# Recommendations for a (reasonably priced) PC pen tablet for graphics? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 27, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353 "2007-12-27T03:04:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/1 "2007-12-27T03:04:36Z")
Hi - I wasn’t sure where to begin with this search so I figured the good people of the Dope would know the answer. For Christmas my 12 year old son got this [Manga/Comic Illustration software](http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/1700/1/706?sbss=706) and we have been playing around with it a bit. One thing we realized is that it would be way cooler if we had a pen tablet for our PC so he wouldn’t have to try to draw with the mouse. So I went to Newegg and Tiger Direct and looked around a bit, and I realized that I don’t have a clue what to look for in something like this. The price range is really wide on these things, from under $50 to over $350. So what should I look for? Can I get a good tablet for $50 to $75? We wouldn’t need anything too fancy (I’m assuming) but would want something that is good for graphics work as opposed to a business-oriented one for taking notes, etc. Can that be had at the low end of the price range? Is bigger better? Anything special we should look for that would be a good fit for this particular software? Thanks in advance for any help! ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/2 "2007-12-27T03:33:26Z")
[QUOTE=Bottle of Smoke] Hi - I wasn’t sure where to begin with this search so I figured the good people of the Dope would know the answer. For Christmas my 12 year old son got this [Manga/Comic Illustration software](http://www.e-frontier.com/article/articleview/1700/1/706?sbss=706) and we have been playing around with it a bit. One thing we realized is that it would be way cooler if we had a pen tablet for our PC so he wouldn’t have to try to draw with the mouse. So I went to Newegg and Tiger Direct and looked around a bit, and I realized that I don’t have a clue what to look for in something like this. The price range is really wide on these things, from under $50 to over $350. So what should I look for? Can I get a good tablet for $50 to $75? We wouldn’t need anything too fancy (I’m assuming) but would want something that is good for graphics work as opposed to a business-oriented one for taking notes, etc. Can that be had at the low end of the price range? Is bigger better? Anything special we should look for that would be a good fit for this particular software? Thanks in advance for any help! [/QUOTE] The industry standard for graphic designers is the Wacom tablet. They sell the 4x6 version for a little over $200 as I recall. I have one and for bitmapped coloring it’s unbeatable. Other cheaper ones may not have the sensitivity of a Wacom. Just my opinion, but it really works well. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/3 "2007-12-27T04:35:13Z")
Wacom is the ONLY choice. Don’t even look at any alternative brands, they all suck. Only get a Wacom. The [Bamboo](http://www.wacom.com/bambootablet/) is probably what you need for the level of work you’d be using it for. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/4 "2007-12-27T15:22:52Z")
I’d not get anything other than a Wacom. I have a Graphire4 and absolutely love it. It was a good bit under $100 on Amazon. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/5 "2007-12-27T16:49:09Z")
::sigh:: I’ve been wanting a tablet, too, but I can’t afford that right now. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/6 "2007-12-27T17:05:43Z")
I have a Genius 5x4 MousePen and it works just fine. Has for a couple years now, enough levels of sensitivity and wireless pen. ---
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/7 "2007-12-27T22:46:27Z")
Thanks for the replies – I paid a visit to the Wacom web site and checked out the Bamboo. It looks like what we would need. One question for anyone who knows: the Bamboo comes in two flavors – the regular Bamboo and the Bamboo Fun. It looks like the difference is the inclusion of a mouse and some graphics software (I’m thinking the software wouldn’t be necessary. We’ve already got Paint Shop Pro and my son’s new illustration software). Can I assume that besides the extras, the two tablets would be identical for graphics work? Or are there differences between the pens, etc. that would make the Fun the better choice (it’s more expensive, but not by much). Is the small size of these tablets OK for drawing & illustrating? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2007, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/8 "2007-12-27T22:51:52Z")
There isn’t really any difference in terms of use between the two. Choose either one that suits. The small size of the tablet doesn’t seem to affect sensitivity, there is plenty of resolution to spare. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2007, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/9 "2007-12-28T00:41:11Z")
Wow, this thread is timely. A friend was talking about getting one of these this weekend, but she didn’t know what brand to go with. I’ll pass along the recommendations from this thread 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Crocodiles\_And\_Boulevards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crocodiles_And_Boulevards)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2007, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/10 "2007-12-28T02:16:39Z")
[QUOTE=Bottle of Smoke] Thanks for the replies – I paid a visit to the Wacom web site and checked out the Bamboo. It looks like what we would need. One question for anyone who knows: the Bamboo comes in two flavors – the regular Bamboo and the Bamboo Fun. It looks like the difference is the inclusion of a mouse and some graphics software (I’m thinking the software wouldn’t be necessary. We’ve already got Paint Shop Pro and my son’s new illustration software). Can I assume that besides the extras, the two tablets would be identical for graphics work? Or are there differences between the pens, etc. that would make the Fun the better choice (it’s more expensive, but not by much). Is the small size of these tablets OK for drawing & illustrating? [/QUOTE] I’ve had a 4x6 Wacom for about a year now, and I’ll admit that the size does come into question when doing larger projects. Really, though, it’s only been a problem on my graphic art projects that got a little excessive 😉 If the kid is _really_ into perfecting his craft, though, then I’d consider getting the best pressure sensitivity you can afford. The default pen for my 4x6 has around 500ish, and it’s really quite frustrating sometimes. The default software package that came with my 4x6 was actually pretty invaluable. There are a few tricks I can pull off with the Corel art suite that I haven’t been able to reliable duplicate in Paint Shop Pro. ---
**Author:** ![Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Bottle\_of\_Smoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bottle_of_Smoke)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2007, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/11 "2007-12-28T03:42:23Z")
Thanks for the replies everyone! This helps a lot. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2007, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommendations-for-a-reasonably-priced-pc-pen-tablet-for-graphics/431353/12 "2007-12-28T12:35:42Z")
I don’t know if it’s the same with all the Wacom tablets, but when I bought my Graphire4 it came with Photoshop Elements (that’s about a $75 value) and Corel Painter Essentials , another chunk of money’s worth. The tablet in total was about $75 on Amazon, so plus the software that is a dang good deal.