Tablets take control in digital ink and beyond
Whether you’re a graphics artist with a bit of departmental budget to burn, an ergonomics-obsessed office drone, a digital darkroom afficianado, an evil editor looking to lay the red ink on someone’s prose or somewhere in between, graphics tablets deserve a once-over.
For one, they’re less expensive than they once were. They’ve moved from being the exclusive domain of the professional graphics designer or pro-sumer, requiring the precision that only a pen can provide, to the advanced amateur or hobbyist. There are also ergonomic considerations that could lead your family doctor to prescribe an entirely different kind of tablet than usual.
Graphics tablets function a lot like the touch-sensitive pad often found on laptop PCs, but offer a degree of accuracy many times greater. In part, because rather than dragging a finger across a small pad, users have pin-point (or at least, pen-point) accuracy on a surface many times larger than a mouse touch pad; and in part, because said pen is constantly communicating with the tablet, telling it not just where it is on the X,Y axis, but how much pressure is on the nib that controls how much ink is laid down on the virtual page in graphics applications that support tablets.
Prices have dropped significantly at the low end of the tablet scale; 4 x 5 tablets like Wacom’s Graphire4 4 X 5 can be had for about $120.
Smaller tablet and pen interfaces are also widely available in independent computer and component retailers, but these are focused on creating a more natural text input method for Chinese, Japanese and Korean character sets and offer neither the refined sensitivity nor the software support for graphics programs.
Shifting aspect ratios
The biggest change to hit graphics tablets has been the shift from 4:3 to widescreen aspect ratio monitors (see Marc Saltzman’s story on page 44 for a look at some recent entries into the widescreen monitor category). While dual-monitor desktops—offering a much wider desktop than a traditional 4:3 monitor—are nothing new, the shift to widescreen format monitors for graphics professionals has opened the market for widescreen format tablet and pen interfaces. While a standard aspect tablet will still work and will take care of mapping the screen area to the tablet’s surface, a wide format tablet will offer a much higher degree of accuracy with a wide format or dual-monitor set-up.
New connections
In the move from the slow and clumsy serial port interface to the faster, plug-and-play, self-powered USB connection, graphics tablets—among a great many other desktop products—have reaped the benefits. Recent new additions to the tablet tableau use Bluetooth as the connection method, removing another wire from the desktop and making it even easier to share a tablet between multiple users and multiple computers. For all their convenience, Bluetooth tablets add about $100 to the price when compared with a similarly equipped, non-Bluetooth device.
Ergo, go ergo
Tablet interfaces have found their way into ergonomic office set-ups, too. Some sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome or other repetitive stress disorders have reported finding a measure of relief when using a pen and tablet in their everyday computing. According to a study by Global Ergonomic Technology, the pen and tablet interface is a much more natural interface than the traditional mouse. Using a mouse generally only engages muscles in the wrist and can lead to issues related to overuse. A pen and tablet interface requires the use of the entire arm and is therefore a more natural way to interact with the PC. The study is, conveniently enough, archived on leading tablet maker Wacom’s website http://www.wacom.com/ .
Pen and ink style
Aside from the obvious benefit of a more natural, pen-like interface for artists and graphics professionals, the biggest benefit that graphics tablets offer is the sensitivity of the pen. When using a mouse to create, users must manually adjust brush sizes and pressure (opacity) in whatever graphics program they are using.
Graphics tablets remove the step and rely on the actual physical pressure put on the pen to determine the coverage of virtual ink on the virtual page. For example, when using the airbrush tool in Photoshop, a light touch will result in lighter coverage, while a heavier touch will lay the paint on thicker.
Cheap-o tablets sometimes offer as little as 256 degrees of pressure sensitivity. The defacto minimum for a truly usable tablet is 512 degrees with most recent tablets going beyond, doubling the sensitivity to 1,024 points.
