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

• - If you are not familiar with drawing tablets, then start here.

• - a comprehensive guide to purchasing a tablet.

• - Recommendations for different budgets and types of tablets

Connect with the community

Consider joining the .

Contact

If you have questions or comments contact me at .

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 and

• I keep my code on GitHub:

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 .

My tablet setups

I have multiple desks with a combination of PCs and laptops for trying out different tablets. More here:

Key resources

• My general take on

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.

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.

Pen enabled 2-in-1 laptops

These are laptops that have some support for pens to enable drawing. They may or may not have an attached keyboard.

Examples:

• Microsoft Surface Pro

• Oct 4, 2022

• Sep 11, 2022

This content has been replaced by:

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).

I don't use these devices myself. Here are some popular ones.

• Onyx Boox Note Air3

• Remarkable 2

• Amazon Kindle Scribe

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

https://discord.gg/Rr2MXeM7Ny

Wacom

https://support.wacom.com/ -

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

-

Go to the bottom of the page to find links to contact Huion support

XP-Pen

Support page:

Gaomon

[email protected]

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 (specifically UD EMR)

• Comes with 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 2-in-1 laptop that can be used with detachable keyboard. 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.

• (starting at $900)

• (starting at $900)

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

• My notes on the Minisforum HX99G

• RAM: 64GB

• Storage: 1TB

• Tablets

  • Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860)

  • Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 (DTH227)

  • Both tablets are connected at the same time

#2 Drawing desktop

• Computer: Microsoft Surface Pro 8

• RAM: 32GB

• Storage: 1TB

• XP-Pen Deco Pro XLW 2nd Gen (MT1592B)

#3 Testing desktop

• Computers:

  • Microsoft Surface Pro 8 - Primarily for testing with Open Tablet Driver

  • M3 MacBook pro - for testing manufacturer drivers

• Tablets: various

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: . 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.

Scenario

When I "whiteboarding" i include any scenario where you are drawing something for the sake of communicating visually.

Example:

• Online teaching

• Zoom call

• Recording Khan-Academy style videos

Good news

You don't need a fancy tablet for white boarding

• For pen tablets (screenless tablets) - Any medium size beginner pen tablet will work. See: See:

• For pen displays (screen tablets) -

Pen tablet vs Pen display

Both work, but if you are drawing things live for these scenarios, I do encourage you to look into a pen display (screen tablet).

For his Khan Academy videos, the last time I checked, Sal Khan used an Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660).

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

• Visio -

• Excalidraw -

• Draw.io -

• Microsoft whiteboard (windows, iOS, web) -

This is an updated tier list from the original livestream: https://youtube.com/live/CKki6AEzdzA

To see the next year's tier list: 2025 Drawing tablet tier list

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

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.

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: .

Some thoughts

• Get a pen tablet (no screen) unless you are absolutely sure that you MUST have a pen display (has a screen). More here:

• If you really need a standalone, get an iPad or Wacom MovinkPad, or a Samsung Galaxy Tab S tablet.

Top choices

• Wacom MovinkPad 11 (my notes) - Best drawing experience. Optimized for getting your sketches captured when the inspiration strikes. Performance is mid.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE ( ) - this has a decent drawing experience, and also works well as an iPad-like device. Good all around Android tablet with decent performance for its cost.

• Apple iPad - Any Apple iPad that works with the Apple Pencil 2 () . You will have the buy the Apple Pencil 2 separately. It does NOT come with the iPad.

Super Low Budget Option

• Samsung S6 LITE 2024 edition - not powerful but decent drawing experience. Good starter tablet for a child.

Resources

Avoid

• Huion Kamvas Slate 13 - Poor drawing experience

• Huion Kamvas Slate 11 - Poor drawing experience

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: .

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.

If you are new to Wacom, you should understand this issue because it is a constant source of confusion for people looking to buy a Wacom tablet, get help with a Wacom tablet, or buy a replacement pen for their Wacom tablet.

