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Wacom

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This article is about the WACOM Electronics Producer. For the European Project WACOM, see WACOM (WAter COmpetences Model).
Wacom Co., Ltd.
IndustryComputer input devices and software
FoundedJuly 12, 1983
HeadquartersJapan 2-510-1 Toyonodai Otonemachi, Kazo-shi, Saitama, Japan
ProductsBamboo, Intuos, Cintiq, PenPartner, Volito, Graphire (needs verification)
Websitewacom.com

Wacom Co., Ltd. (株式会社ワコムKabushiki-gaisha Wakomu) (/ˈwɑːkɒm/ [1] (TYO: 6727) is a worldwide company that produces graphics tablets and related products, headquartered in Otone, Saitama, Japan. The American headquarters are located in Vancouver, Washington, and those for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in Krefeld, Germany. Wacom is a portmanteau 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 or digital pen. As the sampling of the x and y coordinates appear simultaneous and at a high, predictable frequency, Wacom tablets are successfully used for recording of the pen in handwriting movement analysis. 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".

Market share

Year Japan Rest of the World Notes
2005 95.8% 70% For the number for Japan, "Survey by BCN Research Institute in 2005" is cited.[2]
2008 95.4% 86% For the number for Japan, Survey by BCN Research Inc. in 2008 was cited.[3]
2009 93.8% 85% For the number for Japan, "Survey by BCN Inc. in 2009" is cited[4]


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 digital pen that is compatible with that model; digital pens generally do not work with tablets of a different product line or generation. Some of these pens include features such as additional buttons on the shaft or an "eraser" at the other end. Some tablet models include a puck (mouse) 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 aimed at home users. It has 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity and a resolution of 2540 lines per inch. Most of the models have a 5.8 x 3.6 in active surface area. The larger Bamboo Fun model has a usable surface area of 8.5 x 5.4 in.

There are five models — Bamboo Pen & Touch, Bamboo Pen, Bamboo Touch, Bamboo Fun, and Bamboo Craft — all of which (except Bamboo Pen) now have multitouch functionality, with support for one- and two-finger gestures for such operations as scrolling and zooming. The "Pen" model is stylus-only (no touch input), and the "Touch" model is touch-only (no stylus input). Most Bamboo models now support 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity (previously 512), with the exception of Bamboo Pen (512 levels) and Bamboo Touch (which does not support stylus input).

The "Fun" and "Craft" models include an eraser-equipped stylus, and additional bundled graphics software (Adobe Photoshop Elements 7, Corel Painter Essentials 4, and Nik Color Efex Pro 3). The Bamboo One (sold only in Europe) is an A6-size tablet with no control buttons, and the same eraser-less pen as the other models.

Bamboo features a battery-free pen (powered by the same EMR technology as the Intuos line), which can be used alongside finger swipes, with +/- 0.02 in (+/- 0.5 mm) accuracy. The "Pen & Touch" model includes an option to switch orientation for left- or right-handed users.

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. The latest version, Intuos 4, is available in multiple sizes and proportions, and includes tilt sensitivity and 2048 levels of pressure due to using EMR (Electro Magnetic Resonance) technology in the Wacom pen. The Intuos line offers an unparalleled 5,080 lines per inch resolution and comes in the following sizes (active area):

  • [Small 157.5 mm x 98.4 mm, 6.2" x 3.9"]
  • [Medium 223.5 mm x 139.7 mm, 8.8" x 5.5"]
  • [Large 325.1 mm x 203.2 mm, 12.8" x 8.0"]
  • [XL 462 mm x 304.8 mm, 18.2" x 12.0"]
  • [Wireless 203.2 mm x 127 mm, 8.0" x 5.0"]

All sizes but Small feature 8 ExpressKeys and an OLED display next to them to show the function of each button. The Small sacrifices the OLED display and two ExpressKeys.

Cintiq

File:Wacom-Cintiq-12WX-2-lg.jpg
The Cintiq 12wx On-screen drawing Tablet

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. In 2008 the 21UX saw a major design revision and a price drop. 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. The Graphire digital pen is interchangeable with the original Bamboo model's digital pen but not later Bamboos. 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, Digitizer, Digitizer II, UltraPad, Graphire through Graphire4, Intuos through Intuos3, 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.

Criticism

Several Wacom models, including the Intuos4 and Bamboo, have been criticized for the drawing surface's friction, which rapidly wears down nibs and can result in uneven wear patterns, leaving slick and non-slick areas.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

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 Linux Wacom Project produces drivers for Linux/X11, and is maintained by a Wacom employee.

ThinkyHead Software publishes the free TabletMagic driver package. TabletMagic is a driver for discontinued (serial port) Wacom tablets for use on modern Apple Macintosh computers under the Mac OS X operating system. A USB-to-serial port adapter is required. (OS X open source drivers for many such adapters are available from Source Forge.) Not all original functions of the tablet are supported by TabletMagic, but most basic functions are retained.

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. However the battery-less technology makes the tablet bigger and heavier than other technologies.

Under the tablet's surface (or LCD in the case of the Cintiq) is a printed circuit board with a grid of multiple send/receive coils and a magnetic reflector attached behind the grid array. In send mode, the tablet generates a close-coupled electromagnetic field (also known as a B-field) at a frequency of 531khz. This close-coupled field stimulates oscillation in the pen's coil/capacitor (LC) circuit when brought into range of the B-field. Any excess resonant electromagnetic energy is reflected back to the tablet. In receive mode, the energy of the resonant circuit’s oscillations in the pen is detected by the tablet's grid. This information is analyzed by the computer to determine the pen's position, by interpolation and Fourier analysis of the signal intensity. In addition, the pen communicates other vital information, such as pen tip pressure, side-switch status, tip vs. eraser orientation, and the ID number of the tool (to differentiate between different pens. mice, etc.). 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 can be communicated in an analog or digital method. An analog implementation would modulate the phase angle of the resonant frequency, and a digital method is communicated to a modulator which distributes the information digitally to the tablet. The tablet forwards this and other relevant tool information in packets, up to 200 times per second, to the computer.

References

  1. ^ "Wacom Asia Pacific". Retrieved 2010-09-23. {{cite web}}: Text "Vista" ignored (help)
  2. ^ "FAQs". Wacom. Archived from the original on 2007-10-05. Retrieved 2008-02-16.
  3. ^ "FAQs". Wacom. Retrieved 2009-08-14.
  4. ^ "FAQs". Wacom. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  5. ^ "Wacom Forum - Wacom Europe GmbH • View topic - Intuos4 nibs flattening quickly". Forum.wacom.eu. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  6. ^ "ImagineFX - Wacom nibs". Community.imaginefx.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  7. ^ "Sijun Forums :: View topic - Wacom Tablets". Forums.sijun.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  8. ^ "deviantART Forum: wacom bamboo pen nibs". Forum.deviantart.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  9. ^ "How long should a Wacom Intuos3 pen nib last? - GFXartist.com - Served over 20,000,000 artworks". GFXartist.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  10. ^ "Wacom Bamboo Owners: How's Your Nib?". Graphicssoft.about.com. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
  11. ^ "Intuos4 vs Intuos3 nib question - ConceptArt.org Forums". Conceptart.org. Retrieved 2010-07-10.
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