As the gap between analog and digital realms continue to merge, we are constantly on the lookout for ways to increase our efficiency while maintaining the sense and idea of the dreams that we are trying to bring to life. Wacom, a well known contender in this field, with product lines from the Bamboo to the Intous (among others), are hoping to continue the momentum of their past 25 years with the release of the Cintiq 12WX.

A pen tablet with a 12.1″ LCD display that is targeted at not only the professionals who have been able to resist the Cintiq line thus far, but also amateur artists and photographers who are interested in keeping a natural feel in their digital workflow. Can a small screen with a big history provide the tools to bring the analog world even closer to the digital universe? We took a few weeks to take a closer look at this hybrid display, and now present our results.

Overall Dimensions: 16″ W x 10.5″ H x .67″ D
Display Area: 10.3″ W x 6.4″ H
Screen Size: 12.1″ diagonal
Native Resolution: WXGA (1280 x 800)
Weight: 4.4 lbs with video control unit
Aspect Ratio: 16:10
Pressure Levels: 1,024 on pen tip and eraser
Stand Adjustability: Flat on desktop, 25° to 60°
Rotation: 360° flat position on pivot
Warranty: 2 year

After all the parts and pieces were sorted, set, and configured, it was time to grab the pen, and see how well this new device could fit into my workflow.

The look and feel of this, the smallest of the Wacom Cintiq line, is outstanding. I spent the first day just doodling, playing with brush sizes, trying out different applications, and generally smiling about the whole experience. In my hand, the pen feels hefty, but not overweight, with a comfortable rubber grip, and the “eraser” end is slightly springy. The physical canvas area, unbroken from edge to edge from the frame, helps keep the ideas flowing. All of my applications (Photoshop, Illustrator, et al) are able to function with the new interface with little to no configuration changes.

The next day, I went looking for a little inspiration, and set in to create a complete piece (which you can see a sample of below).

Workflow that would have normally started as a series of sketches on paper, subsequently scanned into my computer for editing, was now reduced by two steps. I could now sketch directly on the screen with a look and feel that I would expect from the analog realm of pencil/pen and paper.

What really struck me was the intuitive way that I reacted to working with the device. For example, in the image above, after the sketch was complete, I started cleaning up the edges, refining the design so that when I transferred it over to Illustrator, my results would be easier to deal with. To accomplish this, I flipped the pen over, using the eraser side and zoomed in, erase, erase, erase, wipe….wait a minute, what just happened? Staring at the side of my hand, I began to laugh. I had actually tried to wipe the imaginary eraser bits off the screen. Later, after I explained the story to my wife, I turned back to the design, erase, erase, erase, wipe…slap head. Thankfully, after a couple of weeks, that sort of “ghost” behavior has been minimized.

Using the pseudo-tablet for photo editing is natural and instinctive. Much easier to accomplish with the grip pen and steady hand than it ever was to use the mouse or trackpad. Tasks such as smoothing out skin texture, cloning out an errant power-pole, or even just burning the edges of the image, become less detached, more visceral. Even when using my Bluetooth Wacom tablet, the disconnect of drawing in one zone, and seeing the results in another was a distraction. Not with the 12WX, if you slice the pen across the page, the cut appears, giving an instant feeling of satisfaction (or regret, but that’s what Undo is for).

In exploring uses outside of the norm, I also had the pleasure of playing with a early version of Crayon Physics Deluxe from Kloonigames using the Cintiq. A follow-up to Crayon Physics, it’s Amazing Machine meets Rube Goldberg with drawn objects that have realistic physical reactions to the crayon-drawn puzzle world that is the game. A fun title to say the least, and made even more exciting through the use of the Wacom device. Not something that you would necessarily purchase this unit for, but it was nice to know that the 12WX has more hidden capabilities than one might think.