The problem: Wacom makes two sweveraldifferent devices with confusingly similar names:

"One by Wacom" refers to any of 2 pen tablets

• One by Wacom Small (CTL-472) released in 2018

• One by Wacom medium (CTL-672) released in 2018

"Wacom One" can refer to any of 5 drawing tablets in two generations

• Wacom One GEN1 (DTC-133) - a pen display released in 2019

• Wacom One 12 GEN2 (DTC-121) - a pen display released in 2023

• Wacom One 13 touch GEN2 (DTH-134) - a pen display released in 2023

• Wacom One S GEN2 (CTC-4110WL) - a pen tablet released in 2023

Overview

Instead of pen computers, I recommend looking at the other kinds of standalone devices: pen-enabled mobile devices or pen-enabled laptops.

• To understand why I don't recommend pen computers: The case against pen computers

ALTERNATIVE #1: pen-enabled mobile devices

• Apple iPad Pro with the Apple Pencil

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S series tablets that use the Samsung S pen

ALTERNATIVE #2: pen-enabled laptops

• Microsoft Surface Pro

• Samsung Galaxy Book 5 Pro

More here:

ALTERNATIVE #3: Laptops/MiniPCs + pen display

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.

Overview

Wacom has existed for over 40 years. In that time they've released many different drawing tablets.

In this document I'll point you to different lists of tablets depending on what you're interested in.

Wacom's official current tablet models

You can see a list of all the tablets Wacom currently sells on their website (). However, this information does not cover the tablets they historically sold.

Kuuube's Wacom tablet mastersheet

Tablet expert Kuuube maintains a which as far as I know lists every Wacom drawing tablet ever made.

Steps

• Find the dimensions of the device and the active area then

  • The dimensions will be published online

• Cut out a piece of cardboard to the size of the tablet dimensions

• Draw a rectangle to represent the active area

• Then try drawing on it

Example

Things to test

• In the active area, do you find enough space to draw

• How will you place it relative to your keyboard

• Does it fit your desk

• Especially for pen displays, keep it about half an arms length away. How much does this prevent you from reacing other items on the desk

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

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.

Disambiguation: Wacom One vs One by Wacom

See: Wacom One vs One by Wacom

Evolution of Wacom consumer line of pen tablets

This diagram is my summary how their consumer line of tablets is evolving

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.

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.

A pen tablet is not necessarily an "upgrade"

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 and Huion Kamvas Studio

Even though some people love using pen computers, I do not in general recommend buying one.

In this document I will evaluate pen computers on several dimensions such as cost, upgradability, etc and show you why I think they are not a great choice.

Overview

I have a LOT of drawing tablets. As of June 27, 2025 I have 106 drawing tablets.

Here is my current inventory:

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

Overview

13" is a good way to get introduced to pen displays. Though I do think ultimately 16" is a better size longer term.

If I had to pick one

Huion Kamvas 13 GEN3 (GS1333) [$260, ]

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.

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

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.

If I had to pick one

If I had to pick one item on this list, I would recommend the One by Wacom CTL-672 for sure. It's reliable and has a good drawing experience though it does not have tilt support. The Huion Frego M (L610) is a new tablet (released in 2024) that is also a terrific beginner choice and it does have tilt.

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:

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.

To see the previous tier list:

Notes

On November 12, 2025, during a livestream as a community we created a new drawing tablet tier list.

Unlike last year

• In addition to pen tablets and pen displays, we also ranked standalone tablets, and pens

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.

The bezel of a drawing tablet is essentially all the area on the surface of the drawing tablet that is not the .

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

Overview

I don't do 3D work myself, so this document is based on feedback I've been given by others and what I have observed in online forums. Please share any .

It seems that the 3D workflow tends has some special needs, ans for that reason we need to look at this use case specifically.

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.

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 . Instead, I recommend you choose a mobile computer with pen support.

Pen computers cost between $1000 to $3500.

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.

Overview

Active area mapping is a surprisingly complex topic, because it has to work in a number of different situations (single monitor, multiple monitors, etc.) AND is highly configurable AND and can even change dynamically at the press of a button.

For pen tablets (screenless tablets) mapping is the most complex, since the digitizer and the display are separate devices.

Pen tablets

Consumer vs Professional

The first letter to indicates if the tablet is a consumer of professional model. C means consumer. P means professional

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:

Overview

If you're primarily interested in drawing or notetaking I think pen-enabled mobile computers are your best options.

Top picks for drawing

These are for when you want a GREAT drawing experience. Especially if you are already used to drawing tablets or Wacom professional tablets and pens.