Products
Wacom is the industry incumbent where graphics tablets are concerned. While other brands offer competitive products and even more competitive pricing, Wacom has the benefit of a wider product line and a big portfolio of add-ons to draw from. The company’s airbrush stylus uses the same technology as the touch pen, but gives a much more refined control when using a software airbrush; a rolling wheel emulates the feel of a real airbrush with tilt sensing and a rolling wheel to control the amount of digital ink going on the virtual page.
Other add-ons include a cross-hairs mouse for use in CAD applications and Wacom’s Tool ID, allowing users to assign a unique code to each tool and program how it should perform.
Wacom Graphire Bluetooth 6 x 8 Tablethttp://www.wacom.com/ Estimated price: $300
Wacom’s Graphire Bluetooth 6 x 8 Tablet is a wireless addition to its already well-received line of tablet interfaces. It works anywhere you’d typically use a mouse and allows for refined control in supported graphics applications.
With a 25 hour lithium polymer battery, the Bluetooth tablet doesn’t just swap one wire for another (the USB cable for a power cord) and allows for truly wireless use. The tablet can, of course, be charged and used at the same time, but that ruins the whole wireless desktop thing.
Using Bluetooth 1.2, the tablet can be up to 30 feet away from the monitor in optimal conditions. In normal use though, it won’t find its way more than a few feet from the monitor.
The 6 x 8 inch (3:4 aspect ratio) will work with, but is not optimized for, widescreen monitors.
Wacom Intuos3 6 x 11 Wide-Format USB Tablethttp://www.wacom.com/ Estimated price: $500
Nearly doubling the price from Wacom’s Bluetooth offering, the Intuos3 6 x 11 Wide-Format USB Tablet is optimized for wide-screen monitors and dual-monitor desktops, giving a much more representative workspace.
Soft keys at the top of the tablet, above the active area, can be programmed using the included software to run program-specific macros or to launch software. For example, in the Windows desktop, hitting one of the keys might launch a portion of the Adobe CS3 suite. Within Photoshop, one key can be programmed to incrementally increase or decrease brush size or switch to a commonly used tool.
With 1,024 points of sensitivity, users get a much more refined level of control over virtual brush, airbrush etc. pressure. As with other Wacom tablets, the package includes a battery-free wireless mouse (that must be used atop the tablet, not independently on the desk) and the pen is likewise battery-free.
A finger-sensitive touch strip works much like a laptop’s touch pad and can be used to control zooming or scrolling.
Adesso CyberTablet Z12 10 x 6 Widescreen Tablethttp://www.adesso.com/ Estimated price: $300
With a wide-screen format, 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, wireless pen and programmable hot keys that can be mapped to common menu tasks, Adesso’s CyberTablet Z12 gives the industry’s incumbent Wacom a run for the money.
The CyberTablet Z12 doesn’t include a wireless mouse in the package; for anyone that’s used a tablet before, however, this likely isn’t a big deal. Rather than being something that’s sorely missed in the package, it’s just one less piece of useless plastic to store in the drawer; the add-on mice that come with graphics tablets tend to be of questionable worth.
12 pre-programmed hot keys (new document, save, undo along with email, browser buttons and so on) look after common tasks in graphics and other applications. Down each side of the tablet’s active drawing area sit eight programmable keys that can be mapped to commonly used functions so that users can stash the keyboard to focus on the design task at hand. The tablet successfuly treads the line between graphics professional tool and daily computer input device.
At just under 1cm thick, the Z12 looks razor sharp on the desk. The main problem here is one that is common to many tablets and all wide-screen tablets: the footprint. While the Z12 has less dead space around the active area and although it doesn’t waste room with hardware keys, it’s still takes up a good chunk on the desk.
Also, while Wacom tablets have a wireless pen that doesn’t require batteries, Adesso’s CyberTablet Z12 requires a AAA cell in its pen, adding a little to the weight and putting one more peripheral on your desk whose battery is sure to run out at the most inconvenient time.
