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Lets start by dismissing the only other easily available PC tool, the mouse. Would you use it to draw precise lines or curves, I think not. On a piece of paper you would use a paintbrush or pencil. The Wacom range of Tablets come quite close – with practice – and perhaps best of all one thing a mouse cannot do they can, pressure sensitivity. When you want more intensity press harder it is that easy. The Graphire3 range has 2000 DPI resolution, great for use with digital images.

Installation of the Graphire3 is simple and it can even replace – with practice – your mouse in it’s everyday selecting and clicking work. The unit consists of a wireless stylus (no batteries required) and an A6 working surface although the pad itself is 21cm long and 20cm wide. It is USB and once you have found the correct CD (from the five supplied) install the driver and only then attach the Tablet. At this point if you already have some software that can make use of the special abilities then that’s it, start drawing with far more accuracy than you thought possible with a pointing device.

See also: Graphic software

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However the other four CD’s contain a variety of software programs and utilities to get the best out of the hardware. Perhaps the best known is a copy of Adobe Photoshop Elements V2 this alone normally retails at around £70. Also worthy of mention are Pinnacle Studio 8SE (video editing) and ACDSystems 5 (viewing and editing images).

One of the things the Tablet does well is tracing an image or photograph as you can place the image under the top surface of the tablet and then use the stylus like a pencil with tracing paper. The whole point of the Tablets stylus is that you use it exactly like a pencil or paintbrush, instead of paper you use the computer screen. The pressure sensitive stylus pen is capable of 512 levels of intensity and just like a real pencil you can erase the line with the other end of the stylus and a real artist often blurs lines to great effect.

One thing you must learn is not to be to outrageous with your movements as you only have an A6 working area, this is translated to your computers screens area so a small movement can become quite large. Wacom do larger Tablets but even A5 comes at quite an increase in price and an A4 Tablet is certainly not an investment to be taken lightly.

The Graphire3 range consists of three offerings the Classic which is just the Tablet and Stylus with just one real software application. The Studio (as reviewed) hardware as for Classic but with a whole raft of software as described. Top of the range is Studio XL and this the same as Studio with the addition of a cordless wireless mouse that may be easier for the novice but to my mind could clutter up the desktop, I also feel the price differential between the Studio and Studio XL is excessive. Prices are £69, £99 and £179.

A mouse was never designed for creative work, the graphics tablet was, at under £100 (non discounted) the Graphire3 Studio gives you the chance to see if you have that skill you always thought you had.

Link :  http://www.my-graphire.com/main.asp?lang=1 , now click on Graphire3 range.