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 [email protected].

Chat

Consider joining the drawing tablet discord: Drawing Tablet discord server.

I have several setups ready for testing and trying out drawing tablets. It varies over time and what I am doing. Below is my latest setup as of 2023/08/03.

#1 Primary desktop

• Computer: Minisforum 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)

• XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 2nd Gen (MD160QH)

#3 Testing desktop

• Computers:

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

  • M3 MacBook pro - for testing manufacturer drivers

• Tablets: various

I love creative tech. I've been using drawing tablets for a long time and wanted share what I learn.

• My YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@thesevenpens

• My notes on drawing tablets: https://docs.thesevenpens.com/drawtab/

• I tweet occasionally: https://twitter.com/TheSevenPens

• I moderate Reddit's /r/drawingtablet and /r/huion

• I keep my code on GitHub: https://github.com/TheSevenPens

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

• Buying guide

• Drawing tablet recommendations

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.

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 - https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/visio

• 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.

Steps

• Go to Start > Apps > Installed apps and uninstall any tablet drivers

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

  • 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.

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

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.

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

• Onyx Boox Note Air3

• Remarkable 2

• Amazon Kindle Scribe

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.

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.

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.

Overview

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

Here is my current inventory:

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:

  • 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:

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.

• Oct 4, 2022

• Sep 11, 2022

Wacom

-

Wacom community forums:

To file a support ticket: You can file a support ticket with Wacom at this link:

Huion

-

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

XP-Pen

Support page:

Gaomon

[email protected]

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.

I run a small discord server for drawing tablets. This is where I can sometimes be found chatting about drawing tablets.

Invite link:

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:

Discussions

• - brands compared

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:

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

See:

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.

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

This content has been replaced by:

Not all pressure curve shapes can are possible in all cases.

• Drivers usually offer only simple pressure curves

• Applications are generall very flexible

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

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

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.

Top picks

• Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PT-870) [$500, links, my notes]

• Wacom Intuos Pro Large (PTH-860) [$500, links, my notes]

• XP-Pen Deco Pro XLW GEN2 (MT1592B) [$200, links , my notes]

Good

• Huion Inspiroy Giano (G930L) [$200, links, my notes]

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

• SMALL pen tablet recommendations

• MEDIUM pen tablet recommendations

• LARGE pen tablet recommendations

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

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

• Pen computer recommendations

  • 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

• Teoh on Tech - iPad vs Android and Windows tablets (artist perspective) 2024/01/05

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.

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)

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/

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.

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

Top picks

• Huion Kamvas 13 GEN3 (GS1333) ★★★ [$260, links, my notes]

• 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]

• Wacom Movink 13 (DTH-135) [$750, links, my notes]

Value with compromises

• Huion Kamvas 13 (GS1331) [$240, links, my notes]

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

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

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

• 13" pen displays compared (2023)

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

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.)

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/)

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

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

• Pointer lag

• Brush 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

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.

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.

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 - 2022/07/04

  • Brad Colbow - 2020/02/24

  • Trent Kaniuga - 2022/03/02

  • Marc Brunet - 2020/12/12

• Learning to draw and paint

  • 2023/05/21

  • Drawabox () - Drawabox is a set of free exercise-based lessons that focus on the fundamentals

Social

• Kawaii Sensei () - There's lots of practical tips every day.

• EtheringtonBrothers () - More frequent practical tips. And they publish useful printed guidebooks.

Equipment

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: .

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

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:

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:

More resources

• The full buying guide:

• Video:

Top picks

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

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

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

• XP-Pen Deco

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

  • XP-Pen Deco MW (IT850B) [$70, ]

  • XP-Pen Deco L (IT1060) [no wireless] [$70, ]

  • XP-Pen Deco LW (IT1060B) [$90, , ]

• XP-Pen Deco Pro

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

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

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

Good, but overpriced

• Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100) [no tilt, no wireless] [$200, ]

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, , ]

• Huion Inspiroy 2 M (H951P) [$70, ]

• Huion Inspiroy 2 L (H1061P) [$90, , ]

Poor performers

• Wacom One M (CTC-6110WL) [$150, , ]

  • SUB-STANDARD PRESSURE HANDLING

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: ()

• 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.

• (starting at $900)

• (starting at $900)

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.

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 -

• Parblo -

Tier 4: Everyone else

Avoid.

How to choose the right brand for you

More here:

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:

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.

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:

  • 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:

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

Pen computers cost between $1000 to $3500.

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.

Overview

Pressure is the physical force being exerted on its tip.

Key concepts

• The Initial Activation Force (IAF) is the smallest amount of pressure that an EMR pen will detect and report. More here:

• The maximum pressure the maximum amount of pressure that an EMR pen can detect and report.

• The pressure range is the range of physical force the pen is capable of sensing and outputting as pressure. In other words its lower bound is the IAF and its upper bound is the maximum pressure. More here:

• A tablet splits up the pressure range into a number of segments that are called pressure levels. Pressure levels. More here:

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: .

How EMR pens measure pressure

There are two different techniques. The newer technique involved a pressure sensor in the pen. More here:

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.

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: .

Aspect ratio

The relationship between the width and height of the active area is its aspect ratio. More here: .

Introduction

The aspect ratio of your drawing tablet's , 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.

Overview

If you are new to drawing tablets, I suggest you read the .

Below, here are tablets I would personally recommend separated by device type. These recommendations are centered around using the tablets for drawing.

