- New and improved ball-free, cordless, battery-less three-button Graphire2 Mouse, complete with scrolling wheel
- Cordless, battery-less Graphire2 Pen, complete with programmable DuoSwitch, eraser and 512 levels of pressure sensitivity
- Graphire2 Tablet with removable pen stand and transparent tracing overlay, USB connection, compatible with both PC and Mac
- Edit and improve photos; inking and handwriting capabilities; draw, paint and sketch; or sign your name and annotate documents
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
227 of 228 people found the following review helpful
The Wacom brand was the first one to come to mind when thinking about a graphics tablet - which I initially thought would be for graphics alone, but which has reached the stage after just two months of use has almost replaced my mouse.
Based on the tablet wizard, my ideal tablet would have been the Intuos2 for twice the price and twice the pressure levels. But I studied the Graphire2 very carefully, and opted for that instead, being half the price. It features a customizable pen with 512 levels of pressure (which is enough for most people), with an eraser, programmable duo-switch and very accurate pointer. At first it might feel strange using the pen to hover over the active area to move it around, but then it becomes natural. When you hit with the pen, the tablet it acts as a mouse click, and when you move along the tablet it acts as a click and drag. You can program every button on both pen and mouse for every application that you use, for a really custom fit. I can position the pointer in Word, and just flip the pen over and erase text, or I can be painting in Photoshop, and just flip the pen over and start erasing any mistakes without changing tools in the toolbar.
The tablet using absolute positioning, and each point in the active area (4x5 inches), corresponds to a position on your screen. I read previous reviews that considered 4x5 too small, but I looked at my mouse swing, and I rarely made long movements with my mouse, and this active area is quite sufficient for me. In some programs you can re-map this active area to a portion of the screen. The mouse is also absolute, and only works on the active area of the tablet. There is an overlay on the tablet for tracing, which could be quite useful, but I rather scan images and trace them on the screen - however, for people without a scanner, it can be sufficient.
The 4x5 tablet fits well on my desk taking up as much room as my mouse pad. I suffer from RSI, but this ergonomic pen creates no strain on my wrist though it took a little getting used to - luckily there is a tutorial and exercises to teach you, and you'd be up and running with the tablet in no time. The pen feels natural, as we're used to holding pens more than using a clunky mouse, which we had to learn a long time ago anyway. I tried using the tablet on every computer I could after that, so I won't have to use a mouse again - it works on Windows 2000 laptops, which make presentations really nice, as you can make annotations and drawings during a Powerpoint presentation, and you can even hold the tablet like a notepad, so you don't have to bend over to use the "mouse" again if you're standing. Since it is a USB tablet, it doesn't need any extra power source, which is a plus for me, as every other peripheral I have has taken up all six sockets in my power strip. The tablet doesn't work under Windows NT 4.0, as a warning to business users who still have that running at work.
The included software alone is well worth over $100USD. Think about buying Adobe PhotoShop 5.0LE and Corel Painter Classic and you'd have already spent over $100USD. I've heard problems with other USB tablets, but never with the Wacom tablets, they're even endorsing Opensource development of their drivers to get the tablet working under Linux (which it does now). The tablet comes included with a battery-less, cordless, scroll mouse that works on the tablet as well. I've so far used my tablet/pen/mouse for everything from surfing the web, helping me edit programs that I write, manipulating images and drawing some personal masterpieces, in less time than I took before. Wacom's website features a tip archive, a list of all the software that has hidden features for a stylus, and even special offers for discounts on products for Graphire2 owners.
There is no question that this tablet lives up to its brand name.
152 of 154 people found the following review helpful
I initially bought the Wacom tablet to be able to draw more easily in programs such as Photoshop, but immediately after purchasing it, I realized that it held a lot of promise for other apps, too. Even though its active area size is small (4x5 inches,) its versatility is almost limitless.
The Graphire2 comes with a cordless/batteryless pen (which is what I really wanted,) and a cordless/batteryless mouse (which I never use.) The pen has its own stand, which is handy and keeps the pen from rolling off the desk and into The Unknown. One end acts as its usual pointer, and the other can be programmed to act as an eraser in nearly any program (Word, Photoshop, Freehand, et cetera.) The pointer end has remarkable levels of sensitivity (512 different levels, to be precise) and also works as a standard mousing instrument. Although it takes a few moments to become accustomed to hoving a fraction of an inch over the tablet to mouse around, once that very short initiation process is over, it becomes an easy habit. Similarly, it takes a few minutes to get used to the "absolute surface" of the pen and tablet (which just means that each physical part of the tablet corresponds to the same area on the screen - there's no "scrolling" the pen down over the tablet to reach the bottom of the page - the bottom of the tablet's active area will always be the bottom of your monitor.)
