I’ve been exclusively using Wacom tablets since the late 1990’s, when I used them in the graphic design program at a local two-year junior college. I bought my first Intuous in 2001 and it lasted for six years. My last tablet, a Wacom Intuous 3, finally needed to be replaced (it was 8 years old), so I started looking for a new one and was intrigued by the alternatives now on the market. After reading reviews on several tablets, I decided on this one. I received it the same day via Amazon Prime Same-Day delivery.
After unpacking the tablet, I downloaded the drivers from the XP-Pen website, uninstalled my Wacom drivers (important) and installed the drivers for this tablet. Installation was very easy. The pen was immediately recognized by my system and worked in Photoshop with minimal fuss.
A few notes:
– If you have a previous tablet and it isn’t an XP-Pen tablet, make sure you uninstall the drivers before installing the drivers for this device.
– Download the most recent drivers from XP-Pen’s website to save yourself time and hassle.
– If you use Creative Cloud applications, make sure you have Wintab drivers installed so that your applications will recognize pressure sensitivity.
The tablet works exactly as expected, with very good pressure sensitivity and no issues across my two-monitor setup. Switching from pen to mouse mode is as easy as checking and unchecking the Windows Ink checkbox. I also like how lightweight and functional the tablet itself is. The buttons are sturdy and scroll wheel moves smoothly. I am also now realizing just how useful a scroll wheel is for zooming in/out as I work. I’ve never had a scroll wheel before. I like it!
Why four instead of five stars?
– As with other third-party tablets (i.e. non-Wacom tablets), the pen does not have tilt or rotation capabilities. I only tend to use this on my iPad Pro due to the design of the Apple Pencil though, so for me, it isn’t an issue. But, for some, it might be. So, -1/2 star
– The USB plug is in a rather awkward location, so the cable run across my desk while I”m working and it falls into my lap periodically. It’s only mildly cumbersome though, certainly not enough to make me feel like I should have gone with the wireless model (the Star06 is wireless, while the “c” in Star06c denotes the use of a cable). So, – 1/2 star
Overall, I like this tablet a lot and I am quite satisfied with my purchase. It is well worth the money spent and an excellent tablet at this price point. If I run into any issues, I will update this review.
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