fashionable for drawing tablets to advertise that they have 8000 levels of pressure or 16,000 levels of pressure. In my analysis the vast majority of users only need about 2000 levels of pressure and could get by with far less.
Reasoning
The quick summary is that the number of pressure levels has to be quantized or reduced into certain visible aspects of your artwork.
So for example if your pen supports 8000 levels of pressure but your brush size is 100 pixels - then there are only 100 different possible Brush sizes. In other words many of those 8000 levels of pressure map to the same brush size. By extension the same logic applies to transparency. Most people are using 8 bit transparency which results in 256 possible transparency values. So many of those 8000 pressure levels mapped to the same exact transparency value.
There are some very specific conditions where someone might need more than 2000. But based on what I've observed those cases are incredibly rare and very specialized.
Choosing the right size for a drawing tablet
Overview
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
Companion Video
My size categories
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.
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"
Manufacturer size categories
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.
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"
Considerations
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?
Size recommendations
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)
For children
SMALL (7")
SMALL (13")
What I prefer and use
LARGE (15")
22" - on the low end of LARGE
Pen tablets size
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.
Pen tablet size vs monitor size
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.
Pen display 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.
Impact of pen display size
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.
In relation to paper size
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
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
Videos
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
Switching from a pen tablet to a pen display
Overview
If you already have a pen tablet (a screenless tablet) and are considering getting a pen display (a screen tablet). There are a few considerations you should take into account.
Each kind of tablet has its own advantages
You should carefully evaluate what these advantages are before you switch. More here: pen tablets vs pen displays.
If it feels "weird" to draw on your pen tablet
One thing that I often hear is that people find that it feels weird or strange to draw on a pen tablet like their hand isn't drawing what they expect it to draw.
Many times what I found is that people have not configured their pen tablet correctly for their monitor's aspect ratio. More here: matching aspect ratios.
So if your tablet is feeling weird, try matching the aspect ratios and give it a few more days. You might find that after this change you enjoy using your pen tablet much more.
Buying a drawing tablet as a gift
Introduction
If you want to buy a drawing tablet as a gift, it can be challenging if you yourself have never used one and don't have a background. This guide is to help you make find a good choice.
Understand the kind of drawing tablets available
The first thing you need to understand is the type of drawing tablet you want to give as a gift. This is very important because it determines how they will use the tablet and the cost. So, read this document first before you continue: Types of drawing tablets.
Does the giftee already have some experience with a drawing tablet?
This is important because:
You should understand what they like and don't like about that experience
They also have a set of expectations.
It might even be that they don't need a drawing tablet because they already have a device that serves that role.
For example, if they already have an Apple iPad:
The may want to continue iPad apps
You can buy an Apple Pencil model that is compatible with their iPad
If you are looking an easy answer for your budget
See this list of recommendations
They are separated by type and size of tablet, and options are available at multiple budget options.
If relevant, make sure the tablet will physically connect with their computer
For a pen tablet and pen display , they have to connect to a computer. For a pen tablet, this is easy because the computer needs just one USB port to be available. But for a pen display this can get complicated.
See this: Connecting a pen display to a computer
Do they need to use certain apps?
Sometimes, the apps they need dictates what will work for them.
Examples:
If they want to use the Procreate app -> the only option is to get an Apple iPad because procreate only works on iPads.
If they need to use the full version of Photoshop (as opposed to the mobile version) -> then they can't use an Android device or an iPad
Join the discord for more help
Go here for the invite link: Drawing Tablet discord server
More resources
The full buying guide: Buying a drawing tablet
Buying "PRO" tablets
Overview
At any point in the market for drawing tablets you'll see tablets designated as “pro”. Often these are paired with non pro versions that are being sold at the same time.
You cannot rely on the Pro designation to mean anything significant.
You cannot rely on the Pro designation to mean “better”.
“Pro” has no standard meaning either across the different drawing tablet brands, or within the models within a drawing tablet brand.
If confronted with a choice between 2 tablets with the same name if one has pro in its name and one doesn't - then do not automatically assume that the pro version is better. Instead take a look at other aspects of the drawing tablets that you're considering.
Example: Huion Kamvas 13
Consider these two tablets from Huion:
Huion Kanvas 13 GEN3 (GS1333)
Huion Kamvas Pro 13 (GT-133)
I highly recommend between these two choices that you go with the Huion Kamvas 13 GEN33 and not the Kamvas 13 Pro version. This is because when you look deeply at the tablets you will discover that the Kamvas 13 GEN 3 is superior in some important ways.
Specifically, the Kamvas 13 GEN3 is a much more recent tablet and has a better screen and uses a much pen that has much better pressure handling.
Technology evolution over the years
One of the challenges in picking tablets is retail sites like Amazon list both tablets side by side but these tablets can be made in different years and as a result they belong to different generations of technology. For example over the years the pens have gotten better and so have the displays. So modern pen displays might work much better in some ways than pro tablets from a few years ago.
For example, laminated displays used to be something that only pro tablets had. And now we're starting to see that in non pro tablets.
In addition pen technology has evolved quite a bit for some tablets.
A great example is the Huion PW600L pen. This is a pen that rivals some of the professional pens from Wacom based on my testing. And that same testing reveals that these older pens aren't bad but really are not as good as the PW600L pen is at handling pressure.
Practical tips
pay attention to when the tablet was released into the market
pay attention to the included pen - some tablets released very recently might still be pens with older tech
pay attention to the tablet's model number. Some tablets have very similar names but are veyr different. For example: Huion Kamvas 13 GEN3 (GS1333) vs Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1331).
Recommendations
Overview
If you are new to drawing tablets, I suggest you read the beginner's guide.
Below, here are tablets I would personally recommend separated by device type. These recommendations are centered around using the tablets for drawing.
Pen tablets (No screen + require a computer)
Pen displays (Have a screen + require a computer)
Standalone drawing tablets (Have a screen + do not require a computer)
If you are beginner, then consider these specific models which are great introduction to drawing tablets. Recommended drawing tablets for beginners.
Resources
Brad Colbow: Best Drawing Tablet By Price 2022/06/20
Recommended drawing tablets for beginners
Overview
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.
Before you purchase:
Review these Buying tips
Look through the Drawing Tablet Buying Guide
If you want to see the full set recommendations go here: Drawing tablet recommendations
Which kind of drawing tablet
The first thing you need to understand is the type of drawing tablet you want to buy. So, read this document first before you continue: Types of drawing tablets.
Pen tablets
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 One by Wacom CTL-672 for true. It's reliable and has a good drawing experience. The Huion Frego is a new tablet (released in 2024) that is also a terrific beginner choice.
