Once your new tablet's up and running, the only thing between you and your own creativity
is understanding all of the benefits of using a pen.
There are three tips I would like to give everyone who's new to using a pen.
How the pen relates to the screen, how you hold your pen, and how the buttons on the
pen work to make your life better once you take the time to master them.
The pen does not behave like a mouse, that is why we bought it.
Unlike a mouse, the pen has a specific relationship with your desktop, each corner of the tablets
active area marked by the matrix of dots on your tablet match to the corresponding corner
of your desktop screen area.
This means that you no longer have to find your mouse pointer on screen to know which
way you want to move it.
If you want to reach something in the middle of the screen, put the pen on the middle of
the tablet and you're most likely be pretty close.
If you find yourself trying to reach for the file menu by scooting to it and you will if
you are new to tablets, stop and remember you bought a superior input device, then just
pick up the pen and put it up near the top left corner of the tablet.
This behavior is precisely what makes the pen the best creative tool available.
The most important thing about how you hold your pen is that you make it comfortable and
you make it your own.
The second most important thing though is that you don't accidentally press the rocker
switch on the side of the pen.
The end closest to the tip is set up to pan or scroll when you're in an application that
supports it.
The end of the switch farthest from the tip is a right click which you can use without
touching the pen to the tablet.
You'll also quickly notice that the pointer on screen will move without touching the pen
to the surface as well.
When the tip of the pen touches the tablet, it acts the same as holding down the left
mouse button which in graphic applications is how you'll try and paint if you were using
a mouse.
There are many ways to practice using a pen, one of the best ways I've found is to play
a game like solitaire or any other simple game that requires clicks, touching the pen
to the tablet, right clicks using the upper end of the side switch, double clicks tapping
twice in the same place on the tablet, and click and drag which is as simple as touching
the tip to the tablet and dragging it to a new location.
Just remember if you don't want your tablet to do anything, make sure you aren't touching
any of the buttons including the tips.
I've seen a pen held in many ways.
I've also found out for people would hold the pen back further, the sides switch maybe
be easier to use with your index finger.
For people who grip a closer to the tip, I found that rolling the switch into the thumb
is usually easier.
This can be done either with the switch above the thumb and in view or beneath, either way
make sure the switch is not being held down unless you mean to.
I would encourage you try all of these and see which one is comfortable or if you hold
the pen differently, by all means try whatever works for you.
Once you've gotten the hang of using the pen for everyday activities, you may find that
the side switch could be put to better use.
You can easily change the settings for these and every other aspect of the tablet, in the
tablet control panel.
The fastest way to get to the preferences is from the pen and button settings option
in the Wacom desktop centre which should be running in the background unless you've chosen
to turn it off.
You can also get to your preferences through the control panel on Windows or by selecting
preferences from the Apple menu on Mac.
From the tablet settings window, select the pen, and from here you can change the settings
for either end of the side switch.
I use double click all the time, so I'll frequently set the lower switch of my pen to double click
from the click's sub-menu because it's always accessible right there in your pen.
Some other common settings I've seen for this switch include undo, command or Control Z,
which you would set by choosing keystrokes or even the optional Alt modifier which you
could choose by selecting modifiers from the list.
All the buttons and side switches follow the same logic for programming.
Most of these tablets are both pen and touch.
This means, as you get use to your new pen, or even or everyday navigation, you can use
the whole tablet active area marked by the doted matrix as a touch pad.
Most if not all touch gestures you may be familiar with, should also work on the tablet
assuming they are supported by the program you're using.
If you want to turn off-touch and just use the Intuos as a pen-only tablet, follow the
switch on the right side of the top edge of the tablet which turns touch on and off.
The best advice to a new tablet user of any kind is the three day challenge.
As with any tool, it takes practice and dedication.
Unplug your mouse for three days, and practice using Pen and Touch for everything you do.
Many people never go back to a mouse at all, and even if you do, you'll at least have learned
the many benefits of using a pen.