Whether you’re a graphics artist with a bit of departmental budget to burn, an ergonomics-obsessed office drone, a digital darkroom afficianado, an evil editor looking to lay the red ink on someone’s prose or somewhere in between, graphics tablets deserve a once-over.
For one, they’re less expensive than they once were. They’ve moved from being the exclusive domain of the professional graphics designer or pro-sumer, requiring the precision that only a pen can provide, to the advanced amateur or hobbyist. There are also ergonomic considerations that could lead your family doctor to prescribe an entirely different kind of tablet than usual.
Graphics tablets function a lot like the touch-sensitive pad often found on laptop PCs, but offer a degree of accuracy many times greater. In part, because rather than dragging a finger across a small pad, users have pin-point (or at least, pen-point) accuracy on a surface many times larger than a mouse touch pad; and in part, because said pen is constantly communicating with the tablet, telling it not just where it is on the X,Y axis, but how much pressure is on the nib that controls how much ink is laid down on the virtual page in graphics applications that support tablets.
Prices have dropped significantly at the low end of the tablet scale; 4 x 5 tablets like Wacom’s Graphire4 4 X 5 can be had for about $120.
Smaller tablet and pen interfaces are also widely available in independent computer and component retailers, but these are focused on creating a more natural text input method for Chinese, Japanese and Korean character sets and offer neither the refined sensitivity nor the software support for graphics programs.
Shifting aspect ratios
The biggest change to hit graphics tablets has been the shift from 4:3 to widescreen aspect ratio monitors (see Marc Saltzman’s story on page 44 for a look at some recent entries into the widescreen monitor category). While dual-monitor desktops—offering a much wider desktop than a traditional 4:3 monitor—are nothing new, the shift to widescreen format monitors for graphics professionals has opened the market for widescreen format tablet and pen interfaces. While a standard aspect tablet will still work and will take care of mapping the screen area to the tablet’s surface, a wide format tablet will offer a much higher degree of accuracy with a wide format or dual-monitor set-up.
New connections
In the move from the slow and clumsy serial port interface to the faster, plug-and-play, self-powered USB connection, graphics tablets—among a great many other desktop products—have reaped the benefits. Recent new additions to the tablet tableau use Bluetooth as the connection method, removing another wire from the desktop and making it even easier to share a tablet between multiple users and multiple computers. For all their convenience, Bluetooth tablets add about $100 to the price when compared with a similarly equipped, non-Bluetooth device.
Ergo, go ergo
Tablet interfaces have found their way into ergonomic office set-ups, too. Some sufferers of carpal tunnel syndrome or other repetitive stress disorders have reported finding a measure of relief when using a pen and tablet in their everyday computing. According to a study by Global Ergonomic Technology, the pen and tablet interface is a much more natural interface than the traditional mouse. Using a mouse generally only engages muscles in the wrist and can lead to issues related to overuse. A pen and tablet interface requires the use of the entire arm and is therefore a more natural way to interact with the PC. The study is, conveniently enough, archived on leading tablet maker Wacom’s website http://www.wacom.com/ .
Pen and ink style
Aside from the obvious benefit of a more natural, pen-like interface for artists and graphics professionals, the biggest benefit that graphics tablets offer is the sensitivity of the pen. When using a mouse to create, users must manually adjust brush sizes and pressure (opacity) in whatever graphics program they are using.
Graphics tablets remove the step and rely on the actual physical pressure put on the pen to determine the coverage of virtual ink on the virtual page. For example, when using the airbrush tool in Photoshop, a light touch will result in lighter coverage, while a heavier touch will lay the paint on thicker.
Cheap-o tablets sometimes offer as little as 256 degrees of pressure sensitivity. The defacto minimum for a truly usable tablet is 512 degrees with most recent tablets going beyond, doubling the sensitivity to 1,024 points.