Pen displays
These are tablets WITH A SCREEN that need to be connected to a computer. No pen displays are wireless. 13" is a good way to get introduced to pen displays. Though I do think ultimately 16" is a better size longer term.
SMALL 13"
MEDIUM 16"
Standalone tablets
These are tablets that don't need to be connect to a computer.
More info: 7P notes: Apple iPad versus Samsung Galaxy Tab S
Apple iPad - Any Apple iPad that works with the Apple Pencil 2 (My notes)
NOTE: You will have the buy the Apple Pencil 2 separately. It does NOT come with the iPad.
Dedicated note taking devices
I don't use these devices myself. Here are some popular ones.
Onyx Boox Note Air3
Remarkable 2
Amazon Kindle Scribe
Pen tablet recommendations
Overview
These are recommendations for pen tablets (screenless tablets): tablets that do not have screens and have to be connected to a computer.
Recommendations by size
Looking for something else?
For a pen display (tablet with a screen), go here: pen display recommendations. For a standalone tablet, go here: Standalone drawing tablet recommendations.
Notes
I suggest that you also consult the buying guide
Pen displays are NOT inherently better than pen tablets. More here: pen tablets vs pen displays
For beginners: Recommended drawing tablets for beginners
About Wacom pen tablets - Many Wacom tablets are in this list. To better understand the difference in Wacom pen tablets see: 7P notes: Comparison of Wacom pen tablets
Size considerations - For the vast majority of people I recommend MEDIUM sized pen tablets. More here: Choosing the right tablet size
Small pen tablet recommendations
Before you purchase:
Review these Buying tips
Look through the Drawing Tablet Buying Guide
If you want to see the full set recommendations go here: Drawing tablet recommendations
Top Picks
Good, but overpriced
Wacom Intuos Small (CTL-4100) [$75, links]
FEATURE LIMITATION: NO TILT
Poor performers
Wacom One S 2023 GEN2 (CTC-4110WL) [$100, links ]
SUB-STANDARD PRESSURE HANDLING
Medium pen tablet recommendations
Before you purchase
Review these Buying tips
Look through the Drawing Tablet Buying Guide
If you want to see the full set recommendations go here: Drawing tablet recommendations
Top picks
Good, but overpriced
Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100) [no tilt, no wireless] [$200, links]
Older but works well
Huion Inspiroy HS611 [$80, my notes]
Little bit of an older Huion tablet with older tech. But it does work fine.
Seems OK but haven't spent much time with it
Huion Inspiroy 2 M (H951P) [$70, links]
Poor performers
Large pen tablet recommendations
Before you purchase:
Review these Buying tips
Look through the Drawing Tablet Buying Guide
If you want to see the full set recommendations go here: Drawing tablet recommendations
Top picks
Good
Pen display recommendations
Overview
These are recommendations for pen displays: tablets that have have screens and have to be connected to a computer.
Recommendations
SMALL pen display recommendations (12" to 14")
MEDIUM pen display recommendations (16" to 19")
LARGE pen display recommendations (22" to 27"
Looking for something else?
For a pen tablet (screenless tablet), go here: pen tablet recommendations. For a standalone tablet, go here: Standalone drawing tablet recommendations.
Notes
I suggest that you also consult the buying guide.
Make sure you know about anti-glare sparkle before you buy a pen display.
Pen displays are NOT inherently better than pen tablets. More here: pen tablets vs pen displays
For beginners: Recommended drawing tablets for beginners
Small pen display recommendations
Before you purchase:
Review these Buying tips
Look through the Drawing Tablet Buying Guide
If you want to see the full set recommendations go here: Drawing tablet recommendations
Top picks
XP-Pen Artist Pro 14 GEN2 (MD140FH) [$420, links]
XP-Pen Artist 12 GEN2 (CD120FH) [$220, links]
XP-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 (CD130FH) [$300, links]
Value with compromises
Unsatisfactory drawing experience
Wacom One 12 GEN2 (DTC-121) [$400, links]
BAD PRESSURE HANDLING
Wacom One 13 touch GEN2 (DTH-134) [$600, links]
BAD PRESSURE HANDLING
Videos
Additional resources
Medium pen display recommendations
Before you purchase:
Review these Buying tips
Look through the Drawing Tablet Buying Guide
If you want to see the full set recommendations go here: Drawing tablet recommendations
Top Picks 16"-17"
Wacom Cintiq 16 (DTK-168) (2025) ★★★ [$700]
Wacom Cintiq Pro 17 (DTH-172) [$2500, info]
Top Picks 19"
XP-Pen Artist Pro 19 GEN2 (MD180UH) [$900, my notes]
Value with compromises
Videos
Large pen display recommendations
Before you purchase:
Review these Buying tips
Look through the Drawing Tablet Buying Guide
If you want to see the full set recommendations go here: Drawing tablet recommendations
Top Picks
Huion Kamvas Pro 27 (GT2701) ★★★★ [$2000, links]
Wacom Cintiq 24 / 24 touch (2025) ★★★★ [$1600, my notes]
XP-Pen Artist Pro 22 GEN2 (MD220QH) ★★★★ my notes
Solid value
XP-Pen Artist 22 Plus (MD220FH) [my notes]
Huion Kamvas Pro 24 4K (GT2401) [$1300, links]
Huion Kamvas 24 Plus (GS2402) [$900, links]
Older but worth investigating
Wacom Cintiq 22 (DTK-2260). [my notes]
Value with compromises
Not tested yet
LARGE Xencelabs Pen Display 24 (LPH2412U-A) [$1800, links, my notes]
Videos
Other resources
Standalone drawing tablet recommendations
Overview
These are recommendations for standalone tablets: tablets that have have screens and can be used without a computer. A standalone drawing tablet is ideal if you need to draw away from home or away from your desk.
Recommendations by device type
Pen-enabled mobile computer recommendations ★★★
I recommend this type if mobility is your highest priority and you don't need to use a desktop OS and desktop apps.
Pen-enabled laptop recommendations
I recommend this type if you need the full power of a desktop OS and desktop versions of applications.
I do not recommend this type. Too expensive to buy. Too expensive to repair. Limited or no upgradeability.
Looking for something else?
For a pen tablet (screenless tablet), go here: pen tablet recommendations.
For a pen display (tablet with a screen), go here: pen display recommendations.
Other resources
For more details suggest that you also consult the buying guide.
For beginners: Recommended drawing tablets for beginners
Pen computer recommendations
Overview
The are true drawing tablets in that they are the most popular digital pen technologuy (EMR) and are intended to provide the classic drawing tablet experience in a standalone form factor.
Operating system: currently all run Windows
Scenario: Intended for artists
Pen tech: EMR
Beware
As a policy, I do NOT recommend pen computers. The reasons are many and documented here: I don't recommend pen computers.
