Home > Consumer Reviews > Wacom Graphire 4 X 5 USB Tablet with Cordless Mouse & Pen (Slate)

I finally decided to invest in my own personal graphics tablet, but couldn't yet afford one of the larger models, of which I've grown quite accustomed to at work. By trade, I am an Illustrator/Animator, so a tool such as a graphics tablet can be quite valuable, especially if you draw directly onto the computer. The model I use at work (is much more), which would be a MAJOR investment. I decided to take a chance on the 4x5 Graphire version, which priced about 60% less than the next size up. The price was a relief, but I didn't know if I would be getting what I payed for (cheap) or if that size was even workable? Well, I just recieved it and have been EXTREMELY satisfied and relieved. It works very smoothly and accurately, and seems to me to be a more convenient size than those other monster tablets. Included are several programs, including Painter Classic, which enables you to take full, immediate action of your pressure-sensitive pen. A cordless mouse is also part of the package . . . it has great features such as the scrolling wheel, but is a little annoying to use on the tablet (running off edges or bumping into the pen holder). I'm sure it takes practice, but it isn't really a concern. The real star of the package is the pressure-sensitive pen, which was the only feature I was interested in for drawing purposes. The pen glides smoothly across the surface and the scale of the workable area doesn't even seem to be a factor. The size is NOT a problem and I HIGHLY recommend!

The Wacom Graphire tablet is a mouse-pad like device that connects into the USB port (or serial port if you don't have USB.) A special electronic stylus comes with it and you can draw on the pad as you would on sketch paper. The Graphire tablet is for home use and is distinguished from other Wacom tablets in that it also has a cordless mouse. It comes in a choice of kid-pleasing colors (well, I like colors too, I must admit. I bought a clear purple keyboard recently, so who'm I kiddin'!) Now, this tablet-mouse pad is a darn clever idea. Both a graphics tablet and a mouse are "human interface devices" or pointing devices for the computer (how you move around and click on items on the screen.) So having a combination mouse/pen pad is nice as you can eliminate your regular mouse. And I can tell you, cordless mice are the way to go. Much more comfortable than mice with cords.

I prefer my Logitech cordless mouse to the mouse on the Graphire as it isn't as smooth as the Logitech, and I also use an ergonomic mouse pad to prevent wrist strain. You must use the Graphire mouse on the Graphire pad--that's how the electronic connection is made, through the tablet. Still, this is a wonderful interface especially if you have kids. They can draw and paint on the computer. What a great idea. And this is wonderful for creating digital art for your webpage. (ok, who'm I kidding! I'm the one who uses the pad and draws for the website and sends pictures to my mom in email.)

Wacom sells their Graphire tablets with a copy of Painter Classic. Great idea as this helps you get a lot out of the tablet. Painter Classic is a cut-down version of the powerful Painter sold by Corel and developed by Metacreations. It replicates the look and feel of real art media like oils, watercolor, chalk, crayon and pencil. For the home user (maybe doing some homepage graphics, someone wanting to dabble in digital art, or for kid) it's simply great.) The art you create can be saved as a .jpg, gif, .tif, .bmp files, put on your page, used as screensavers or sent to Grandma in email. If you want to know more about what Painter does, check my reviews about it and Painter Classic.

Check out the Wacom website http://www.wacom.com . You can find out more about Painter at http://www.corel.com .

I got this pen/mouse combination because my Logitech optical mouse was terrible for any kind of drawing or graphic editing. The pen is great - nice touch, good control, easy to get used to. I didn't think the mouse could be much worse than the Logitech, but I was wrong. It's AWFUL - hard to control and the cursor seems to drift all over the place - which is why I don't mind the little glitch I encountered after installing this. My Win98SE system doesn't recognize it on boot up. So I keep my regular mouse hooked up and when I need to use the pen, I unplug the mouse (USB) and plug in the pen (also USB) and the pen becomes active.

The software installed easily and is very useful for changing settings/preferences like what to use the rocker button on the pen for (double clicking, etc...). There's quite a bit of extra software (pen utilities, Photoshop lite, filters) included as well. My 3 star rating is kind of unfair - the pen would get a 4-5, the mouse a 1.

The Wacom Graphire tablet is a mouse-pad like device that connects into the USB port (or serial port if you don't have USB.) A special electronic stylus comes with it and you can draw on the pad as you would on sketch paper. The Graphire tablet is for home use and is distinguished from other Wacom tablets in that it also has a cordless mouse. It comes in a choice of kid-pleasing colors (well, I like colors too, I must admit. I bought a clear purple keyboard recently, so who'm I kiddin'!)

Now, this tablet-mouse pad is a darn clever idea. Both a graphics tablet and a mouse are "human interface devices" or pointing devices for the computer (how you move around and click on items on the screen.) So having a combination mouse/pen pad is nice as you can eliminate your regular mouse. And I can tell you, cordless mice are the way to go. Much more comfortable than mice with cords.

I prefer my Logitech cordless mouse to the mouse on the Graphire as it isn't as smooth as the Logitech, and I also use an ergonomic mouse pad to prevent wrist strain. You must use the Graphire mouse on the Graphire pad--that's how the electronic connection is made, through the tablet. Still, this is a wonderful interface especially if you have kids. They can draw and paint on the computer. What a great idea. And this is wonderful for creating digital art for your webpage. (ok, who'm I kidding! I'm the one who uses the pad and draws for the website and sends pictures to my mom in email.)

Wacom sells their Graphire tablets with a copy of Painter Classic. Great idea as this helps you get a lot out of the tablet. Painter Classic is a cut-down version of the powerful Painter sold by Corel and developed by Metacreations. It replicates the look and feel of real art media like oils, watercolor, chalk, crayon and pencil. For the home user (maybe doing some homepage graphics, someone wanting to dabble in digital art, or for kid) it's simply great.) The art you create can be saved as a .jpg, gif, .tif, .bmp files, put on your page, used as screensavers or sent to Grandma in email. If you want to know more about what Painter does, check my reviews about it and Painter Classic.

Check out the Wacom website http://www.wacom.com . You can find out more about Painter at http://www.corel.com .

the radio station nearby seems to interfere with it. The cursor on the screen jiggles so much that I can hardly use it. The Painter software and the pen tool are great. The cordless operation and smooth movement of the mouse are great (there are a few times when the cursor doesn't jiggle). I wish I could use it more.