• Wacom MovinkPad Pro 14 -

  • This tablet has the best drawing experience on the market out of any current standalone tablet of any kind and from any brand.

• Wacom MovinkPad 11 -

Top picks for general usage

This is when you want a general-purpose mobile device, but also want decent pen support for things like sketching, notetaking, whiteboarding, etc.

• Apple iPads + the Apple Pencil -

  • 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.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S devices -

Some compromises

• XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad 2024 - I don't have any experience with this tablet.

• XP-Pen Magic Drawing Pad 2025 (MDP1221) -

Tablets to avoid

Samsung Galaxy Tab A Series

I do not recommend this series of tablets. More here:

Huion Slate

• NOT RECOMMENDED

Resources

• 2025/03/12

Videos

EXCELLENT

• Wacom Movink 13 (DTH-135) [$750, ]

VERY GOOD

• Huion Kamvas 13 GEN3 (GS1333) [$260, ]

• XP-Pen Artist Pro 14 GEN2 (MD140FH) [$420, ]

GOOD

• XP-Pen Artist 12 GEN3 (CD121FH) [$220, )]

• XP-Pen Artist 12 GEN2 (CD120FH) [$220, ]

• XP-Pen Artist 13 GEN2 (CD130FH) [$300, ]

DECENT

• Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1331) [$240, ]

• Wacom One 14 (DTC-141) [$300, ]

• Wacom One 2019 GEN1 (DTC-133) [$400, ]

  • NOTE: Expensive for what it is and how dated it is, but is a decent tablet. A good candidate for buying used.

AVOID

• Wacom One 12 GEN2 (DTC-121) [$400, ]

• Wacom One 13 touch GEN2 (DTH-134) [$600, ]

Videos

Additional resources

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.

Windows uninstall process

Windows

• Steps

  • Go to Start > Apps > Installed apps

    • On earlier version of Windowss, search for "Add Remove Programs" and then uninstall apps

Extended uninstall process

Some tablet drivers leave bits of themselves installed, even after an uninstallation process. To ensure nothing remains, use the .

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.

MacOS uninstall process

Wacom

• Search for Wacom Tablet Utility 

• Under Tablet Software click Uninstall

Resources

Resources

Overview

Mapping is how the tablet driver translated the position of the pen on the EMR sensor (AKA “the digitizer”) to a position on display.

Mapping for pen displays

For pen displays, mapping is relatively straightforward because essentially the digitizer and the display are embedded in the same device.

Mapping for pen tablets

Active area mapping is a surprisingly complex topic, because it has to work in a number of different situations (single monitor, multiple monitors, etc.) AND is highly configurable AND and can even change dynamically at the press of a button.

For pen tablets (screenless tablets) mapping is the most complex, since the digitizer and the display are separate devices.

Dealing with mismatched aspect ratios

Because the tablet's active area and the display may have different aspect ratios, distortion can be introduced unless you enable Force Proportions:

Display Toggle for pen tablets and multiple monitors

When multiple monitors are being used, you can have the tablet switch between mapping to each monitor at the click of a button. See:

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:

• Wacom -

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:

• Huion -

• XP-Pen -

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:

• Xencelabs -

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 -

• Gaomon -

• Ugee -

• Veikk -

Tier 4: Everyone else

Avoid.

How to choose the right brand for you

More here:

EXCELLENT

• Wacom Cintiq 16 2025 (DTK-168) ★★★ [$700]

• Wacom Cintiq Pro 17 (DTH-172) [$2500, ]

• Wacom Cintiq Pro 16 (DTH-167) [$1500, ]

• Huion Kamvas Pro 19 (GT1902) ★★★ [$1100, ]

VERY GOOD

• Huion Kamvas 16 GEN3 (GS1563) ★★★ [$500, ]

• XP-Pen Artist Pro 19 GEN2 (MD180UH) [$900, ]

• XP-Pen Artist Ultra 16

• XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 GEN2 (MD160QH) ★★★ [$600, ]

GOOD

• Huion Kamvas Pro 16 V2

• Xencelabs Pen DIsplay 16

DECENT

• Huion Kamvas 16 (2021) (GS1562) [$400, ]

AVOID

Huion Kamvas Pro 16 Plus 4K (GT1562) [$900, ]

• LOTS OF AG SPARKLE

OTHER

• Wacom Cintiq 16 (DTK-1660) [$650, ]

• XP-Pen Artist 16 GEN2 (CD160FH) [$400, ]

  • EXCESSIVE DIAGONAL WOBBLE

Videos

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.