I recognize that some people LOVE the experience of using a pen computer. But cannot in good conscience recommend them.
Options
Huion Kamvas Studio 16 ($1700)
Huion Kamvas Studio 24 ($2400)
Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 ($2500)
Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 ($3500)
Pen-enabled mobile computers
Overview
If you're primarily interested in drawing or notetaking I think pen-enabled mobile computers are your best options.
The two real options in this space are:
Apple iPads + the Apple Pencil
Samsung Galaxy Tab S devices
Basics
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
Apple iPads
Apple iPads can play the role of a drawing tablet very well. Do keep in mind, the Apple Pencil does not come with an iPad so you will have to purchase the pencil separately
There have been many models of the iPad released over the years. And many models of the Apple Pencil. What I recommend is getting any iPad that is compatible with the Apple Pencil 2nd generation or the Apple Pencil Pro.
The vary quite a bit in price, below are three models I personally own. You will find many others that work also.
Apple iPad Air (4th gen and later) ($600)
Apple iPad Pro 11 inch (4th gen and later) ($800+)
Apple iPad pro 12.9 inch 6th gen ($1100+)
For a list of applications for iPads: Apps for iPad
Samsung Galaxy Tab S series
As an alternative to the Apple ecosystem, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S series of tablets is compelling. One great advantage of the Galaxy Tab S series is that they come with the Samsung S pen. So that keeps the cost down.
There are many models available over the years, so it is likely you can find something that works for your budget. Below are three that I have personal experience with. But many others might suit your needs.
For applications that run on Android see this list: Apps for Android
Samsung Galaxy Tab S Series ($800 to $1200) higher performance options
Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE ($350 to $520) excellent mid-budget option
There are two versions:
6GB RAM + 126GB storage ($450)
8GB RAM with 256GB of storage ($520)
Both will work, but I always recommend getting more RAM for drawing apps.
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite (2022 version or 2024 version) ($240) is a good a low-cost option for beginners.
There is a 2020 version. Avoid it.
My notes on Samsung Galaxy Tab S Series
My notes on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy Tab A Series
I do not recommend this series of tablets. More here: Samsung Galaxy Tab A
Devices from Huion and XP-Pen
Huion and XP-pen have also released android tablets in this category.
Huion Kamvas Slate 10 NOT RECOMMENDED
XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad - I don't have any experience with it.
Resources
Pen-enabled laptop recommendations
Overview
These aren't really drawing tablets. They're laptops that you can use for drawing also. The drawing experience with these devices is not as good as a dedicated drawing tablet but they may be enough for what you need.
Operating system: currently all run Windows
Scenario: General purpose
Pen tech: varies. MPP, EMR
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.
Samsung Galaxy Book 4/5 360
This is a 2-in-1 laptop that folds over. The drawing experience is good - not super great but good.
Pen information:
Tech: Wacom EMR
Comes with this pen: Samsung S Pen (my notes on this pen)
Pen compatibility: These devices also works with the the Wacom CP-913 pen. And many people choose to use the Wacom CP-913 instead of the S Pen.
Recent models:
Samsung Galaxy Book5 360
Samsung Galaxy Book5 Pro 360
Microsoft Surface Pro
This is a slate-type laptop. This drawing experience is OK. It's better suited in my opinion for notetaking or whiteboarding rather than drawing.
Pen information
Tech: MPP (similar to AES)
Comes with pen: NO. You have to buy The Surface Slim Pen 2 separately.
My notes on using the Microsoft Surface Pro
Surface Pro 8 (starting at $900)
Surface Pro 9 (starting at $900)
Comparisons
Drawing tablet tier list (December 2024)
This is an updated tier list from the original livestream: https://youtube.com/live/CKki6AEzdzA
The updated tier has a couple of changes I implemented after talking to some tablet enthusiasts:
Added Huion Kamvas 16 GEN3 to A tier
XP-Pen Deco Pro GEN2 moved from S tier to A tier
Wacom One M and Wacom One S moved to new F tier
Some cards in the same tier merged for a brand
Large pen tablets compared
Overview
Large pen tablets have an active area diagonal size of about 15".
Key considerations
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
Large tablets in market as of May 2024
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
Ranking
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.
Basics
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
Product pages
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
Active Areas
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)
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.
Pen pressure range info
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.
Wacom Pro Pen 2
<1gf
~800gf
Huion PW517
3gf
~200gf
X3 Pro
2gf
~400gf
Considerations
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
Diagonal wobble
Intuos Pro Large - Low (good)
Deco Pro XLW GEN2 - some wobble at slow speeds OK
Giano G930L - Low (good)
13" pen displays compared (2023)
Overview
13" pen displays very popular, often representing great choices for beginners. In this document I compare some popular options in the market in 2023.
Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1331) - (user manual | product page | model year 2020)
XP-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 (CD130FH) - (user manual | product page | model year 2022)
Wacom One 2019 GEN1 (DTC-133)
Summary
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
Evaluation notes
Testing Setup
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.
Pens
X-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 - X3 ELITE
Huion Kamvas 13 - PW517
Wacom One 2019 GEN1 - CP-913
Center versus Corner accuracy
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
Diagonal wobble
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
Anti-glare sparkle
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.
Drawing Experience
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.
Pressure range
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.
Pointer lag
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.
Parallax
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.
Connecting with a 3 in 1 cable
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.
Connecting with one USB-C cable
For both tablets, I was able to use a single USB-C cable to connect them to the computer. More here: Connecting a pen display with one USB-C cable
22" pen displays compared (2024)
This content has been replaced by: Large pen display recommendations
Brands
Introduction
There are many tablet brands and picking the brand of the tablet is one of the most important decisions you will need to make when selecting a tablet to purchase
Tier 1: Wacom
Wacom was founded in 1983 continues to make the highest quality and most reliable tablets. In general, Wacom has the best drawing experience. Their products are the most expensive. I consider Wacom to be the "safe choice".
More here: my notes on Wacom
Wacom - https://www.wacom.com
Tier 2: Huion, XP-Pen, & Xencelabs
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: My notes on Huion and XP-pen
Huion - https://huion.com
XP-Pen - https://xp-pen.com
Xencelabs (founded 2019) is a new brand focused only on professional tablets for professionally users. Xencelabs has a very strong focus on customer support.
More here: my notes on Xencelabs
Xencelabs - https://xencelabs.com
Tier 3: Smaller brands
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. These brands have smaller portfolios, less responsive customer support, and smaller online communities.
Artisul - https://artisul.com/
Gaomon - https://www.gaomon.net/
Ugee - https://www.ugee.com/
Veikk - https://www.veikk.com/
Parblo - https://www.parblo.com/
Tier 4: Everyone else
Avoid.
