Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I have been a self-employed graphic designer since 1996. I bought my first Wacom tablet in 1997. I used it until I replaced it with a larger Intuos2 in 2001 (although the first one still worked well).
My Intuos2 still works great but it has a serial port plug (that I had to adapt to USB) and is no longer compatible to one of my computers. I hated to stop using it since it has been tried and true for so many years but I made the leap and bought the Intuos4.
I am not disappointed. This is a sleek tablet with plenty of room for moving around. Wacom has changed the aspect ratio to accommodate a 16:9 screen - although my older Intuos didn't do this, it was not really an issue.
It installed on Windows very easily, no glitches anywhere.
The tablet is thinner than previous models, very sleek and easy to rest your hand on. The pen has a nice weight and feel and I use the pen buttons for double click and right click. It is just second nature to me.
There is great set-up software that allows you to control every aspect of your pen from click speed to pressure sensitivity, pen angle, button controls, etc. You can adapt how it responds to many programs.
It is adaptable to left or right handedness. My old tablet needed a power supply and this is USB powered.
The USB cord is long enough that if you like to sit back to use your tablet, there is plenty of give.
The express keys on the side are not a big thrill to me but so far I do like the touch ring, especially for scrolling or zooming in or out.
I'm sure, given a little more time, I'll find good shortcuts for the express keys, which can be customized, but for now, my keyboard shortcuts are the quickest.
I use my tablet and pen exclusively. I can't stand using a mouse and find it hard to understand (with no offense to anyone!)why any graphic designer would use a mouse when the pen and tablet give so much precision and control. For me, having a pen in my hand is much more comfortable and my hand cramps up if I have to use a mouse. It is easier to grab one pixel at a time with a pen than to try and position a mouse cursor.
The bundled software is a bonus (you get Wacom Brushes, Color Efex Pro 3.0 and your choice of two of the following: Sketchbook Express 2010, Corel Sketch Pad, Adobe Photoshop Elements for Windows or Elements for Mac.
If you have never used a pen/tablet, you really need to give it plenty of time to get used to it. I believe that once you can get past that learning curve, you will love it. It is like learning a new control pad for a video game, you have to train your brain to move your hand the right way while not looking at it.
The last thing I need to add is that Wacom is a wonderful company to deal with. For me, the quality of product is top notch, the customer support is great, not that I've needed it!
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UPDATE FOR WINDOWS 7
I purchased a new computer running Windows 7. The Intuos4 works great. I had no installation problems or difficulties.
AND when running it on Windows 7, it starts up a Windows based program utilizing PC tablet input. PC tablet is resident on Windows 7 and automatically runs when a pen is installed. It has handwriting recognition and will fill in forms as you write on the tablet - a very natural thing since you are holding a pen. In other words, if you are somewhere (online or not) where a field is waiting for text - letters or numbers - a little keyboard icon shows up. If you tap on it, a yellow field opens up and is waiting for you to hand write, in script or print, what you want in that field. It is very forgiving for sloppy writing and if it makes a mistake there are buttons to click to correct the mistakes. In other words, you don't have to drop the pen to type in a field and then pick the pen back up.
Personally, I found the pull-out menu annoying after awhile so it can be turned off by going to Control Panel and choosing PC Tablet. The options for turning it off are in there.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Wacom Intuos4 Medium Pen Tablet (Academic Version)
Wacom Intuos4 Medium Pen Graphics Tablet PTK640AC Graphic Tablets
Click here for more information about Wacom Intuos4 Medium Pen Tablet (Academic Version)
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