Customer Reviews

Wacom Intuos3 6 x 11-Inch Pen Tablet

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Ok, if you have two monitors side by side, or a single wide-screen format, this is the way to go! I use this tablet with the Mac G5, with full functionality, and 1024 levels of pressure from the pen to the screen. I have used the smaller tablets from Wacom, and they work very well, but this particular product is designed and constructed VERY WELL and makes the left right monitor design a breeze to use!

Having the assignable "ExpressKeys" left and or right is really slick for repetitive
tasks.

This model stands 5/8" high/thick, 10 and 7/8" deep (front to back), and just under 16 and 1/2" wide. Take two late model white Mac keyboards and set them one behind the other, and that is about the footprint this item covers, (width and depth).
So, you will need some desk space, or I have found myself using this item on my lap with the pen. Quite comfortable!

In any scenario, this is by far one of the greatest products you could add to have the flexibility to be creative with whatever application you use.

Thanks Wacom!

Title: Intuos3 Tablet
Publisher: Wacom
Publish Date: Unknown
ISBN/Model #: PTZ631W
Reviewer: Robert Saucier
Rating: 5 stars

In 1997, after buying a new top-of-the-line 450MHz Pentium II system, I splurged on a Wacom ArtZ II tablet. Oh, my! Pressure-sensitive, tilt-sensing, pointer control, assignable function pads; it was Heaven.

After a couple of years, every time I tried to use it with my primary graphics application, my computer would spontaneously reboot -- a bit counter-productive. I watched for new drivers and new versions of my application but, as technology marched on, my beloved tablet and graphics application continued their spats.

Sadly, I disconnected the tablet and gently packed it away. Lately, I've been feeling the pull once more, that urge to use a pen to do photo touch-ups instead of my mouse. Miraculously, a Wacom Intuos3 6-inch by 11-inch tablet dropped, almost literally, into my lap. Sleek, gun-metal gray, sexy -- with a comfort-grip pen (much like my coveted Pilot G2 pens) AND a mouse! Even better, the Intuos3 comes bundled with 3 applications that show off its capabilities: Adobe Elements 4.0, Corel Painter Essentials 3, and nik Color Efex 2.0 lE. Heaven just got better!

The Intuos3 has over 5000 lines per inch of resolution, over twice that of the Wacom Graphire product line, and, with its USB 2 connection, there's more than enough communication bandwidth, meaning better tablet to application response. One hesitation I have when adding a new piece of hardware is in regard to what the driver will do to my system; will it introduce instability or get along with everyone else. The Intuos3 driver has been rock-solid in the two weeks that the tablet has been living with me. I've used all of my "usual" programs and have had no problems at all. The tablet has also been peacefully co-existing with two external drives, a wireless desktop receiver, a card reader, a scanner, and a printer, all riding the same USB bus.

The Intuos3 has 8 "chordable" buttons, 4 at each side of the tablet, to which keys, macros, or other actions may be assigned. The default for each group are the usual ALT, CTRL/Command, and Shift, along with "space". The placement of the buttons allows you to keep a grip on the tablet, holding one or more of the buttons, while tapping whatever key on the keyboard with your pen hand. Being chordable, you can hold any or all of the buttons down for those tricky shortcuts like ALT-CTRL-S or To the side of each of the two button pads are touch strips which can be independently programmed as well. The default setting is to scroll or depending on the context. The ends of the strip, in keystroke mode, can be set to playback macros. The pen, with its 1024-level pressure-sensitive stylus AND "eraser," also has a DuoSwitch. The DuoSwitch's two positions may also be programmed.

The pen action is smooth with the default nylon nib -- there are different types of nibs to simulate different types of tactile feedback. With the ergonomic grip, the pen is extremely comfortable to hold. The 5-button mouse, designed to be used by either "righties" or "lefties," is not as ergonomically correct but considering the versatility, this is more than acceptable. As with every other clickable/pressable feature associated with the Intuos3, the mouse buttons are programmable with a ridiculous number of options, although I've yet to find the "fix photo," "illustrate article," or even the "design website" settings.

I can see only two very minor changes that I would make to this fantastic product. I would love to see the ability to add weight to the pen. It is just a bit too light for my personal tastes and considering how configurable the tablet is already, this feature would be the feather on the cap to me. The other change would be making the drawing surface transparent as it is on the Graphire (and was on the ArtZ II). Sometimes, having the ability to trace an outline can save significant time.

For the casual home user, I would recommend the Graphire product line -- this Intuos3 model's SRP of $369 may be a bit high where a $99 entry point on the Graphire is more affordable. For the pro-consumer or professional, however, whether doing photo editing (my primary use) or illustration, the Intuos3 line is well worth the investment. It's great to be in Heaven again ...