How to choose the right brand for you
More here: Choosing a drawing tablet brand
Huion and XP-Pen
Overview
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.
Their best tablets
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.
What HUION and XP-PEN do well:
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)
How Huion and XP-PEN could do better
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.
Switching from Wacom
If you are an existing Wacom user yuou should keep in mind there are somethings that Wacom does where Huion and XP-Pen are still catching up on. In particular some of Wacom's pens (especially the Pro models) have an extremely low IAF (<1gf) . Huion latest pro pens can get to 2gf (per Huion's statements) and 3gf (per XP-Pen's statements). If you are used to a Wacom pen making marks at very tiny pressure you may find these higher IAF values hard to deal with.
Wacom
Overview
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 and pen displays - mixed bag of results here.
What Wacom does well
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
Feature availability
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.
Xencelabs
Overview
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 24: my notes on this tablet
Xencelabs Pen Display 16: my notes on this tablet
Xencelabs Pen Tablet Medium: my notes on this tablet (very minimal notes)
Xencelabs Pen Tablet Small
What Xencelabs does well
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.
How Xencelabs could do better
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 July 2024 they have a wider product portfolio . The only gap i see is that they don't have a LARGE pen tablet model - something comparable to the Wacom Intuos Pro Large.
Drawing tablet brands vs digitizers
Overview
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.
Which digitizers go into which brands
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.
Acquisitions
Huion acquired UCLogic in 2019 (https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/UC-Logic_Technology_Corp.)
Choosing a drawing tablet brand
Customer support
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.
Online communities
Communities are where a people can learn and get help with drawing tablets. Depending on the brand there are different options. More here: Drawing tablet communities
Discussions
Core features
Active area
Introduction
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.
Active area of pen tablets
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.
Active area of pen displays
The active area of a pen display is very easy to detect because it is the exact the same area of the display panel.
Size
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: Active area size.
Aspect ratio
The relationship between the width and height of the active area is its aspect ratio. More here: Active area aspect ratio.
Active area size
Introduction
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.
Size in tablet names
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
Standard sizes
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.
Distribution of active area sizes
If we look at how drawing tablet models are distributed along this scale we'll see that there is a lot of variation.
Diagonal vs Area
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.
Active area aspect ratio
Introduction
The aspect ratio of your drawing tablet's active area, can have a big impact on how good it feels to draw on them.
Basics
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.
Aspect ratio mismatches with pen tablets (IMPORTANT)
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.
Pen displays and aspect ratios
The active area of a pen display and their display panel inside the pen display are equivalent. So they always match.
Reference
A survey of aspect ratios of Wacom pen tablets
As of 2023, NONE of Wacom's pen tablets have an exact 16:9 aspect ratio.
Active area mapping
Overview
Translating the position of the pen on the EMR sensor (AKA “the digitizer”) to a position on display is called mapping.
The tablet firmware reports the position of the pen on the EMR sensor using coordinates that are relative to the EMR sensor.
The tablet driver takes coordinates from the tablet and then maps them coordinate on the display.
Basic cases to consider
CASE 1 a pen display
The simplest case to consider is a pen display. In this scenario the EMR sensor is directly underneath the display and both are inside the plastic shell of the tablet
In this case the active areas physical size and aspect ratio matches that of the display perfectly.
and in this case the transformation is very simple because the EMR sensor and the display have the same aspect ratio.
Case 2 a pen tablet with one monitor
this is a somewhat more challenging case.
Because the EMR sensor and the display in the monitor need not be the same size and need not have the same aspect ratio.
But still it is possible to transform the coordinates from the tablet to a coordinate on that display.
Case 3 a pen tablet with multiple monitors
This is a little bit of a weird case. But we have to account for it because so many people have multiple monitors with their computers.
Tablet drivers allow users to handle the situation in multiple ways.
The tablet driver can map the EMR census coordinates to a single display.
Another option is that the tablet driver can map the sensor coordinates to a virtual coordinate system that includes multiple displays.
Erasing
Overview
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.
Erasers
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.
Pens that have erasers
Erasers are relatively uncommon for EMR pens.
Wacom
This is a partial list of Wacom's more recent pens.
Wacom Pro Pen 2 (KP-504E)
Wacom Pro Pen Slim (KP-301E)
Wacom Pro Pen (KP-503E)
Wacom Grip Pen (KP-501E)
Wacom Art Pen (KP-701E)
NOTE: Wacom's most recent professional pen, Wacom Pro Pen 3, no longer features an eraser.
Huion
Huion PW600
Huion PW600S
XP-Pen
XP-Pen P06
XP-Pen X3 Pro
App support for erasers
Drawing apps have to add deliberate support for erasers. Some do have support. Some do not.
Usage of erasers
Lots of people do use the eraser and find it critical, but then lots of people never use the eraser. I'm one of the "never use" category.
For me flipping the pen around to use the eraser feels like it disrupts my flow and sometimes I simply am too clumsy and I have dropped the pen while I was rotating it. Also I just think it is faster to use a keyboard shortcut or to use my tourbox device.
Pen compatibility with tablets
Using the side buttons to erase
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.
Bezel
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.
Ergonomic benefits
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.
Drawing benefits
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.
Reddit threads
https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/qjjgj5/why_all_cintiqs_have_humongous_bezel/
Pen tilt
Introduction
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.
How tilt is used in drawing applications
Think about how you use a pencil - when you want a fine line you keep the pencil more perpendicular. 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.
Which tablets support tilt
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)
Do need tilt support in your drawing tablet?
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
Technical details
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.
Tilt angle range
The standard range is +/- 60 degrees for both X and Y directions
I don't know of any tablets that support a wider range
Tilt support in applications
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.
Tilt affect on pen tracking accuracy (tilt compensation)
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.
Disabling tilt
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
Disabling pen tilt
Overview
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
OPTION 1 Use brush settings
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.
OPTION 2 Turn tilt off in the driver
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.
Pen tilt compensation
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.
Pen pressure
Overview
Pressure is the physical force being exerted on its tip.
Key concepts
The pen senses pressure, not the tablet. The pen communicates the pressure it detects to the tablet.
The Initial Activation Force is the smallest amount of pressure that an EMR pen will detect and report. More here:
The Pen 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 tablet splits up the pressure range into a number of segments that are called Pen pressure levels.
The pen pressure response is the pen hardware's "pressure behavior" - how a specific pen maps the physical pressure (how hard you are pressing down) to a logical pressure number that is sent to your computer.
A pressure curve is a way of modifying or processing the pressure pressure response of a pen. You can do this to solve solve or mitigate some kinds of pressure problems or to achieve certain kinds of creative effects.
A pressure dead zone is a ways of using a a pressure curve to effectively increase the IAF.