• (No screen + require a computer)

• (Have a screen + require a computer)

• (Have a screen + do not require a computer)

If you are beginner, then consider these specific models which are great introduction to drawing tablets. .

Resources

• 2022/06/20

• 2022/10/01

• 2023/05/08

• 2023/08/07

Top Picks 16"-17"

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

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

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

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

Top Picks 19"

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

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

Value with compromises

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

• Wacom Cintiq 16 (DTK-1660) [$650, ]

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

  • LOTS OF AG SPARKLE

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

  • EXCESSIVE DIAGONAL WOBBLE

Videos

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.

Top Picks

• Wacom Intuos Pro Small (PTK-470) [$200, , ]

• Wacom Intuos Pro Small (PTH-460) [$200, , ]

• One by Wacom Small (CTL-472) [$40, , ]

  • FEATURE LIMITATION: NO TILT

Good, but overpriced

• Wacom Intuos Small (CTL-4100) [$75, ]

  • FEATURE LIMITATION: NO TILT

Poor performers

• Wacom One S 2023 GEN2 (CTC-4110WL) [$100, ]

  • SUB-STANDARD PRESSURE HANDLING

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:

Details on specific shapes

Driver UX for pressure curves

See

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:

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, 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.

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:

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: .

Also you can use felt nibs - if they are available for your pen. These felt nibs also can provide some extra texture.

Overview

• For a more general introduction to lag, see .

• If you you are "painting", there is a separate kind of lag called .

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.

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:

• surface wear on pen tablets

• surface wear on pen displays

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.

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: 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.

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

• Huion Inspiroy Frego M (L610) [$90, links, my notes ] ★★★

• XP-Pen Deco series ★★★

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

  • XP-Pen Deco MW (IT850B) [$70, links]

  • XP-Pen Deco L (IT1060) [no wireless] [$70, links]

  • XP-Pen Deco LW (IT1060B) [$90, links, my notes]

• Wacom Intuos series

  • Wacom Intuos Medium (CTL-6100) [no tilt, no wireless] [$200, links]

  • Wacom Intuos Medium Bluetooth (CTL-6100WL) [no tilt] [$200, links]

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"

• Huion Kamvas 13 GEN3 (GS1333) [$260, links, my notes] ★★★

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

MEDIUM 16"

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

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.

• Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE (My notes )

  • NOTE: The Samsung S Pen COMES WITH the tablet.

  • If you are one a smaller budget, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 lite (2022 or 2024 edition) (My notes) - a little bit sluggish but the price is great. The Samsun S pen also comes with this tablet.

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.

Overview

You can bind your auxiliary inputs to different actions actions. Below you'll find some very popular bindings people use with specific types of auxiliary inputs.

Learn more about auxiliary inputs here: Auxiliary inputs

Common bindings for buttons

• Undo | Redo

• Zoom In | Out | to 100% | Zoom to Fit

• Increase | Decrease brush size

• Increase | Decrease burhs opacity

• Rotate Left | Right | Reset to 0 degrees

• Switch between tools (brush, eyedropper, etc.)

• Select All | None | Invert | Lasso selection | color similarity selection

• Go to layer above | below

• Display toggle

• Precision mode

• Pan/Scroll

Common bindings for rotary dials

These are great for "paired" tasks

• Zoom In / Out

• Increase / Decrease brush size

• Increase / Decrease brush opacity

• Rotate canvas

Some rotary dials support turning as well as a third press action. This is useful for a situations where there are three related actions such as rotate right, rotate left, and reset rotation.

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)

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

Top Picks

• Huion Kamvas Pro 27 (GT2701) ★★★★ [$2000, links]

• Wacom Cintiq Pro 27 [$3500, links, my notes]

• Wacom Cintiq 24 / 24 touch (2025) ★★★★ [$1600, my notes]

• Wacom Cintiq Pro 22 [$3000, links, my notes]

• XP-Pen Artist Pro 22 GEN2 (MD220QH) ★★★★ my notes

• XP-Pen Artist 22 Plus (MD220FH) [$470, links, 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

• Huion Kamvas 22 Plus (GS2202) [my notes]

• Huion Kamvas 22 (GS2201) [$450, links]

Not tested yet

• LARGE Xencelabs Pen Display 24 (LPH2412U-A) [$1800, links, my notes]

Videos

Other resources

• 22" pen displays compared (2024)

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 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).

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 .

• 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:

• 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:

Resources

• Oct 7, 2023

• Oct 16, 2023

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: .

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: .

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:

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: .

• 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. . 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

• Feb 24, 2020

• (2023/05/03)

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 . 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:

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:

• ($800 to $1200) higher performance options

• ($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.

• ($240) is a good a low-cost option for beginners.

  • There is a 2020 version. Avoid it.

Samsung Galaxy Tab A Series

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

Devices from Huion and XP-Pen

Huion and XP-pen have also released android tablets in this category.

• NOT RECOMMENDED

• - I don't have any experience with it.

Resources

• 2025/03/12

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: .

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:

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 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 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

• - this is the video where he shows that he uses Wacom Intuos Pro Medium tablet.

• Dec 9, 2020

• [One by Wacom] Dec 2, 2020

• Mar 28, 2020

• Sep 26, 2020

• May 26, 2020

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:

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

Overview

The Initial Activation Force (IAF) is the smallest amount of pressure that an EMR pen will detect and report.

More info:

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 .