Recommendations/thoughts on which digital art tablet to purchase

[Happy_Gal]

Hi everyone,

Rita here from Happy Gal Creations. Hope you are well. I have a question and would be grateful for any thoughts or pointers. I am in the market for a digital art tablet - with it's own screen and standalone (can be used without connecting to my chromebook). There is so much information out there that it's made me really confused so I thought I'd throw the question out to you all... What should I invest in? What do you use? What do you recommend? 

My budget is not to go for the lower end but also not to go for anything too pricey.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes for now,

Rita

[Barbara · Accepted solution]

I've only ever used the Wacom brand, so I can't possibly advise when I haven't experienced any others. However, why would you want a tablet that essentially is its own computer--saving all the work you do? Wouldn't such a tablet be exceedingly expensive? Does such a one even exist?

Totally curious, I just now ran a search and came across this site that has info on what you're looking for and reviews:

https://proactivecreative.com/the-best-standalone-tablets-for-graphic-designers-and-artists/

I assume you want to be able to design wherever you might be and not be tethered to a computer. I had no idea these things even existed. But they're expensive!

Colorwash's Home

[Windy]

I use Procreate and Adobe Illustrator for iPad on my iPad pro. Pinterest is about half functional on this thing, so that's always a challenge. And Zazzle itself is about ninety percent functional on the iPad. Some of these challenges arise because the iPad is a touchscreen and there are things you can't do on Zazzle with a touchscreen (organize collections). I have trouble on the iPad locking down any element of the design when using the ZDT. I am not sure I can find a way to see the name of an image file in my Zazzle image library.

The tablet you buy should be able to host any  programs you want to use. Maybe it's still true or maybe it's different now, but when I got started with this, Procreate would not have been available on any tablet other than the iPad I bought. 

So the first question for you, is what programs do you want to use on your tablet? Then find a tablet that will handle those programs. A second question is, what apps do you hope to use, and are those apps fully functional on a tablet. There are dozens of things I simply can't accomplish on this iPad Pinterest app, so that's a major frustration at all times. 

[KeegansCreation]

Checking for app compatibility is essential, as Windy says. I very nearly bought a Microsft Surface Pro X until I found out it couldn't run the most recent version of Adobe Illustrator (I have read that this was fixed in the newest version of Surface Pro X but am taking no chances). So before you buy anything:

1. Every app you use will have a description on the seller's website of what the app needs to run (for example, it may say it needs 8GB RAM and if your tablet doesn't have that it won't work). This is also noted in Barbara's link- 8GB RAM is a common requirement.
2. Before you buy a tablet, check the tech specs to make sure it matches what your app(s) of choice need to run.

[Barbara]

You described what you want as a "digital art tablet," but now I'm wondering which you're talking about, given there are computer tablets with touch screens and then there are graphics tablets with them too. Regardless, the single most important decision-maker is sensitivity and resolution, the more the better. I started out with a medium-priced Wacom graphics tablet, then I had to replace it but didn't have the money to buy a direct replacement. The lower-down model I got is way better than using a mouse, and its resolution is fairly decent, but the pen doesn't have tilt, which I sorely miss.

Consider what you want to do now and also what you might want to do in the future with your tablet. Then look at the specs for the various tablets out there. You might get a lot closer to a decision.

Colorwash's Home

[Happy_Gal]

Hi all who replied,

Your insights have been great so thank you! There is so much information out there that it's put my head in a spin but you've given me some great starting points - Barbara - that article was a good find! Yes, these standalone ones are pricey so I may just have to go with one which connects to my chromebook. I really want to use Adobe Illustrator. 

My search continues and now at least I have some direction.

Best,

Rita