The vast majority of drawing tablet pens are too-sensitive to small changes in physical pressure near the IAF. This means there is some pressure instability at low pressure. You can address this by using pressure curves or pressure smoothing.
Tilt affects pressure. The pen is more sensitive when it is held - perpendicular to the tablet surface.
"Under pressure" video series
If you'd prefer to watch, I built the "Under Pressure" video series on YouTube that goes deep into how pressure works. It explores all these concepts in great detail.
Relationship between the pen and the tablet
The pressure sensing mechanism is in the Pen, not the tablet.
Tablets do play a role in processing pressure. Tablets
Determine the number of pressure levels
Translate the pressure information from the pen into those levels
May process the pressure data before it is sent to the computer
Units
When dealing with the pressure (i.e. the force applied to the tip), the standard unit used in gram force abbreviated as gf.
You may occasionally this force described as grams and see the unit g used. This is technically incorrect, since grams are a unit of mass, not force.
Disabling pressure
Sometimes it is useful to disable pen pressure. For options on how to do so go here: Disable pen pressure.
How EMR pens measure pressure
There are two different techniques. The newer technique involved a pressure sensor in the pen. More here: EMR pressure detection
Notes
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.
Pen pressure levels
Pressure levels
Conceptually, a drawing tablet takes the pressure range and divides the range up into segments - each segment is a pressure level.
The number of pressure levels NOT decided by the pen. It is ultimately determined by the tablet itself. It can be the case that a tablet decides to have 4K pressure levels with one pen model but 8K pressure levels with another pen model.
How many pressure levels do you need?
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.
I claim you only need 2048 levels of pressure (and probably even less than that). As a quick example watch this 35 second video: https://youtu.be/V-79hS5sRQw
Pen pressure response
he pressure response of a pen describes the behavior of a pen with regard to pressure.
The pen measures of physical force at its tip. Information about the physical force is sent to the tablet and then translated into a logical pressure value. The pressure response is the relationship between that physical pressure and the logical press.
In numerical terms it can be expressed as a simple set of data points. And if we graph those data points with the physical pressure on the X axis and the logical pressure on the Y axis - then we get a chart that visualizes the pressure response.
All pens come out-of-the-box with a specific pressure response. And keep in mind the response is unique to each pen. The response even for pens of the same model will differ a little bit at the very least.
One thing that is generally found among EMR - is that the shape of the pressure response is bowed up quite a bit.
If we need to change the pressure response of a pen. We have to apply a pressure curve.
A pressure curve modifies a pressure response. You could think of it as creating a new pressure response. In the example above the pressure curve that we apply to the original pressure response has created a new pressure response which is much more linear.
I like to think pressure responses and pressure curves as a game of resource allocation - where we are trying to the physical pressure range in useful ways across the logical pressure range.
The reasons we want to think about this allocation intentionally is because it can give us three potential things:
a better drawing experience
we might be able to solve problems while we're drawing or even address or mitigate some hardware problems
and also it's a way of getting some creative effects four our brush strokes
This pressure response is similar to that of a Wacom pro pen 2 (KP-504E). It has that typical bowed up shape. The one thing that separates it from many other pens pressure responses it goes extremely far on the X axis because it has an extremely wide pressure range.
There are two interesting things about how physical pressure is allocated in this specific pressure response.
For the purposes of this discussion I'm going to only talk about how pressure affects the width of a stroke. Simply because it's easiest for me to visualize that in this document. But for everything I'm saying it equally applies when for example pressure is mapped to opacity or even to color.
The first is the shape of the response indicates an under allocation at lower physical pressure. About only 10% of the physical pressure range is allocated to about 50% of the logical pressure range.
This means that small changes in physical pressure result in big changes in logical pressure. In turn this means that there are big changes in the width of a stroke.
This can make it feel like it's hard to control the width of your stroke when you're drawing very lightly.
At the higher end of this pressure response we encounter an over allocation of physical pressure to logical pressure. About 50% of the physical pressure range is allocated to only about 10% of the logical pressure range.
This means that big changes in physical pressure produce small changes in lot pressure which produce small changes in the width of a stroke.
This can make it seem like you're pressing very hard but you aren't seeing your stroke size increase or decrease by much.
In general I think we would want a more even allocation of physical pressure range into the logical pressure range. The visualization of such a more evenly allocated pressure response is one that is much more linear.
To be clear I am not saying that linear is the best shape for a pressure response. I'm just saying it's a good starting point. Ultimately you'll have to use pressure curves to change your pressure response into something that works for you.
Here you can see how a specific pressure curve takes the original pressure response and shifts it to a more linear shape. I'll show you this example just to help illustrate how much you might have to bend the pressure curve to get a linear response.
And keep in mind again that the pressure response shown is for specific pen. This pressure curve may not have the same effect on different pens.
Pen pressure range
Overview
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
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.
Landscape
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.
Pressure data and sources
Manufacturers
From tablet experts such as Kuuube
And my own measurements: https://1drv.ms/x/s!Aml8i4Jd6crCkTerfXD_1zsIxg3A?e=2aCPfI
Considerations
Pens, even of the same model, vary in how their pressure handling
Drivers can potentially affect IAF.
Resources
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/)
Initial activation force (IAF)
Overview
The Initial Activation Force (IAF) is the smallest amount of pressure that an EMR pen will detect and report.
More info: Pen pressure
Initial activation force (IAF)
A lower IAF is good because it allows you to draw finer details better.
Most modern EMR pens have an IAF of around 3gf - and a consider 3gf to be a very good IAF
Modern professional pens have an IAF of <= 1gf - this is considered an excellent IAF
Between 4gf and 6gf - I consider this to be OK and tolerable IAF.
Anything higher than 6gf I consider bad.
IAF through the years
Very low IAF is not new. Wacom has been making pens for decades that have excellent low IAF. Their professional pen have had low IAF for a long time.
Here are some examples from Kuuube's measurements (using Open Tablet Driver) from his Wacom Tablet Mastersheet.
Wacom Pro Pen 2 (KP-504E) IAF
<1gf
2017
Wacom Pro Pen Slim (KP-301E) IAF
<1gf
?
Wacom Intuos4/5 Grip Pen (KP-501E)
<1gf
2009 and 2012
Wacom Intuos3 Grip Pen (ZP-501E)
<1gf
2004
Wacom Intuos2 Grip Pen (XP-501E)
<1gf
2001
Wacom Intuos1 Grip Pen (GP-300E)
<1gf
1998
The importance of low IAF
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.
Tweaking the IAF
The IAF is a physical property of the pen, so that physical behaviors can't be lowered or raised. However by using a pressure curve with a dead zone, you can effectively increase the IAF. More here: Pen pressure dead zone
A higher IAF can be useful
Given that there's so much focus on having a “low IAF”, it would be natural to think that always having a low IAF is good and that it is always preferable to have a lower IAF rather than a higher one. The overall sentiment is generally true but there are some exceptions and things to keep in mind.