There's a rocker-type button on the pen that can be programmed to suit individual needs - I use the bottom end for double-clicking, and haven't decided what to progam the top end to just yet. The pen is really, really light - if you're used to a heavier drawing implement, that may take some getting used to as well. The "gripping area" has a slight ergonomic shape to it, but it's definitely not the most comfortable pen I've ever held. The construction doesn't feel exceedingly solid, and in fact I managed to put a small crack near the top of the pen shortly after I first bought it by twisting it a bit.
The tablet's dimensions are rather larger than its active area - a rough estimate is an additional inch and a half on the sides, and an additional three inches on the top and bottom. This makes it a bit awkward to keep on a keyboard tray of normal size, but I solve a bit of that problem by putting my standard trackball on top of it (when using the trackball) to save space. The quality of the tablet seems much higher than the pen, and I believe will hold up well. It has an attached transparent overlay, and its possible to put smallish graphics/pictures/etc under it to easily trace them.
There's a small LED at the top of the active area to let you know when the tablet recognizes the pen on its surface, and the cord comes out of the tablet at the top - the USB cord carries all the power the tablet needs, which is great for saving power outlet strip space.
All in all, it's a very handy little product. I deducted a star in its rating because of its smallish active area size vs. the overall size of the tablet, plus the questionable quality of the pen.
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
I purchased my Wacom tablet primarily for photo manipulation. Before taking the plunge, I researched every graphic tablet I could find on the market. I was convinced that I would need the larger Intuos2 but really couldn't justify the price as I consider myself a student of the arts. I have been happily surprised by the performance of this tablet. It has all the function and control most folks will ever need and the price allows novices a chance to broaden their skills as digital artists.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Still using it.
Yeah, what is this, the brink of 2009? I'm a graphic artist. I got this model tablet as a Christmas Gift back in 2003. Read more
Published on December 9, 2008 by XCBHardi
Not just for graphics
After developing RSI from using a mouse, a week of the Wacom tablet relieved the pain in my arms (combine this with a Nautral Keyboard and you'll be all set). Read more
Published on May 24, 2007 by fredlet
Legal size thoughts on a post-it size pad
First off I will say this is a good product that I never use. I bought the Graphire2 a few years and ago and I used it for the mouse funtion but never liked the pen. Read more
Published on March 5, 2006 by Marc B. Willis
Sweet Pen! Needs some getting use to
I believe I got my money's worth with the pen. It was easy to install, put the cd in then plug in the tablet and your done. Read more
Published on July 18, 2003 by Xavier Next
My Favorite new Tool!
I bought my Graphire a few days ago and I'm absolutely in love with it! Don't make the mistake of thinking that 4x5 inches is too small - it's not at all. Read more
Published on June 30, 2003 by Mandi
Big Enough? Yes.
I was worried that this cheaper, more mass-market tablet would be too small. But alas! I use it on my home computer mainly with photoshop and it is perfect. Read more
Published on June 19, 2003 by Stephen Haske
Best Peripheral Ever
I own 2 Wacom tablets, The Graphire and an Artpad 2. I unplugged my mouse and use the graphic tablet exclusively. I use it for Photoshop, Flash,and AM 2000. Read more
Published on June 10, 2003 by Derwin Alexander
"A.G. y D.G." Antes y después de Graphire2
Luego de comprar Graphire2 me pregunto cómo he podido trabajar en Photoshop, Fireworks y PhotoPaint sin esta herramienta. Read more
Published on May 22, 2003 by Pilar Mueckay
A good start for the budding artist.
I bought this ...several months ago and find it to be a fine product for the money I spent. Apparently, the price is already down ... Read more
Published on May 20, 2003 by Jennifer C.
ok product
I had an intuos tablet before I bought this and I did notice a difference between that and this cheaper product. Read more
Published on April 6, 2003 by "kendostar"
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