Advice on graphics tablet appreciated

Hiya and a happy new year to all

I am in the pre-purchase process of trying to identify whether an intuos 3 6 by 8 or 12 by 8 tablet/pen/mouse combo will be best for me.

I use PSCS in amateur dabbler mode based on digital images taken from digital camera.

I wonder if there are any benefits between these units?

Any experiance or advice/guidance will be gratefully received

I'd love the Cintiq but will wait for a while I think

Aerticeus

Aerticulean Effort wrote:

Hiya and a happy new year to all

I am in the pre-purchase process of trying to identify whether an intuos 3 6 by 8 or 12 by 8 tablet/pen/mouse combo will be best for me.
I use PSCS in amateur dabbler mode based on digital images taken from digital camera.

I wonder if there are any benefits between these units?

Any experiance or advice/guidance will be gratefully received
I'd love the Cintiq but will wait for a while I think

Aerticeus

I found the 12 by 8 too big, it takes too much desktop space and the movements with your arms are much larger. In the past I borrowed a Graphire 2, but that one was too small. Currently I own a Graphire 3 Studio XL and I am really happy with it. Unfortunately, the studio XL is not available without mouse, so I just thrown it away...

Don't have any experience with the Intuos series. I believe they are also capable to detect tilted penstrokes, but I am not sure. Maybe you can try it somewhere.

Waldo

In article <4lEBd.353$>, Aerticulean Effort wrote:

Hiya and a happy new year to all

I am in the pre-purchase process of trying to identify whether an intuos 3 6 by 8 or 12 by 8 tablet/pen/mouse combo will be best for me.
I use PSCS in amateur dabbler mode based on digital images taken from digital camera.

I wonder if there are any benefits between these units?

With the bigger one, you will have to move the hand a lot to use it as a mouse. 6x8 is better for most people. I have a 4x6 and likes it a lot. But I also have my normal mouse set at high speed in windows. Prefers to not move my hand 15 inches from lower left to upper right.

--
Povl H. Pedersen - (yes - it works)
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On 1/2/05 5:59 AM, in article
, "Povl H. Pedersen"
wrote:

In article <4lEBd.353$>, Aerticulean Effort wrote:

Hiya and a happy new year to all

I am in the pre-purchase process of trying to identify whether an intuos 3 6 by 8 or 12 by 8 tablet/pen/mouse combo will be best for me.
I use PSCS in amateur dabbler mode based on digital images taken from digital camera.

I wonder if there are any benefits between these units?

With the bigger one, you will have to move the hand a lot to use it as a mouse. 6x8 is better for most people. I have a 4x6 and likes it a lot. But I also have my normal mouse set at high speed in windows. Prefers to not move my hand 15 inches from lower left to upper right.

My 6x8 Intous by Wacom is just right. Not too much desktop space taken up and it fits my arm motions just right. It did take a bit of experimentation to get the preferences just the way I like, but that was fairly quick and painless.
--
Jeff 'The Wizard of Draws' Bucchino

Cartoons with a Touch of Magic
http://www.wizardofdraws.com

More Cartoons with a Touch of Magic
http://www.cartoonclipart.com

I just got a 4x5 Graphire3 - so far it seems like a great size; a larger one might give better granularity in use but would also require larger arm movements (which seems at odds with the whole idea anyway).

Each "pixel" on the tablet is fixed to the screen - you can't re-center the pen like a mouse. (I use a trackball thing, so the Graphire mouse is still in the box.) So, if you want something in a corner, your pen must be in the corner too - big tablets, big movements.

The Graphire does not support a tilted pen (unless I missed something important). Not too sure how useful that would be in Photoshop, but it seems clearly important to other programs.

On Sat, 01 Jan 2005 21:10:24 GMT, Aerticulean Effort
wrote:

Hiya and a happy new year to all

I am in the pre-purchase process of trying to identify whether an intuos 3 6 by 8 or 12 by 8 tablet/pen/mouse combo will be best for me.
I use PSCS in amateur dabbler mode based on digital images taken from digital camera.

I wonder if there are any benefits between these units?

Any experiance or advice/guidance will be gratefully received
I'd love the Cintiq but will wait for a while I think

Aerticeus

In article <4lEBd.353$ says
....

Hiya and a happy new year to all

I am in the pre-purchase process of trying to identify whether an intuos 3 6 by 8 or 12 by 8 tablet/pen/mouse combo will be best for me.
I use PSCS in amateur dabbler mode based on digital images taken from digital camera.