False pressure detection
First, as the pressure sensing mechanism in a pen gets more sensitive to enable a very low IAF, it can have unintended effects. For example those pens with super low IAF may actually say that they are detecting pressure when they are clearly not touching the tablet. Sometimes this can take the form of spurious pressure readings or it can happen more frequently and the pen can effectively draw while hovering.
Effectively increasing IAF with the pressure curve
To compensate for these kinds of effects you, You might encounter a tablet that has a pressure dead zone deliberately created by the manufacturer. This dead zone ignores a little bit of that lower pressure so that these kinds of strange artifacts are avoided.
Note that depending on which tablet you have the pressure dead zone might be visible to you in the pressure curve that you see in the tablet driver.
And also the dead zone might be implemented in the driver but it is not shown to you.
And of course some tell the drivers don't implement default dead zone at all.
More here: Pen pressure dead zone
Wispy tails on strokes
another thing that happens when you're dealing with very low initial activation force is that it can affect the shape of your strokes at the very beginning or ends. For example it can often leave little wispy tails at the beginning or end of a stroke. So in some cases you might want to create a little bit of a dead zone in your driver to avoid those wispy tails.
In some pens I've also noticed that having an extremely low IAF can cause the pen to register pressure for just one moment longer after you lift the pen off the tablet. I suspect this is due to the mechanics of a nib that is moving the pen having to overcome some friction. And so for just a moment as you lift off the tablet the very sensitive pressure mechanism is still detecting the nib pushing into it. This can create the same wispy tail effect.
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Pen pressure dead zone
Overview
The pressure dead zone is an area of a pressure curve that is deliberately designed to ignore a bit of the lower end of the pressure range. The pressure dead zone effectively increases the IAF of the pen.
Visualization
Visually the pressure dead zone can be seen whenever the lower left corner of the pressure curve is displaced to the right
Uses
We often prize having extremely low initial activation force with our EMR pens because it makes them more sensitive to lighter strokes.
But that sensitivity comes at a cost. It can introduce several kinds of problems. And a pressure dead zone can address these problems
examples of problems that pressure dead zone could be applied to:
drawing while hovering
strokes having tails
Default dead zones in tablet drivers
When you look at the default pressure curve and a tablet driver for most of the EMR pens you will encounter, you will notice that they almost always do not have a dead zone predefined.
There are a couple of notable exceptions (as of 2025/03/18).
The default pressure curve for the Wacom pro pen 2 (KP-504E) has a pressure dead zone
The default pressure curve for the Huion PW600 pens also has a small pressure dead zone.
Testing results
I've tested 4 Wacom pro pen 2 units by using them without the default pressure dead zone. Of the four two did not have any drawing while hover problems. The other two did in fact draw while hovering. It appears that the Wacom pro pen 2 is a bit oversensitive and some units by default do draw on hover. So this explains why Wacom defaults to a small pressure dead zone for these pens. Note that the Wacom pro pen 3 does not have a default pressure dead zone.
For the Huion PW600 series of pens, without the pressure dead zone I did not encounter any drawing while hovering problems.
Recommendation
the pressure dead zone is intended to solve a problem. But not all pens have that problem. I would suggest that when you get a new tablet or a new pen you take a look at the tablet driver and verify whether a pressure dead zone is set by default.
If it is try using the pen without the pressure dead zone. And if you don't notice any problems then leave it that way. Because that will give you a more sensitive pen with a lower initial activation force.
Links
Tablet_P - Tablet Pressure Deadzones 2025/03/18
Pen pressure instability at low pressure
Overview
Ideally when you're drawing with an EMR pen, smooth changes to physical pressure are translated to smooth changes in the pressure data the computer is getting from the tablet.
In reality at low pressure near the IAF, you can experience some instability where pressure readings might do certain strange things. And this will produce odd artifacts in your strokes.
Often this instability is present in your strokes but may not be noticeable at all especially if your brush size is small (for example 10px). But if you are using very large brush sizes like 100 pixels or 500 pixels that it may be much more obvious.
Prevalence
All drawing tablet pens have some pressure instability near their initial activation force. The amount of this instability and the way it manifests itself does vary a bit between different pen models. However even the best drawing tablet pen on the market (Wacom Pro Pen 2) can be made to exhibit these issues.
Examples
All of the example below were created with the Wacom Intuos Pro 2017 M (PTH-660) with the Wacom Pro Pen 2 (KP-504E).
Application: Krita
Brush: Ink3 Gpen, null pressure curve, 500px brush
Causes
The pressure detection mechanism in an EMR pen is almost always hypersensitive as pressure gets close to the IAF.
The texture of the tablet surface as the pen is traveling over it can get picked up by the pressure sensor.
The movement of your wrist or elbow on the tablet or the desk as your hand moves or rotates can get picked up by the pressure sensor.
It's very hard for a human to hold a consistent physical pressure.
Pens are more sensitive to pressure as they come closer to a vertical position.
Depending on the direction of pen travel the direction of the physical tilt of the pen can create odd interactions between the nib of the pen and the surface of the pen tablet.
Addressing these problems
Pen pressure curve
Before you begin
Before you read this section it would be good for you to read: pen pressure response. This document won't make a lot of sense without you understanding clearly what a pen pressure response is.
Overview
A pressure curve is essentially a little bit of math that transforms a pressure response to another pressure response. In more everyday terms a pressure curve creates a new pressure behavior for the pen.
Most often, we see the results of this transformation shown to us visually in driver or application UI.
For example in the Wacom Tablet Properties app it looks like this:
The X axis labelled as "Pen pressure" is the logical input pressure
The Y axis labelled as "Output" is the output logical pressure
This particular curve bends down a little. But many other shapes are possible. Each shape has their uses.
Pressure curve vs pressure response
It is important to distinguish the pressure curve from the pressure response because they describe different things completely.
A pressure response describes the pressure behavior of a pen - and this is a description of physically happens in the world. It relates physical pen pressure to logical pen pressure.
A pressure curve is an abstract mathematical entity that transforms logical pressure values. A pressure curve is completely arbitrary and does not describe a relationship in the physical world. It is a purely logical construct.
Popular coverage of pressure curves is highly misleading
So often in documents and YouTube videos you might encounter people describe the pressure curve as the pressure behavior of the pen. This is completely inaccurate. The pressure curve describes how the pressure behavior (the pressure response) is being modified. You cannot look at a pressure curve and understand the pressure behavior of your pen. The only way for you to understand the pressure behavior of pen is to physically measure it with the scale and start mapping physical pressure values to logical pressure values.