I'm a cow and like most cows I use Photoshop heavily. All I can say is that I can not believe that I went as long as I did without this tool. Other reviews are not exaggerating about the night and day difference this thing makes.
One thing about the widescreen tablet is that it works great in portrait mode. I use a 24" Dell widescreen monitor in portrait mode and I was a little worried that the tablet might not work in that configuration. Wacom definitely did their homework.
To be honest I found it to not be that useful in 3D Max, but in Photoshop it's a WMD.

I wanted to mention several things in this review to help people out not generally covered in other reviews. One of which is that I'm left handed, and have drawn digitally with a mouse for over 10 years now. I am not unfamiliar with tablets, but perhaps I can give a unique perspective as I've now used all three versions of the intuos line. 1, 2 and 3.

I'm left handed and with products made with right handers in mind I used to digitally illustrate my pictures with a combination of keyboard shortcuts and using the mouse with my wrong hand.

This is really a good sized tablet for the intermediate or professional illustrator. The smaller 4x5 is a bit flawed in its design due to the fact that was designed more with the right handed person in mind.

Onto the 6x8 - In the years Wacom has produced 3 models I say that the 3 is the greatest improvement overall. It's closest rival is the original Intuos (1). The intuos 3 has a pen grip similar to the 1 but made more comfortable with the rubber grip. This is a vast improvement over the 2 make because the duo switch kept falling off and its fatter pen made it more difficult to handle strokes.

The other major improvement is the express keys. Users familiar with the older intuos may have found that menu bar obnoxious unhelpful and annoying. Now the express keys solves what I mentioned in my title. As a user who is used to keyboard shortcuts, I found the biggest hinderance for me was losing my drawing groove as I switched from the keyboard to the tablet because I knew the shortcut key than dragging my pen over to get it to respond.

For example with Photoshop, many of us are familiar with Undo/Step Backward and Redo/Step Forward. Instead of interrupting your drawing and having to reach for the keyboard, the tablet has a driver that allows you to program your express keys. You can now do this on the fly with less hassle.

Touch strip annoying you because of your dominant hand? You can disable it too. You get 8 buttons on this model so you'll find a way to chose your settings instead of reaching for a keyboard.

Another interesting feature of the express keys is the PRESSURE HOLD. This is a great function since I know many times as an illustrator I've wanted to recreate a stroke at a certain pressure and it doesn't come out quite close as the first. By using pressure hold you can keep a consistent pressured stroke.

Intuos 3 comes with some new nibs that you can use with your pen. I've found the ink/stroke nib it came with very nice and close to how I ink traditionally and I'd definitely recommend that to any illustrator who deals with inking. The brush nib I'm not so sure how to review since painting traditionally isn't something I do as regularly, but I'm grateful Wacom included this with their new line.

Wacom's sleek redesign of the intuos is definitely GEEK BLING. I love the feel and how comfortable it feels while I work on artwork.

One thing you may worry about is that the new line doesn't have an overlay sheet as its predecessors, fear not however, if you scratch it there are replacement parts. Wacom also has great customer service for the tablet. So your money is very well spent.

The only other thing I'd like to mention is that you should download the latest driver from the site instead of the driver that came with your software.

For the software, while basic, I found that the videos that came with the Painter Essentials 3 DVD bundle to be rather helpful. This is really good for people who feel overwhelmed by painter because it covers basics and makes it easier to realize how versatile the program is.

I'm very happy I invested into this product especially since the intuos 3 now solves problems I had when adjusting to digital illustration.

This product is wonderful. I have had it for about a month and use it with Adobe Photoshop CS2 and Corel Painter IX and it still amazes me. In my research, I saw that many people were purchasing the 6x8 size (maybe for price), however, if you have a widescreen format monitor, like myself, you will be much happier with the 6x11. Once you are over the short learning curve, you will find you even use it over your mouse for regular computer use.

The intuos3 6x11 tablet is nice because its like having a giant mouse pad. The mouse itself has five buttons that can be programed to do different tasks, opening programs is one of them. It also has a scroll wheel. On the pad there are more buttons that can open programs among other things. Also there are touch sensitive strips on the tablet that can be used for scrolling. I use the pen inside of art progams and it is a real joy to work with. The pressure sensitivity is is a very nice feature alowing you to go from a thin line to a thick line and vice versa. Its main high point for me is the ability it gives to draw curved lines and detailed lines. It fits nicely in hand and has comfortable rubber grip. Also you can flip the pen over and use that side as an eraser. The only complaint I have is that on the pen there are two buttons and one of them (the lower one) is placed in a spot where when I'm drawing my finger frequently hits it, because of this I simply had to make the button inactive. Over all I feel that Wacom has done a very good job of developing this product. I feel that it is of high quality and well worth the price. I would definetly save up the extra few dollars to get this larger tablet, it is nice to have if you have the desk space. I've heard Wacom is the best in the pen tablet industry and now that I own one I believe it.

