10 Best

Drawing Tablet With Screens

of March 2024

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Drawing Tablets to Help You Achieve Professional Results

Yehudah Posnick

A graphics tablet that is able to recognize handwritten characters has actually been around for quite some time--as far back as 1957! Even the first home computers, like the TRS-80 or the first Apple computers, had a graphics pad that would convert your handwriting or drawing into a digital image that you could store on the computer.

But, understandably, things have come a long way since then. The Apple II KoalaPad only offered around 32 colors. Today’s drawing tablets offer you as much as 72% of the entire visible spectrum! And the technology is now sensitive to different levels of pressure, and even the angle at which you hold the stylus. There are drawing tablets where you only see your creations on a computer screen. But, there are also drawing tablets with their own screen, that let you work independently, without being attached to a computer. And they have additional features that allow you to magnify your artwork, switch between crayon and brush strokes, and more!

We’ve composed this buyer’s guide to help you make the right decision when selecting a drawing tablet with an accompanying screen. It'll help you:

  • Choose the right type of drawing tablet for your preferences,

  • See useful tips about that particular type of drawing tablet,

  • Read reviews of different drawing tablets, and what customers are saying,

  • Select the right brand of a drawing tablet, and

  • Compare prices and find the best deals.

Types Drawing Tablet With Screen

There are a number of drawing tablets with an accompanying screen on the market. Here are some specifications by which we can sort them out:

  • Surface area: The active surface area of a drawing tablet is where you actually can draw images. For example, XP-Pen makes the Artist Display 15.6, with an active surface area of 34.4 cm x 19.4 cm. But their Artist Display 24 Pro has an active surface area of 52.7 cm x 29.6 cm (23.8” on the diagonal)!

  • Pen pressure: When drawing with a pencil, you produce heavier, thicker lines when you press harder. Your tablet’s pressure sensitivity allows you to do the same thing with a drawing tablet. You can control both the line thickness and the opacity (how heavy the line is), depending on how your tablet’s pressure sensitivity. Presently, the maximum pressure sensitivity that you’ll see is 8192 levels--but perhaps you can settle for less, like in the XP-Pen Artist Display 16, with only 2048 levels of sensitivity.

  • Speed: You’ll see tablets with an RPS (= Report Rate Speed) rating. This is a measure of the number of times per second the tablet sends information to the computer about the image details, the stylus position, and the pressure being applied. You’ll see tablets with an RPS refresh rate of around 266, as in the XP-Pen Artist series.

What Reviewers Have to Say

  • Portability: You may want to carry your work around with you. If so, you won’t want to get a tablet that’s too big. The most popular models range from 11.6” on the diagonal, such as the XP Pen Artist 12, Huion Kamvas Pro 13, which is 13” on the diagonal. There are 15” and 20” models as well, but you might prefer to leave these at your place of work.

  • Make sure that you have the ports on your computer: One user of the XP-Pen Artist 12 said that they had problems using their tablet with a Windows computer (but not for a Mac) because they required a combined HDMI and USB cable. The workaround was to get an HDMI-DVI adapter. So, this is something that you have to consider if you wish to work with the tablet attached to the computer.

  • Compatible with creative software: People have their favorite software packages. There are tablets compatible with Photoshop, Manga Studio, Adobe, CorelPainter, and more. Make sure that your favorite graphics software is supported by the tablet that you want to buy.

Important Features

  • Resolution: You’ll see that a tablet’s resolution will be listed in LPI (=lines per inch), or in pixels, such as 1920 x 1080 pixels. Typically, 1000 lines per inch are sufficient for producing such high quality, the image looks smooth. But, the Huion Kamvas Pro 13 allows for 5080 LPI!

  • Color Gamut: Different tablets will have a different range of colors. The NTSC standard is the range of colors visible to the human eye, while the sRGB color gamut is what is used in most products, such as computer displays or digital cameras. You’ll see tablets that can display 70-75% of the NTSC color gamut. That is usually considered sufficient--although there are also more professional models that can display over 90%!

  • Shortcut keys: Many tablets will have a set of shortcut keys on the side. For example, the Huion Kamvas 13 Drawing Monitor has 8 keys, allowing you to switch from brush to eraser mode, or to increase or decrease the width of the “brush”.

  • Battery-free stylus: Some tablets require you to recharge the stylus as well, while others use a battery-free stylus, that just relies on the pressure that you apply. A battery-free stylus is an added convenience. The button on the stylus is the equivalent of a right-mouse click on your mouse. And some allow you to “erase” with the opposite end, much like a pencil eraser.

  • The tilt of the stylus: Some tablets, such as the Huion Kamvas, allow you to hold the stylus at a range of angles. You can tilt it as much as 60 degrees in either direction, much as you would with a crayon or pencil.

  • Ports to connect to your computer: You’ll want to transfer the images that you create to a computer. Some tablets can use both HDMI and USB ports, both for charging up your tablet, as well as for data transfer. If your computer has smaller, USB-c ports, you may require an adapter to connect to your computer.

Top-Rated Brands

XP-Pen is a manufacturer of digital graphics tablets and pen display monitors for professional graphics results. They were founded in 2005, Their products are compatible with Windows and most Linux distributions, and with all of the most popular digital art software packages.

Gaomon makes pen tablets, pen displays, signature pads, and LED light pads for animation and handwriting recognition products. It was founded in China in 2011. They make tablets that are thin and lightweight, while still offering a large space to work.

Wacom was founded in 1983 in Saitama, Japan. Their products include cordless pens, pen displays, tablets, and computers, smart pads, and more. They have products that are suited for professional artists, as well as for educational purposes.

Huion is located in Shenzhen, China. They manufacture pen tablets, pen displays, pen computers, LED light pads, and more. Their Kamvas line of products utilizes quantum dot technology, to be able to provide as many as 8 million pixels of resolution!

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