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.

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.

Overview

Pen computers are slate form-factor laptops that provide the full drawing tablet experience.

Pen computers are true drawing tablets because:

• They use the most popular digital pen technology (EMR) for their digitizers and pens

• They provide the classic drawing tablet experience.

"Pen computers" terminology

Pen computers is what Wacom calls this category of devices in relation to drawing tablets.

Common traits

• Operating system: Windows

• Intended usage scenario: Drawing, painting, sketching

• Pen tech: EMR (electromagnetic resonance)

My position on pen computers

As a policy, I do NOT recommend pen computers. The reasons are many and documented here: .

I recognize that some people LOVE the experience of using a pen computer. But overall because of the cost of purchase, support, repair, lack of upgradability, etc. I cannot cannot in good conscience recommend them.

I suggest you look at alternatives: .

Current models

• Huion Kamvas Studio 16 ($1700)

• Huion Kamvas Studio 24 ($2400)

• Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 ($2500)

• Wacom MobileStudio Pro 16 ($3500)

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

• 2025/03/18

Non-standalone drawing tablets

• Pen tablets (also called "screenless tablets") - Don't have a screen and you have to use them with a computer or laptop. More here: Overview of pen tablets

• Pen displays (also called "screen tablets") - Have a screen and you have to use them with a computer or laptop. More here:

Standalone drawing tablets

• Pen-enabled mobile devices - 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. More here:

• Pen computers - Drawing tablets that are essentially laptops. I do not recommend getting these. more here:

Overview

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:

  • Is publishing driver updates

  • Had good documentation

  • Has active customer support

Brands I generally suggest

I generally steer people toward:

• Wacom

• Huion

• XP-Pen

• Xencelabs

More here:

You'll find people who've had good and bad experience with each brand. Though generally I do think Wacom has a better experience for customers overall.

Brands vs specific tablets

Within a brand, they will have good tablets and bad tablets. Even Wacom, which is the market leader has some tablets I will not recommend.

Instead of only thinking of the brand, consider specific tablet models.

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:

Discussions

• - brands compared

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.

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.

Below are tablets I would personally recommend separated by device type. These recommendations are centered around using the tablets for drawing. If you are new to drawing tablets, I suggest you read the . If you are want to learn more about how to decide what you need (type, size, specs), read the .

Tier lists

Check out the to see how these tablets and their pens rank against each other.

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. ()

<- this video is relatively well known in the osu! community.

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

Overview

Taking notes is a popular scenario for drawing tablets.

There are several types of drawing tablets:

Generally I believe you will get the most natural experience taking notes if you use a or . 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).

Overview

Xencelabs () positions itself as a direct competitor to Wacom for the professional creative audience

They are a very new brand and have a small product line as of Jan 2024:

• Pen displays

I'm collecting information about the last drivers available for discontinued products. This list is incomplete and may be merged with other docs in the future.

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.

Overview

Pressure is the physical force being exerted on its tip.

Key concepts

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

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: .

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%

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.

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:

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 .

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.

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.

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.

EXCELLENT

• Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (PTK-670) [$300, ]

• Wacom Intuos Pro Medium (PTH-660) [$300, ]

VERY GOOD

• Huion Inspiroy Frego M (L610) [$90, ]

• XP-Pen Deco Pro

  • XP-Pen Deco Pro MW GEN2 (MT0962B) [$140, ]

  • XP-Pen Deco Pro LW GEN2 (MT1172B) [$170, ]

GOOD

• One by Wacom Medium (CTL-672) [no tilt, no wireless] [ $60, ]

• XP-Pen Deco

  • XP-Pen Deco M (IT850) [no wireless] [$50, ]

AVOID

• Wacom One M (CTC-6110WL)

• Wacom One S (CTC-4110WL) [$150, ]

OTHER

Older but works well

• Huion Inspiroy HS611 [$80, ]

  • 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 RTP-700 [$93, ]

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: .

• Pointer lag:

  • XP-pen pen displays tend to exhibit slightly more pointer lag than Wacom or Huion. More here: .

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.

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.

This video demonstrates tilt. I highly recommend you watch it.

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: