Customer Reviews

Wacom Graphire4 6x8 USB Tablet (Blue)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wow. Graphire makes an exellent tablet. Pen is very smooth on the cover for the tablet(which can be removed so you can place a picture under it for handy-dandy tracing) and the transition between the computer and tablet is very fast. As soon as you get a grip on the pen and put it on the tablet the mouse imediatley adjusts to your screen size. You can of course fix these options to your liking, but I didn't need to do so and I animate (so you'd think I would probably be the most picky). One thing that you might want to adjust though, is the buttons on the pen so it has similar buttons to a mouse or whatever you like, and you can even set new buttons that aren't on the list to your liking. Another feature you might have to adjust to is the pen-to-tablet transition. For example, if you are using MSpaint, or Macromedia Flash, or other graphic arts products, as soon as the tablet picks up the pen (although the pen isn't touching)the tablet will immediately start drawing. What I mean is; if you're using MSpaint with a mouse (for example) you would have to click for the paint brush to start actually making lines, but as soon as the pen touches the tablet, it would have the same effect I just described with a mouse. One more thing I wanted to mention was that the 6x8 tablet is probably the best "bang for your buck". To sum up this tablet, if you like graphic arts then you're in luck for a great deal.

This is great for anyone interested in digital visual art of any form, whether it be photography or comic making. Tablet styluses are easier to control compared to a regular comoputer mouse. It has more abilities than a DS touchpen since this tablet computer can do what an average mouse can do, including moving, clicking, double clicking, scrolling, and so on and so forth, AND it can easily make thick lines, thin lines, line that gradually change shape and size, and erase those complicated lines too. You can draw with it like you would with a charcoal pencil or a watercolor brush. I recommend this to all people who art, professionally or just for fun.

I bought this originally to work with photographs. It seems to do that quite well, but I have to admit that I'm finding a lot of other uses instead. It's a great tool for teaching: I can have a "smartboard" in my room without trying to talk my administrators into buying an expensive piece of equipment. I can keep a copy of my own notes for students who are absent, and I can include diagrams and anything else I would do on a chalkboard or smartboard.

For teaching, I do wish I'd bought the bluetooth version, but I still get some flexibility to move around. The mouse is nice for certain work, but I can still use my regular wireless mouse when I want to roam the room. They interfere with each other when used at the same time, but I can't see why I would want to do that.

For art and photographic work, it's ideal, even without bluetooth. If I needed the range of bluetooth, I wouldn't be able to see that I was doing! I'm using it mostly with the GIMP. I haven't figured out how to use pressure yet, but I'm having great success picking out details and tracing objects.

I want to try doing some actual art with it. I used to do a lot of pencil sketching and I'm looking at doing that again. The GIMP may not be the best platform for that, but this tablet is. The surface area is the perfect size. I don't feel cramped at all. I think a larger area would actually be a handicap.

As a final note, I have used this with OS-X and with Linux. Others have commented well on what is available with Windows and OS-X. I want to discuss Linux.

I'm using it with the Edubuntu flavor of Linux. Compatibility varies in the other flavors. It works great as a mouse and with the GIMP. There is also a great piece of software called Xournal that lets me write notes as though it were a smartboard.

What I'd like to see is more tablet software in Linux. For example, I love Window's Evernote software. Nothing equivalent exists in Linux. Handwriting recognition software exists for Linux, but it's basic and not easily installed. The situation is changing and I expect that, in a year or two, this last paragraph of my review may be obsolete.

Update 8-24-07: I've just completed one week of teaching with this product. What a great alternative to the far more expensive smartboard! I have also solved the pressure problem (I'm not observant was the whole problem).

I've also successfully installed it on the Fedora flavor of Linux. It was a minor battle, but won in about 15 minutes.

I bought this for my 12 year old daughter, she likes to draw, I saw her using colored pencils and a scanner, so I looked on the web and found this. My daughter loves this, she can do a lot more with more vivid colors, she is doing some animation as well as simple drawings.

The tablet would not install in XP with the drivers shipped with the unit. Downloaded new drivers from their web site and it installed fine. Then the pen kept switching from pen mode to mouse mode every couple of minutes. Sent a message to Wacom support Friday afternoon and received a response Monday morning. Seems the tablet does not like being plugged into a USB hub and wants a direct USB connection. Since getting all that straight everything has worked just fine.

This is a wonder of technology. Its amazing how well it works and its amazing that I've never used one before now. I am not in the business of art and all my drawing is on a hobby basis. I have friends who are artists and they were the ones that turned me on to Wacom. I thought it was very cool, but never saw a need for one until recently.

The reason I bought this product was to take digital notes for college classes.

Recently, I bought a laptop to aid me through graduate school. I am a fan of touch-screen technology (Nintendo DS, Tablet PCs, MS Surface, and Jeff Hann's incredible "Minority Report" computer) and I am somewhat of an organization freak. Unfortunately, Picto chat isn't great for taking notes and Tablet PCs were way out of my price range; I wanted to take advantage of MS 2007 Office and its revamped One Note Microsoft OneNote 2007 software to keep my notes digitally organized. Enter the Wacom Graphire. I consider it the thrifty way to get the functionality of a tablet PC out of a budget laptop. It works great. I have to have a little desk space to set up my laptop and new Wacom pad, but having notes stored on a computer that I can print, email, search google style, and never lose is amazing. Save some paper and get super organized.

If you are into technology and a college student, take my advice and buy a Wacom immediately. For a reasonable cost, you will look back on this tool as one of the handiest, most liberating investments you ever made. This value and by making work with a computer 10 times more fluid and enjoyable I give the Wacom Graphire4 5 stars.

As I stated in my review of the pen, the Graphire4 tablet should be one of the world wonders. How does a battery free mouse and stylus send a signal of clicking and 512 levels of pressure sensitivity from 5mm away?

The ease of use is outrageously simple. When I first saw it, I thought, "Oh great, I have to guess where I click and put my stylus." However, I found that the stylus could be used to move like a mouse--without touching the surface! The programs that are included are fantastic. It is so much better to use layers in Corel Painter Essentials 2 rather than mspaint!

Overall, great product, great technology, great ease of use. Once you get to work with it, that money you spent will pay itself off in no time.

The Wacom Tablet works well with all my graphics programs. I have not run into any problems and so far seems like a very good product. Delivery was very quick!

Tablet works great. I had worried 6x8 was not big enough, but when I realized it encompasses the entire screen, 6x8 is as big as I would want to go. Pen works nice, mouse works nice. 100 pct pleased. I need to keep playing with it to learn pressure sensitivity.

I've been using the new Wacom Tablet for about 2 months now, and am very impressed.

I do lots of masking and drawing on very large images. This item has saved me much time. That's worth the price already.

Additionally, it has given me more control than my conventional mouse. From small minute actions to long sweeping lines, the Wacom leaves a regular mouse far behind.

I'm a Wacom user for life.