Pressure curve shapes
There are a variety of pressure curve shapes - each of which can solve some problem or achieve some visual effect.
To see which drivers and apps support witch shapes see this: Curve support in applications
Details on specific shapes
Driver UX for pressure curves
Misc pressure curve notes
Misc notes: Wacom pressure deadzone
Some of Wacom's Pro Pens are so sensitive, Wacom by default configures pen pressure curve in the driver to have a small "deadzone" at the lowe end of pressure. This means the very lowest pressure readings are ignored.
Here is a screenshot showing that pressure deadzone in the default pressure curve the Wacom driver uses for the Wacom Pro Pen 2 (KP-504E)
Resources
Devid Revoy - Calibrating stylus pressure (for Krita) https://www.davidrevoy.com/article182/calibrating-wacom-stylus-pressure-on-krita
Pressure curves that constrain output
Overview
Typically, a pressure curve function takes input logical pressure values in the range of [0,1] and maps it to values in an output range of [0,1]. This means that the full output range is used.
Some curves can limit their output range to achieve better control over brush strokes.
Visual interpretation
The easy way to tell that a pressure cuve constrains the output range is to notice that the curve shape does not reach to the bottom or to the top of the pressure curve graph. Two examples are below.
Even though the shapes look a little diffrent, they both effectively take the input logical pressure values between [0,1] and map that to an output region close to [0.3, 0.6]
Impact on brush strokes
Imagine the user's brush setting is 100px and the brush is set to change its size in response to pressure. Then suppose the user draws a stroke that goes from the IAF value to the MAX physical pressure.
The stroke size is computer like this:
pressure = apply_curve( pressure )
brush_size = max( 1, 100 * pressure )With a null pressure curve - The stroke width will go from a size of 1px to 100px.
With a the curves shown above - the stroke width will go from 30px to 60 pz. So the widht of the stroke does not vary as much.
Use cases
Helps give you more consistent brush strokes while still allowing some variability
By avoiding the lower end of output logical prerssure, you can have your strokes start off a little thicker than normal. (Though there are other ways some apps have of accomplishing this goal.)
Null pressure curve
Introduction
The null pressure curve is the most important pressure curve - exactly because it does nothing. We can apply the null pressure curve to any pressure profile and it will not shift the profile in any direction.
Definition
The definition of a null profile is a pressure curve function that takes the input logical pressure and returns that very same value as the output logical pressure. In order words f(p) = p.
If you take the range of input logical pressures which range from zero to one and plot them on the X axis of a chart. And then you apply the null pressure curve to those values and plot the result of the function on the Y axis - then you get a straight line at 45° that goes from the lower left corner to the upper right corner of the chart.
Anytime you see a chart like this it clearly identifies that null pressure curve. And you can be sure that it does not do anything to a pressure response.
And the chart above you can see there's been no change because the orange line which represents the pressure response after applying the curve has exactly the same shape as the original pressure response.
null pressure curves are extremely useful.
We encounter pressure curves in tablet drivers and in creative applications. These kinds of applications often use the null pressure curve as the default value for any pressure curves they have. This isn't always true but it is a very common thing to see.
If you're ever trying to solve some problem with the pressure of your pen the knowing about the null pressure curve is useful. Because it might be that somehow your pressure curve was modified and is affecting your pen. So a very common troubleshooting tip is to make sure that your pressure curve has been reset back to the null pressure curve. This way you can be sure it is not affecting what is going on
Implementing pressure curves
Ultimately a pressure curve is a mathematical function that takes input logical pressure (p) and returns an output logical pressure (p’)
that is it maps logical pressure to logical pressure. The logical pressure comes in as a value between zero and one, and the output is a logical pressure between zero and one. The specifics of the mapping of the input to the output are completely arbitrary and we can make pressure curves do whatever we want.
In reality we wouldn't just have one pressure curve function with a single input logical pressure parameter like that. More typically we'd have a pressure curve function that accepts multiple parameters. By tweaking these additional parameters we can control what the pressure curve is actually doing in a dynamic way.
Pressure curves that ignore input
Here are two examples of curves that ignore input.
IGNORE BOTTOM - ignores the lower end of logical pressure
IGNORE TOP - ignores the upper end of logical pressure
IGNORE BOTTOM
Effectively this increases the perceived IAF of the pen.
This is useful in several cases:
Your pen might be drawing while hovering and this is one way that might help that problem
Some people don't want the pen to draw when in contact with the tablet, the only want to use it to point. They can ignore pressure to help make this happen.
IGNORE TOP
Some people have issues with their hands and with pens that have a very high pressure range they can never get to the full maximum pressure. They can use IGNORE TOP to effectively lower the maximum physical pressure.
Pressure curve shape support in applications
Not all pressure curve shapes can are possible in all cases.
Drivers usually offer only simple pressure curves
Applications are generall very flexible
Adjusting pressure curve in tablet driver
Overview
Tablet drivers offer a UX to see and modify pen pressure curves. Below you'll see how to access this UX in various tablet drivers.
Huion > HuionTablet pressure curve
Open the HuionTablet app
Click on Digital Pen
Click on Pressure Sensitivity Adjustment
Wacom > Wacom Tablet Properties pressure curve
Launch Wacom Tablet Properties
Under Tool, select a Pen
Select Mapping
The Tip Feel slider setting controls the pressure curve. So you can change the pressure curve, with this slider though you cannot see it.
SOME Wacom tablets offer a Customize button under the Tip Feel setting
If you click on Customize, then the Pen Feel Details dialog will launch
In the Pen Feels Details, you can see and modify the pressure curve
Wacom > Wacom Center pressure curve
Only some Wacom tablets have a pressure curve in Wacom Center.
For older tablets, the Wacom Center will send you back to the Wacom Tablet Properties app
For newer tablets such as the Intuos Pro 2025 series, the Wacom Center has built in UX for pressure curves
If you are using one of these newer tablets ...
Open Wacom Center
Select the Tablet and the Pen
The Tip Sensitivity slider setting controls the pressure curve. So you can change the pressure curve, with this slider though you cannot see it.
Click on Advanced and you can see a visualization of the Tip Sensitivity and edit the pressure curve.
Disabling pen pressure
Overview
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
OPTION 1 Use Brush settings to disable using pressure
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.
OPTION 2 Use a flat pressure curve
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.
OPTION 3 Turn off pressure in the driver
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.
Tilt affects pressure
What we find is that the physical tilt angle effects how pressure behaves. When holding the pen perfectly vertical the the pen is most sensitive to low pressure. And the more you tilt the pen the less sensitive it is to low pressure.
This is an expected behavior of EMR pens. Because the more the pen is tilted the more force is not directed through the pen to the pressure sensor but to the sides pen instead.