Getting the 12WX connected to my main PC was as easy as connecting a second monitor. Even with the driver install, and deciding on the layout, the process couldn’t have been simpler. In my configuration, I have my main Viewsonic, with the Cintiq just below (angled at 25° with the handy angle-o-matic on the bottom of the screen), mouse to the right, pen on the left and keyboard in it’s tray below. If you lay the display flat on a smooth surface, there is even a built-in pivot point, helping those who like to twist and turn their work as they go. The most difficult setup decision involved where to run the cables and hide the sizable breakout box. On the larger Cintiq models, this functionality is built into the display.

The power switch is located on the upper left lip (power and video coming through a cable on the opposite side), with blue indicators signifying the power is on and when you use the pen. The screen texture is not quite slick, not quite rough, providing for a nice feel. Clean-up, for me, was a spritz of high-quality lens cleaner, and a wipe with a microfiber cloth. My contact at Wacom tells me that the big design houses that use the Cintiq units actually wear a sort of fingerless glove to reduce the amount of grease and sweat. There is a little bit of heat generated near the bottom left corner, something that exists on all of the Cintiq line.

By default, the pen comes with a standard nib plus five replacements (three standard, one stroke, one felt). I like the stroke (spring-loaded) feel for most applications. My complaint is that the nib management provides no easy way to store and use the nibs without a little bit of struggle. Without something like a snap-on nib replacement with storage on the included pen holder, I’m more likely to store the replacements in a location I won’t remember later, sticking with one nib type until it’s annihilated. All of the Cintiq and Intuos pens are compatible with the Cintiq 12WX (including the Airbrush and Art Brush), the rest of the Wacom line, sadly, do not work.

The pen settings are controlled through the Wacom Tablet Properties. Selections such as pressure sensitivity, double-click distance, button configuration, and calibration are managed along with every other function of the display. There is a bit of noticeable cursor shake when moving to the extreme corners, something that isn’t quite as recognizable on the larger Cintiq models (according to my Wacom contact). This effect didn’t cause any issues once I had established that navigation in these areas needed to be quick and precise.

One would think that with a 12.1″ screen, that the unit would be smaller, but there is a large amount of smooth rounded plastic around the edges, making room for a sizable wrist rest, the Touch Strips and ExpressKeys. Customizing the capabilities of these buttons/touch zones is accomplished through the same interface as the pen.

The Touch Strips initially caused me a bit of grief, as I would find myself brushing against them accidentally, zooming or increasing the brush size when drawing. With a bit of practice, this too was avoidable (but still happens occasionally). The usefulness of these touch sensitive areas is far too appealing to disable them completely. I currently have the left area set to increase and decrease brush size (keystroke [ and ] in Photoshop), while the right is set to auto zoom/scroll.

I didn’t change the ExpressKeys settings much, leaving most of the buttons to their default modifier settings. I did set one to Display Toggle (allowing me to navigate my main Viewsonic using the Cintiq display area, when necessary) and another for screen captures. The buttons have a very tactile response, and are easy to navigate by touch (due to the raised button indicators and beveled edges).

Lowdown
Even if you are an amateur artist or photographer, I would still say that this could be the way to take your talents to the next level — even if you don’t really need it. It is a remarkable device with a lot of capabilities. For those professionals out there, who don’t already have a tablet of some sort and have been desirous of one, you have no excuse. For the price, the results are outstanding. I, for one, will be picking up my own.

The Good

• Intuitive
• Customizable
• Greatly increases efficiency

The Bad

• Breakout box and cable configuration makes portability difficult
• Needs a better way to manage spare Pen nibs
• Some cursor shake in the extreme corners

Price
The Cintiq 12WX is available here for $999. For that price, you get the display, Grip Pen with standard nib and 5 replacement nibs (1 stroke nib, 1 felt nib and 3 standard nibs), pen stand,converter Unit (breakout box), AC power adapter, power cable, VGA to DVI-I cable, DVI-D to DVI-I cable, USB cable, application software DVD (Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 / 4 for Mac for editing family photos, Corel Painter Essentials 3 for creating original artwork, Nik Color Efex Pro 2 IE for selectively applying photo enhancements, Wacom Brushes 3 for use with Adobe Photoshop Elements 4+ or Photoshop CS+), Driver CD, Installation Guide and Hardware Manual, plus access to Wacom privilege with valuable partner offers.