Graphics tablet

While conventional pointing devices (see mouse) are quite satisfactory for making selections and even manipulat-ing objects, many artists prefer the control available only through a pen or pencil, which allows the angle and pres-sure of the stylus tip to be varied, creating precise lines and shading. A graphics tablet (also called a digitizing tablet) is a device that uses a specially wired pen or pencil with a flat surface (tablet). Besides tracking the location of the pen and translating it into X/Y screen coordinates, the tablet also has pressure sensors (depending on sensitivity, the tablet can recognize 256, 512, or 1024 levels of pressure). In com-bination with buttons on the pen, the pressure level can be used to control the line thickness, transparency, or color. In addition, the driver software for some graphics tablets includes additional functions such as the ability to program the pen to control features of such applications as Adobe Photoshop.

The tablet is connected to the PC (usually through a USB port). The pen may be connected to the tablet by a tether, or it may be wireless. If the pen has an onboard battery, it can provide additional features at the expense of weight and the need to replace batteries occasionally.

A variant implementation uses a small “puck” instead of a pen. The puck, which can be moved smoothly over the tablet surface, often has a window with crosshairs in the center. This makes it particularly useful for tracing detailed drawings such as in engineering applications.

Many artists find that wielding a pen with a graphics tablet offers not only finer control, but also more natural and less fatiguing method of input than with the mouse.