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Wacom
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(pronounced in English as /'w??k?m/ or /'węk?m/) is a world-wide company that produces graphics tablets and related products, headquartered in Otone, Saitama, Japan. The US headquarters is located in Vancouver, Washington. Wacom is a loose translation of Japanese: Wa for "harmony" or "circle", and Komu for "computer". It is one of the largest graphics tablet producers, and is very popular with artists, graphic designers, architects, and cartoonists, who commonly cite it as an industry standard.
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Encyclopedia
(pronounced in English as /'w??k?m/ or /'węk?m/) is a world-wide company that produces graphics tablets and related products, headquartered in Otone, Saitama, Japan. The US headquarters is located in Vancouver, Washington. Wacom is a loose translation of Japanese: Wa for "harmony" or "circle", and Komu for "computer". It is one of the largest graphics tablet producers, and is very popular with artists, graphic designers, architects, and cartoonists, who commonly cite it as an industry standard. Wacom tablets are notable for their use of a patented cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive stylus. In addition to manufacturing and selling tablets as separate products, Wacom also supplies the graphical input technology used in most Tablet PCs, which it calls "Penabled Technology". As of 2005, Wacom claimed a market share of 95.8% in Japan and estimated 70% in the rest of the world.
Product lines
Wacom produces several lines of tablets, three of which are marketed worldwide. Most tablets are sold with a bundle of software such as Corel Painter Essentials and Photoshop Elements, which take advantage of the features of the tablet. Each is sold with a stylus ("pen") that is compatible with that model; styluses generally do not work with tablets of a different product line or generation. Some of these styluses include features such as additional buttons on the shaft or an "eraser" at the other end. Some tablet models include a puck based on the same technology. Software drivers for recent versions of Mac OS X and Microsoft Windows are included with most models. All current models of external tablet connect to computers via USB or Bluetooth.
Bamboo
The Bamboo line is priced to appeal to home users. It has 512 levels of pressure sensitivity and a resolution of 1024 lines per inch. It is sold as "Bamboo" with a roughly 3.7×5.8-inch (94×147 mm) active area, and "Bamboo Fun" with either 3.7×5.8- ("small") or 5.3×8.5-inch ("medium") active area (94×147 and 135×216 mm, or roughly A6 and roughly A5, respectively). The Bamboo Fun also includes some features common with the Intuos tablets: a compatible puck, an eraser-equipped stylus, and bundled graphics software. The Bamboo One (sold only in Europe) is an A6-size tablet with no control buttons, and the same eraserless pen as the plain Bamboo; the Bamboo and Bamboo Fun are available worldwide.
Intuos
Intuos is marketed to professional graphic artists, and features the highest specifications of any Wacom device. It is especially useful and necessary for professional digital artists, as it has the same feel as if drawing on paper - which is necessary for accurate style the artist is wanting to show. It is available in multiple sizes and proportions, and includes tilt sensitivity and 1024 levels of pressure. The Intuos is currently in its third generation. It comes in the following sizes (active area):***
Cintiq
The Cintiq is a tablet/screen hybrid, a graphics tablet that incorporates an LCD into the digitizing tablet itself, allowing the user to draw directly "on" the display surface. The tablets are available in several sizes; a 21" 1600×1200 resolution tablet, the 21UX, has been available for several years at various price points. As of November 2007, two new 12" and 20" widescreen models were released, the 12WX and the 20WSX, respectively. The tablet has programmable function keys, and is compatible with Windows and Mac OS X. It has higher resolution and more levels of pressure sensitivity than Tablet PCs, portable computers which offer similar functionality on built-in screens.
Other lines
Wacom has additional products which it markets in various parts of the world. The Graphire Wireless is a 6x8" version of Wacom's discontinued Graphire line (largely replaced by the Bamboo) which communicates with the computer via Bluetooth rather than a USB cable. It remains available in the Americas in lieu of a Bamboo or Intuos with Bluetooth technology. The Graphire stylus is interchangeable with the Bamboo stylus. In Europe, Wacom offers the Colorelli, a tablet and software package marketed as a creative outlet for children; JustWrite Office a basic tablet for capturing written input in office applications; the PL Series, similar in function to the Cintiq but with more modest specifications suited for office use; and the Signature Tablet, a monochrome display/tablet for capturing signatures.
Discontinued
Previous products from Wacom included the ArtZ, ArtZ II, ArtPad, ArtPad II, Graphire through Graphire4, Intuos and Intuos2, 15-, 17- and 18-inch Cintiqs, Volito, and PenPartner. Early models used RS-232 and Apple serial connectors, with a conversion to USB in later models.
Drivers
Wacom supplies drivers for contemporary versions of Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. The driver package includes a control panel which allows extensive customization of how the tablet and pen work with the host OS.
The produces drivers for Linux/X11, and is maintained by a Wacom employee.
Technology
Wacom tablets use a patented electromagnetic resonance technology. Since the tablet provides power to the pen through resonant coupling, no batteries or cord is required for the pointing device. As a result, there are no batteries inside the pen (or the accompanying puck). This allows for more slender pens, and gives the pen-and-tablet combination a long and essentially maintenance free lifespan.
Under the tablet's surface (or LCD in the case of the Cintiq) is a grid of wires that transmits a send and receive signal. In send mode, the tablet's electromagnetic signal stimulates oscillation in the pen's coil-and-capacitor circuit. In receive mode, the energy of the resonant circuits oscillations in the pen is detected by the tablet's grid. This information is analyzed by the computer to determine the pen's position. In addition, the pen communicates other vital information, such as pressure-sensitivity, side-switch status, tip or eraser orientation and Tool ID. For example, applying more or less pressure to the tip of the pen changes the value of the pen's timing circuit capacitor. This signal change is communicated to a modulator which distributes the information digitally to the tablet. The tablet forwards this and other relevant information (pen position, angle, side-switch status, Tool ID, et cetera.) in packets, up to 200 times per second, to the computer.
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