Wacom Graphire3 4X5 USB Tablet -Sapphire Blue

by Wacom

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000C4DWW
• Item model number: CTE430SA
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #37 in Electronics > Computers & Add-Ons > Computer Accessories > Keyboards, Mice & Input Devices > Touch Pads
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 29, 2004

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Graphire3 pen tablet gives you the control you need to quickly and easily edit your photos. It works great with any software your mouse does and runs on both PCs and Macs. Draw, paint, sign your name, annotate documents in Acrobat or PowerPoint, and write directly in Microsoft Office XP or with Apple Inkwell. Graphire3 comes with Photoshop Elements 1.0, Painter Classic, and penPalette LE so you have everything you need right in the box to start editing your photos and creating digital art.

With both a Wacom pen and mouse you'll have the right tool for any task. Using them alternately reduces repetitive motion. You will enjoy control, comfort, and productivity.

A Wacom Pen Gives You Control
The Wacom pen is pressure-sensitive so you can control the amount of a software tool's effect by varying how firmly you press the pen tip to the tablet. The pen is easy to use because every point on the tablet has a matching point on the screen. It's just point-and-go. Using a pen also gives you natural control. Think how hard it is to sign your name with a mouse and how easy it is with a normal pen.

Graphire3 Tablet

• USB connection for quick installation
• Transparent photo frame for easy personalization with photos and artwork (fun samples and template included)
• Integrated pen comparent and a separate pen stand for two great ways to keep your pen handy

Product Description

The WACOM Graphire3 4" x 5" Pen Tablet delivers the control you need to quickly and easily edit digital photos. Draw, paint, create artwork for CDs / DVDs, sign your name, and annotate documents in Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft PowerPoint. You can even write directly in Microsoft Office XPand, and with Apple Inkwell. Gain the control of Graphire, and join more than 2,000,000 satisfied WACOM tablet users! PC & Mac compatible One year warranty Color - Sapphire

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

46 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for serious graphics, June 20, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Wacom Graphire3 4X5 USB Tablet -Sapphire Blue (Personal Computers)

I am not a professional graphics artist and mostly draw for pleasure. But still I find that the Graphire series is NOT for drawing purpose. I usually use Corel Painter to do my work and that Graphire series does not support tilt sensing(also limited sensitivity level compared to Intuos Series) puts major limitation to your artistic expression.

If you are going to use your tablet for photo editing or quick simple writing board for presentation purpose go with the Graphire. But if you are going to be drawing Intuos is the choice. I hadn't realized how important tilt sensivity is before using Corel Painter.

Concerning the size, 4X5 will work for a lot of purposes. But then again, if you are into serious drawing I would recommend 6X8. I own 4X5 Graphire tablet and the small size does not allow me to drawing straight from the computer. So I usually have to go through scanning. Take note that the area of 6X8 is actually twice that of 4X5.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works with WinGIMP perfectly!, June 15, 2005

By 

Laura Juliano (Des Moines, IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wacom Graphire3 4X5 USB Tablet -Sapphire Blue (Personal Computers)

Bought the Blue Graphire 3 from Amazon and it arrived in the mail yesterday. Set it up on a Windows XP machine today and started using it within five minutes of plugging it in. Even though XP recognizes it, I installed the driver that came on CD so that pressure sensitivity would be enabled.

I've been using GIMP for Windows (open source program similar to PhotoShop - free to install and use ... google for the terms 'GIMP' and 'Windows', and make sure you download for free off SourceForge) for about six months now, but always used the mouse for photo touchups, which is tedious. Upon Wacom installation and firing up the GIMP, GIMP 'saw' my Wacom pen, pressure sensitivity and all!

I didn't know how big a deal pressure sensitivty is until I was able to use it in action. After about an hour of fooling around with pencil sketching with the Wacom, I decided to try a calligraphy brush and a softer pressure setting. The first couple of Chinese characters I brushed on the canvas were absolute magic. It's just amazing to watch. I spent half an hour writing the same four characters over and over (deleting what you've written on 'electronic paper' is sooo cool), in awe of how you can 'see' how the brush strokes start and end thanks to that magical pressure sensitivity.

I'm not a hard core artist but did my fair share of comic doodling in high school, and the 4x5 size of the board seems fine by me. I don't drag my hand across the page when I write, I instead pick up my hand and move it to the new location. If you're a drag-your-hand kind of person, it's likely you'll care more.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars my new graphire, January 4, 2005

By 

Anita E. Mcintosh "aem4162" (Riverside, OH USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wacom Graphire3 4X5 USB Tablet -Sapphire Blue (Personal Computers)

i needed a tablet for the stuff i do in photoshop. i'm satisfied with its performance and have recommended it to several other people. it takes some getting used to if you've only used a mouse. it's very easy to install and i haven't had any crashes or other hangups. i haven't tried any of the bundled software yet.

what kept me from giving it 5 stars?
1. the pen SERIOUSLY needs some kind of grip. it's very smooth and it slides about in my hand so i have to keep adjusting it. it gets old fast. i'll figure out something on my own for that.
2. i doubt that it would kill wacom to include a replacement nib or 2 with the tablet - i had an aiptek tablet that i hated but at least they included nibs and extra batteries.
3. wacom has no intention of updating the tablet drivers for xp sp2. i guess they'll save that for the new and improved graphire.