I wonder if there are any benefits between these units?

Any experiance or advice/guidance will be gratefully received
I'd love the Cintiq but will wait for a while I think

Aerticeus

Well Aerticeus,

I'll weigh in on the larger sized tablet, albeit a minority vote. I've used the older 12x12 ArtZII for all the years that it has been out, the Intuos I & II in 8 x 12 [is that the size? I don't have my steel ruler handy right now!], and the 6 x 9 ArtZII. Since I have desk real estate (also patio table for the laptop) I don't mind the larger size. I find that they occupy the space in front of a pair of 21" monitors perfectly - for me. I like the fine movements with the larger tablet, and never could quite keep up with the smaller one. I also do not use the tablet in my lap - a really good reason for going with the smaller size. I also do use a M$ wheel-mouse for "mousing" about, as I do not like the older Intuos mouse, and have not even unboxed my IntuosII mouse.

Most of my work is pixel-level in PS and Painter, so I may not be the best guide for tablet preferences for your work. I have also never used the Graphire models, nor the IntuosIIIs.

You might want to take a seat in a computer shop and spend some time with the different sizes. Many really like the smaller sized tablets and are very comfortable with them. If possible, try some of your normal activities with each and see what response you feel most comfortable with.

Good luck, and I don't think you can go too wrong, either way. Hunt

The large pads are spendy. A Gateway 'tablet pc' is close to the same price and has the advantage of being a nice little portable computer. CAN a tablet pc be used as an input device to a conventional Wintel system? (The pressure sensitive screen on these PCs _is_ a graphics pad.)

Each "pixel" on the tablet is fixed to the screen - you can't re-center the pen like a mouse. (I use a trackball thing, so the Graphire mouse is still in the box.) So, if you want something in a corner, your pen must be in the corner too - big tablets, big movements.

Yes you can, in the Pen Tablet Properties (to be found in the Control Panel), select the tab "Pen", select by "tracking" the "Mouse mode"...

Waldo

In article , says...

The large pads are spendy. A Gateway 'tablet pc' is close to the same price and has the advantage of being a nice little portable computer. CAN a tablet pc be used as an input device to a conventional Wintel system? (The pressure sensitive screen on these PCs _is_ a graphics pad.)

Don't know about a tablet_PC, but the Wacom "touch screen" tablet (don't recall its name right off) can, however THAT is really expensive.

Though I've bought each of my tablets new, from both Wacom direct and a few resellers, their "refurb" tablets come in much less expensive. Might be worth it, as it seems their reworking is top notch - from those I know, who have bought these units.

Hunt

"Hunt" wrote in message

In article , says...

The large pads are spendy. A Gateway 'tablet pc' is close to the same price
and has the advantage of being a nice little portable computer. CAN a tablet
pc be used as an input device to a conventional Wintel system? (The pressure
sensitive screen on these PCs _is_ a graphics pad.)

Don't know about a tablet_PC, but the Wacom "touch screen" tablet (don't recall its name right off) can, however THAT is really expensive.

Actually the Gateway tablet computer uses a Wacom touchpad under the screen. Wacom pretty much owns the market in that regard.

jjs wrote:

"Hunt" wrote in message

In article , says...

The large pads are spendy. A Gateway 'tablet pc' is close to the same price
and has the advantage of being a nice little portable computer. CAN a tablet
pc be used as an input device to a conventional Wintel system? (The pressure
sensitive screen on these PCs _is_ a graphics pad.)

Don't know about a tablet_PC, but the Wacom "touch screen" tablet (don't recall its name right off) can, however THAT is really expensive.

Actually the Gateway tablet computer uses a Wacom touchpad under the screen. Wacom pretty much owns the market in that regard.

Hey - thanks to all

Your views are much appreciated - I'll see if I can demo a couple of these as I am sure that is the cincher

Now where did I put that 18" cintiq?

Aerti

(Hunt) wrote:

Though I've bought each of my tablets new, from both Wacom direct and a few resellers, their "refurb" tablets come in much less expensive. Might be worth it, as it seems their reworking is top notch - from those I know, who have bought these units.

Worth looking at, but the only Intous refurb is for 2's, not 3's. They are considerably cheaper.

Scott Peterson

--
I went to a bookstore and asked the
saleswoman, "Where's the self-help
section?" She said if she told me,
it would defeat the purpose.

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