Products
Wacom is the industry incumbent where graphics tablets are concerned. While other brands offer competitive products and even more competitive pricing, Wacom has the benefit of a wider product line and a big portfolio of add-ons to draw from. The company’s airbrush stylus uses the same technology as the touch pen, but gives a much more refined control when using a software airbrush; a rolling wheel emulates the feel of a real airbrush with tilt sensing and a rolling wheel to control the amount of digital ink going on the virtual page.
Other add-ons include a cross-hairs mouse for use in CAD applications and Wacom’s Tool ID, allowing users to assign a unique code to each tool and program how it should perform.
Wacom Graphire Bluetooth 6 x 8 Tablethttp://www.wacom.com/ Estimated price: $300
Wacom’s Graphire Bluetooth 6 x 8 Tablet is a wireless addition to its already well-received line of tablet interfaces. It works anywhere you’d typically use a mouse and allows for refined control in supported graphics applications.
With a 25 hour lithium polymer battery, the Bluetooth tablet doesn’t just swap one wire for another (the USB cable for a power cord) and allows for truly wireless use. The tablet can, of course, be charged and used at the same time, but that ruins the whole wireless desktop thing.
Using Bluetooth 1.2, the tablet can be up to 30 feet away from the monitor in optimal conditions. In normal use though, it won’t find its way more than a few feet from the monitor.
The 6 x 8 inch (3:4 aspect ratio) will work with, but is not optimized for, widescreen monitors.
Wacom Intuos3 6 x 11 Wide-Format USB Tablethttp://www.wacom.com/ Estimated price: $500
Nearly doubling the price from Wacom’s Bluetooth offering, the Intuos3 6 x 11 Wide-Format USB Tablet is optimized for wide-screen monitors and dual-monitor desktops, giving a much more representative workspace.
Soft keys at the top of the tablet, above the active area, can be programmed using the included software to run program-specific macros or to launch software. For example, in the Windows desktop, hitting one of the keys might launch a portion of the Adobe CS3 suite. Within Photoshop, one key can be programmed to incrementally increase or decrease brush size or switch to a commonly used tool.
With 1,024 points of sensitivity, users get a much more refined level of control over virtual brush, airbrush etc. pressure. As with other Wacom tablets, the package includes a battery-free wireless mouse (that must be used atop the tablet, not independently on the desk) and the pen is likewise battery-free.
A finger-sensitive touch strip works much like a laptop’s touch pad and can be used to control zooming or scrolling.
Adesso CyberTablet Z12 10 x 6 Widescreen Tablethttp://www.adesso.com/ Estimated price: $300
With a wide-screen format, 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity, wireless pen and programmable hot keys that can be mapped to common menu tasks, Adesso’s CyberTablet Z12 gives the industry’s incumbent Wacom a run for the money.
The CyberTablet Z12 doesn’t include a wireless mouse in the package; for anyone that’s used a tablet before, however, this likely isn’t a big deal. Rather than being something that’s sorely missed in the package, it’s just one less piece of useless plastic to store in the drawer; the add-on mice that come with graphics tablets tend to be of questionable worth.
12 pre-programmed hot keys (new document, save, undo along with email, browser buttons and so on) look after common tasks in graphics and other applications. Down each side of the tablet’s active drawing area sit eight programmable keys that can be mapped to commonly used functions so that users can stash the keyboard to focus on the design task at hand. The tablet successfuly treads the line between graphics professional tool and daily computer input device.
At just under 1cm thick, the Z12 looks razor sharp on the desk. The main problem here is one that is common to many tablets and all wide-screen tablets: the footprint. While the Z12 has less dead space around the active area and although it doesn’t waste room with hardware keys, it’s still takes up a good chunk on the desk.
Also, while Wacom tablets have a wireless pen that doesn’t require batteries, Adesso’s CyberTablet Z12 requires a AAA cell in its pen, adding a little to the weight and putting one more peripheral on your desk whose battery is sure to run out at the most inconvenient time.
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