Wacom

[joe]

Is anyone using a graphics tablet?

I'm considering a new, medium sized, Wacom. It's not cheap and was wondering if anyone had experience.

[dana_swift]

Joe- Wacom builds excellent products. Years ago I wrote a program to generate animated cartoons. The artists loved the wacom tablets because it felt more like a real brush or pen. They can be pressure sensitive, which adds a whole new dimension to drawing over using a mouse.

The stylus also is usually exactly linear. You move it an inch and your cursor moves exactly an inch (on the document, screen size may vary). On Macintosh computers it moves exactly an inch on the screen also.

The exact motion feature makes them great for tracing drawings, just tape the drawing to your tablet, and start drawing. For CAD work they have some real advantages.

It may be a great tool for you, seeing how you sandblast your signs with your "touch", you may find the Wacom to be a real asset in using the computer with "touch".

Hope that helps!

(Bev says hello!)

D

[joe]

Thanks Buddy,

I knew you'd know about this stuff.

I've been posting all over the place and found out a table doesn't work on Vetric and Aspire due to the pressure sensitive feature.

No pro since I don't design over there. I've moved over to Corel and Illustrator. I'd stay with Corel except it won't work with Open Type.

Thanks again.

[COBOB]

Joe, are you using an older version of Corel? I finally updated to X5 and OpenType works great. I was using X3 and can't remember if they worked there or not.

Bob


Thanks Buddy,

I knew you'd know about this stuff.

I've been posting all over the place and found out a table doesn't work on Vetric and Aspire due to the pressure sensitive feature.

No pro since I don't design over there. I've moved over to Corel and Illustrator. I'd stay with Corel except it won't work with Open Type.

Thanks again.

[joe]

Bob,

Wow, I hope that's right.

Would you please see if you can open up the Glifts pallet. While you can import some open fonts, the pallets are extremely limited. PhotoShop is the same way. You only get a few alterations. It's the alterations im interested in. Most of my open types are expensive. Around $100 each.

Check out http://sudtipos.com/home I purchased Burges Script for it's alterations. You can see these in their type tester on the front page.

Thanks again for your help. Aren't these forums great.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com

[bob_s]

Joe
I would suggest the Wacom Intuos 4 medium pen tablet. It has about a 6x8 inch drawing area and is 10x14 so you can fit it next to your keyboard. Because it has such high resolution it is easier to use than the old 12x12 models we had in the past. You can adjust any of the functions from the little buttons without having to open the Wacom utility. About $325 on amazon, so it's not cheap, but it is a professional quality tool. Sometimes Corel has it bundled with upgrades, sometimes a better deal, sometimes not.

thanks for all of your amazing teaching here and over on the "3d sign Forum"
Bob

[COBOB]

The glyphs look rather complete to me. I don't have them memorized though. If you can provide any specific examples to look for I will be glad to do so.

Bob


Bob,

Wow, I hope that's right.

Would you please see if you can open up the Glifts pallet. While you can import some open fonts, the pallets are extremely limited. PhotoShop is the same way. You only get a few alterations. It's the alterations im interested in. Most of my open types are expensive. Around $100 each.

Check out http://sudtipos.com/home I purchased Burges Script for it's alterations. You can see these in their type tester on the front page.

Thanks again for your help. Aren't these forums great.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com

[joe]

Yep there are too many to keep in mind.

Take a look at these. Only a few are available in PhotoShop

http://www.veer.com/download/pdf/burguesscript.pdf

[tuck]

I love my Wacom tablet and can't imagine life without it. I have a 6" x 8" Intuos 3 and it's a great tool. I got a deal on it on eBay about 5 years ago. I use it for all my graphic design work in SignLab and Illustrator, and all of my cartoon work in Photoshop. It was money well spent for me.

[Brian Moran]

...
I've been posting all over the place and found out a table doesn't work on Vetric and Aspire due to the pressure sensitive feature.

Hi Joe,

We've had a few people fail to get the tablet working under Linux, but we and many of our other users have them working fine under windows.

Brian

[joe]

Brian,

That's good to hear. I had been searching everywhere in search of the facts on the topic. I think you'll see where there's been conflicting information. I didn't know Lenox still existed.

I'll take your word for it and start posting about the miss information. I'd give it a go except I've not received the Wacom yet. It's in the mail.

Thanks again for taking the time to shed some light.

Joe Crumley
www.normansignco.com

[joe]

Thanks everyone for keeping me up to speed on this topic,

Brian,

Thank you for letting me know I'm not wasting my money. I have imagined this tool as an asset with 3d. Hope that's the case.
There seems to be considerable lack of good information about these tablets. They've been around for years but haven't caught on.

Thanks again

Joe

[joewino]

Joe, I've had one for years and really like it. Using the pen to draw with takes a little practice because you are not looking at the end of the "pencil" but rather drawing with your hand and seeing the result on the monitor. It takes a little practice.

I find it easier if I put the tablet in my lap or on a low table beside me rather than on the desk. Also, putting a piece of paper over the tablet creates a little drag for the pen and makes the feel more natural.

Years ago, I got a free one with some Corel update, but it was small and not very useful. The present one has a working space of about 6" x 9" and feels just right. I've heard that the larger ones are a little awkward to work with and you have to move the pen too much.

I still use the mouse for most of my computer work and only drag out the pen when I want to draw. The mouse just give me more of a natural feel because that is what I am used to. Us old guys have trouble adapting to change, but it is possible.

My designs are made in Omega or CorelDraw and then enhanced or modified in Photoshop. Aspire creates the 3D aspects and does the tool paths, but not much designing is done there.

Good luck.