I've played with all sizes and types of Wacom tablets and an off-brand or two. There's no doubt that Wacom has the competitive edge when it comes to graphic tablets and now I certainly have no doubt that the newest wave of intuos3 tablets, especially this new 6x11, are -the- best you can get... aside from a Cintiq.


- Graphire vs. Intuos -

When it comes to choosing between Wacom's less expensive line of tablets versus the intuos, there is simply no comparison. Once you use the intuos, you'll never step down to Graphire again.
If you're serious in the business of illustration, graphic design, 3D animation, or anywhere in digital art, even for retouching traditional paintings, intuos is the only way to go.


- Intuos 4x6, 6x8, 6x11...? -

If you're thinking about going smaller, don't.
If you're thinking about going bigger, think twice.

You really need to base the tablet you're going to get on the monitor you have. As I previously stated, I used to have a 6x8. Problems slightly ensued when I got a wide screen 24' monitor and instead of circles, I got ovals. I'm not sure if this problem still persists in newer 6x8s, but the 6x11 has entirely eradicated this issue and STILL works with my normal size work monitor perfectly. However, bigger can often times prove detrimental to you cause being that to make the stroke you want you have to wave your arm as if wielding a magic wand. 6x8 is a very good size, but you won't go wrong with a 6x11. It all depends on your preference.


- Downsides...? -

I used to have an issue with the mouse that came with intuos being that it, like the pen, only corresponded to points on the screen. Wacom has seemed to fix that problem in this new wave of tablets (I had a 6x8 with the old logo before I recently had to replace it due to doggy misdemeanors..) and the mouse works just like a mouse would, dragging and going upon movement and the pen corresponds to the screen flawlessly.

The size of this tablet is going to take some getting used to. Nearly a foot of space is almost too abundant, but a super luxury nonetheless. It takes up a lot of desk room, so be sure you have the room BEFORE you buy it! If you have a small desk and a smaller wide screen, a 4x6 might be a better option.

The express buttons, albeit useful, sometimes can get in your way if you accidentally press them and have them assigned to a new program or function you don't want activated. It's a lot harder to mess up like that with the 6x11 versus the smaller sizes, but it'll still happen.

Support, as previously mentioned, via Wacom really, really, really lags. I've sent them three questions via e-mail and only three weeks later when I called them did I get "Oh yeah, I have it right here." If you're expecting them to help you via e-mail, forget it.

But all in all the product they produce is an invaluable asset to any artist or digital designer, especially when monitor sizes and customization to it is taken into account.

If you are a Graphic Artist or work with images at virtually any level you simply cannot be with out a Wacom tablet. It is one of the few items that will immediately increase the quality of your work almost as soon as it is opened up. It takes a few hours to really get the hang of it but once you do you will wonder how you ever worked with out one.

Get the biggest one you can and use a smaller one's (6" or smaller) as a carry along for your laptop.

This is the second Wacom tablet I own and the third tablet in general. The other wacom is the 9 x 12. Which, at the time, I thought was the greatest. And the Hyperpen (my first tablet for a starving artist)... well, don't. Don't buy it. Stay away. Horrid thing. Save up and get a small wacom.

With the purchase of my 6 x 11 i realized that it just feels right. The size is not so large it becomes unmanageable but big enough to use with my dual 19 inch monitors. And, with proportional aspect ratio on it does not waste a lot of the tablet area.

The touch stripes are useful but really not necessary. Only with it sitting in your lap pushed back from the keyboard does it really offer any usability.

The 6 x 11 is just about perfect.

This tablet is as good as other Wacom products (very good) but the 6x11 size matches no screen resolution I can find. And also doesn't match any two screen side-by-side resolution. The closest resolution to it's proportions would be 1920x1080, the resolution for 1080 HD video (the tablet's proportions would scale to 1920x1047) but monitors don't come in that size. Using my 1920x1200 monitor I have to portion off 1.4 inches of the tablets live area to work at 1:1. So I'm really using the tablet at 6x9.6 inches. a screen resolution of 1440x900 or 1680x1050 would have the same issue. I'm puzzled at the choice.