Intuos or Cintiq? Your Wacom tablet questions answered

With Wacom graphics tablets now ubiquitous throughout the creative world, we wanted to see what kind of work they’re being used for. So we conducted a survey to do just that, and the response was great. You did have a few questions around Wacom and creative technology though, so we’ve done our best to answer these below.

By Shariff Ibrahim November 14, 2018

First things first, a few of the most interesting findings from the survey. Most of the respondents identified their job role as ‘Graphic Designer’ (22.69%), closely followed by Photographer (21.01%) and Illustrator (19.33%), as well as defining their organisation as a micro-business of 1-9 employees (56.99%).

39.5% said they currently use Wacom tablets in their workflow, with the most popular models including 32.79% with an Intuos Pro, 31.15% a Bamboo model, and 22.95% some form of Intuos. 65.14% of those who don’t have a Wacom still use a mouse in their workflow, and 27.52% use their computer’s trackpad, although we would suggest that the Wacom Pro Pen is a lot more intuitive to navigate not just through creative apps, but all your usual productivity apps and admin tasks too.

It was interesting to note that the biggest factors driving users’ purchasing decision were price and size. So with the lowest price tag coupled with great performance, it’s no surprise how popular Intuos Pro is with our customers. Majority of Wacom users have been using their tablets for between 1 and 3 years (45.45%), however 21.21% have had their Wacom for more than 5 years, which is testament to their durability, making them a sound investment.

In terms of software, a huge percentage (72.04%) mentioned they used industry leading Adobe Creative Cloud (while other creative software mentioned included options from Corel, Quark and Serif). Now to some of your questions…

“Would this be the best solution for photo editing?”

Wacom tablets are perfect for photo editing! The Pro Pen 2 that comes with every Intuos or Cintiq tablet allows you to be far more precise in your on-screen movements than you can be with a mouse, so perfect for editing images. Our design team couldn’t live without their Intuos tablets for use with Adobe Photoshop. For example, they can easily set quick shortcuts for doing batch processes with imagery, cropping or adding a colour space. The Cintiq range are also excellent for retouching photos from photoshoots, as they let you get right in close and work directly on screen for editing fine details.

“Does it work with video editing software?”

Yes, definitely. Many video editors and producers primarily use Wacom tablets because of the improved ergonomics of using a pen stylus over a mouse, which can be uncomfortable day in, day out. Our videographer uses a Wacom Intuos Pro for video editing in Adobe Premiere Pro, and we know customers whose facility uses solely Wacom tablets for editing in Avid Media Composer and Premiere Pro.

“I am a technical illustrator, using CorelDraw to produce illustrations for spare parts catalogues and maintenance manuals/user guides. I would love to see how the Wacom Cintiq Pro 13 could integrate into my workflow.”

It sounds like the Cintiq Pro 13 would be great for your workflow. As well as the pressure sensitivity of the pen, the HD screen that’s colour accurate for 87% of Adobe RGB, it’s great for high quality illustration for print work. There’s also an optional Wacom Stand with three levels of elevation which is great if you want more flexibility in how you work at your desk, and optional ExpressKeys Remote for setting your own custom physical buttons to quickly complete actions and speed up your workflow.

“I’ve been looking at an Intuos Pro and a cheaper tablet solution. What makes it worth my while to spend more on the Wacom?”

The main thing that sets Wacom’s tablets apart from the competition, which many users often point out on creative forums, is the excellent pen precision and pressure sensitivity of the Pro Pen 2 compared to cheaper alternatives. With 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, full tilt support, virtually no lag and parallax, plus no batteries or charging, the Pro Pen 2 is unparalleled in its field. Wacom tablets are also a greater long term financial investment, as they are supported for their lifetime by Wacom Customer Support, who have been established for 35 years, so you get a great return on that initial investment.

“What benefits will I get from upgrading my Bamboo or Intuos to an Intuos Pro?”

The Bamboo is a great first foray into replacing your mouse and doing basic design, but for more professional creative work at an affordable price, you really can’t beat the Intuos Pro lineup. The Pro Pen 2 is four times more accurate than the previous generation of Pro Pen and boasts 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, more than any other stylus/tablet combo on the market, resulting in a more natural and responsive drawing experience with virtually no lag and natural tilt support. The Intuos Pro also features a Touch Ring, eight customisable ExpressKeys and on-pen slider switches so that you can have your favourite shortcuts right at your fingertips for improved productivity.

“I love the products. However I’m struggling to find a shop to actually try the Cintiq out in…”

As a Wacom authorised reseller, we offer the full range of tablets in our online store, but we can also offer demos of any products in our London office with a Wacom representative. There’s nothing like trying out new technology in your team scenario though, and we can arrange demo models for you to try for a few weeks before you make a purchase. Just drop us a message on the details below to find out more.

If you’d like to know more about Wacom, get in touch on 03332 400 888 or email DandP@Jigsaw24.com. For all the latest news, follow @WeAreJigsaw24 on Twitter or ‘Like’ us on Facebook.