Pen hover
Overview
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.
Benefits of hover
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
Some people don't like hover
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.
Hover height
The maximum distance the tablet can detect the pen is about 10mm for a modern EMR tablet.
What influences the hover height
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.
Controlling the maximum 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.
Turning off hover
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.
Hover jitter
Overview
In some cases for some tablets you may see that the pen position may jitter or shake when the pen his hovering. This does not interfere with drawing but may be irritating to some people.
Explanation
The Pen hover feature involves detecting the position of the pen, even though the pen is not touching the tablet. This raises an interesting challenge for drawing tablets. The further the pen is away from the tablet the less reliably the position of the pen can be determined. This increased distance means that nearby electromagnetic noise starts to "drown out" the signal from the pen.
The result is that the reported pen position can "jump around" a bit during hover.
Hover height vs hover jitter
Especially at the upper end of the hover range. Pens can often be detected even further away that the hover distance provided in the manufacturer specs, and in these locations you may encounter the most vigorous jitter.
Prevalence
Specific digitizers families may be prone to hover jitter.
Pen tracking
Introduction
Pen tracking is the tablet's interpretation of the physical position of pen.
Pen tracking accuracy is how close the the operating system cursor (mouse pointer) is to the physical tip of the pen.
Note that this accuracy must be measured without taking into account the effect of parallax
Also this must be measured when the pen is NOT moving - because pointer lag by definition causes a kind of dynamic inaccuracy
Real-world accuracy
Perfectly accurate pen tracking means the tablet thinks the pen is exactly where the physical tip is. Any deviation from that is an inaccuracy. All tablets are slightly inaccurate.
Accuracy in pen tablets vs pen displays
Pen tracking accuracy is a concept that applies to both pen tablets and pen displays. However, in practice it is only really an issue with pen displays. This is because with pen displays you can see the inaccuracy - which shows up as the operating system pointer being offset from the tip of the pen.
Pen tracking calibration
If your pen's position is not matching where the pointer is in a major way especially if it is happening across most of the tablet, then pen tracking calibration may help.
Video: Accuracy in pen displays
Edge and corner accuracy in pen displays
The pointer is generally a bit more offset from the tip of the pen toward the edges and especially the corners rather then the main part of the screen.
This offset in the edges and corners is totally normal. Some tablets have more and some have less.
Tablet manufacturers (except for Wacom) often publish their official corner accuracy numbers. Here are some typical values I've seen.
±3mm
±1.5mm
±1mm
If you have a pen display and it seems to exceed what the manufacturer says it has and you are disturbed by it, you should contact support.
For myself, generally even if I see ±3mm it isn't really a problem because I am not drawing in those areas. But of course, it does look weird and I would like it always to be more accurate and do prefer ±1mm.
Pen barrel rotation
Introduction
Barrel rotation is very easy to understand. It's just a rotation of the pen along its long axis.
In the diagram below, barrel rotation is indicated by the arrows that go around the long axis of the pen (as indicated by the dotted line).
Feature availability
Barrel rotation is a very rare feature on pens. I know of only three pens that support it.
Wacom Art Pen (KP-701E)
Wacom 6D Art Pen (ZP-600)
Apple Pencil Pro
Keep in mind that these pens only work with specific tablets. You cannot buy these pens and assume they will work with the tablet you have.
Pen nib travel
Overview
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.
Amount of nib travel
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.
Pen nib material
Overview
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.
The reason for different materials is that they greatly impact the sensation of "texture" you experience.
Subjective impact on texture
Plastic nibs generally feel smoother when drawing on a given surface. Some of the surface texture will get transmitted through the plastic nib.
Felt nibs provide a little more friction and many people say it can make a tablet surface feel more like traditional paper.
I always suggest giving felt nibs a try, you may enjoy how it feels.
Wear and tear
Both kinds of nibs wear over time and the amount of wear depends on how "heavy-handed" you are. But these materials are a little different.
Plastic nibs wear down less.
Felt nibs are more prone to wearing down. Also if you drop your pen and it hits the nib, sometimes I have found that the felt nib can be more easily damaged.
Example: Wacom One GEN2 pen (CP-923) nib material
Wacom offers three materials for this pen (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
Metal nibs
I DO NOT recommend using a metal nib.
Lag
Overview
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
Companion videos
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
Pointer lag
Overview
For a more general introduction to lag, see Lag.
If you you are "painting", there is a separate kind of lag called brush lag.
EMR pointer lag Apple iPad pointer 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.
Can pointer lag be reduced?
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.
Brush lag
Introduction
For a more general introduction to lag, see Lag.
There is a separate kind of lag called pointer lag.
Notes on brush lag
Aaron Rutten did a nice video to explaining how to minimize brush lag
Diagonal wobble
Overview
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"
Companion video
I covered wobble extensively in this video on pen display accuracy (https://youtu.be/M4rEk_RNBrM)
Appearance
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
Characteristics
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.
Prevalence
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.
Causes
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.
Pen velocity
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
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.
How much does wobble matter
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.
Mitigating diagonal wobble
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.
Diagonal Wobble samples
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.
Brand-specific notes
XP-Pen
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
Discussions
Surface texture
Overview
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
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.
Pen Tables > Replaceable textures
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.
Pen Displays
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
Note that the anti-glare treatment stops the display from being glossy - but it also introduces some thign called anti-glare sparkle: https://docs.thesevenpens.com/drawtab/technotes/anti-glare-sparkle
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.
Achieving a paper-like texture
No drawing tablet by default has a texture that comes close to the feeling of paper.
Increasing texture
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.
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: protective sheets.
Also you can use felt nibs - if they are available for your pen. These felt nibs also can provide some extra texture.
Auxiliary inputs
Buttons, sliders, dials, touch strips on tablets
Overview
The primary way you provide input via the tablet is via the pen. However, some drawing tablets have other built-in ways of providing input.
Buttons (both physical and capacitive)
Dials
Touch-sensitive strips and wheels
Terminology: ExpressKeys
ExpressKeys is a Wacom-specific term for buttons on Wacom tablets. However, many people have adopted it as a term to describe use to describe buttons on tablets from all brands.
Huion calls buttons "Press Keys"
Disabling auxiliary inputs
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".
Binding inputs to actions
You can bind 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
Common useful bindings
You can make these auxiliary inputs to all sorts of useful things. Here are some popular examples I found: Popular bindings for auxiliary inputs
Global vs application configuration
Tablet drivers also let you configure how these auxiliar inputs 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
Default settings
Wacom Intuos Pro PTH-660
Examples
Wacom Intuos Pro Large PTH-860
Huion Inspiroy Dial2 (Q630M)
Example UI from Wacom Tablet Properties App
