Customer Reviews

Wacom Graphire3 4X5 USB Tablet -Sapphire Blue

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I bought the Graphire3 to work with my Ibook. It is a perfect addition to a laptop as its very portable and easy to install. It also replaces the annoying mouse pad and button most laptops have. The only complaint I had was that I didn't have the most up to date operating system on my Mac so had to install the most up to date software for it to run. Unfortunately Wacom was very unhelpful, and I had to figure it out myself. Although this tablet is perfect for somone on the go with a small desk space, it is advisable to get the largest wacom tablet possible as the actual working area can be limiting.

This tablet is great! The installation was super easy and had absolutely no errors/problems. This is great for beginners or advanced. I use it for Flash cartoons, I use it a lot. I would recommend this to anyone who wants to draw or edit photos or whatever. The erasor on the pen is very useful and the buttons are fully customizable. Everything has worked out great.
PS: The shipping was very quick!

The tablet is great, even at the size that some people said is too small. I think that it is great. You can hover over the tablet, and see onscreen where the cursor is, and where you are abou to paint. The mouse has felt on the bottom and is somewhat hard to use, there is alot of friction. I think that I will get used to it though.

I purchased this product to give me more control over my mouse and to relieve the thumb and wrist strain I was feeling fighting with my low performance corded mouse.
I just loved it, but I am tall and found the mouse that comes with the tablet just too small for my long fingers (I was having to crunch up my hand to grip it). So, I regretfully returned it.
I would love to see this product with a larger mouse for the larger handed among us!
So, A+ for style and approach, B for accessibility.

This review is for anybody who has the opportunity to buy one of these discontinued models and wants a somewhat updated review. I have had my Graphire Wacom tablet (I think this might be the original version, not the V3) for about seven years. Today, May 2010, I had my first problem with it: the pen stopped working. And I cannot count the number of times I've dropped the pen onto the desk or floor. My poor little pen has taken MUCH abuse over seven or so years: this product is durable.

I originally bought it thinking I'd get back in touch with my inner artist, but between the small screen and the way the pen felt and reacted, I didn't like how things came out. But I found it wonderful for anything at all where I want to pick up and move a piece or an object, as with card games or jigsaw puzzle software. I now cannot imagine playing certain types of games without it. The small screen size is frustrating sometimes because the pen can easily go beyond its boundaries. However, I actually think that if you are going to use the tablet solely for picking up objects such as in card games, you might be better off with something simple like this - newer tablets are often more aggressively geared towards artists or photo refinishers, and come with lots of gizmos and buttons that might only get in your way.

Don't get this thing for the mouse - the mouse is NOT a bonus. It is very hard to use it within the tiny space and it's not ergonomic - I have used it maybe five times in seven years - and then only when my Bluetooth mouse had to be reset.

If you have an opportunity to pick one of these up at a good price with the pen included, it could be well worth it if you are going to use it as a way to pick up objects in games (or other applications). Or if you are likely to drop the pen on a regular basis. Or, if you have younger kids who are likely to drop the pen on a regular basis for whom you want to get a tablet/pen combo. It could also be useful for touching up photographs, at least up to a point - you can slip a photo under the top plastic piece (although on mine, that piece takes a lot of effort to lift up).

If you want any other functionality, I recommend considering newer, bigger, and/or better options in Wacom's product line. I myself just ordered an Intuos3 tablet, and I'm looking forward to the new technology... but I also suspect that I'd be just as happy with another one of these super-sturdy little tablets.

I've owned this tablet for almost 7 years and I can say those were 7 wonderful years. It is very easy to use and continues to be one of my most prized possessions.

I'm not a professional anything but I thought I'd try this while I'm dabbling in photoshop. Having never used anything like this before I find it works well. Though, for those who don't know, the whole device cannot be used with the pen but only the small rectangle in the middle.