The Draw pad

Operation
There have been many attempts to categorize the technologies that have been used for graphics
tablets:
Passive tablets
Passive tablets,[9] most notably those manufactured by Wacom and Huion for example, make
use of electromagnetic induction technology, where the horizontal and vertical wires of the
tablet operate as both transmitting and receiving coils (as opposed to the wires of the RAND
Tablet which only transmit). The tablet generates an electromagnetic signal, which is
received by the LC circuit in the stylus. The wires in the tablet then change to a receiving
mode and read the signal generated by the stylus. Modern arrangements also
provide pressure sensitivity and one or more buttons, with the electronics for this information
present in the stylus. On older tablets, changing the pressure on the stylus nib or pressing a
button changed the properties of the LC circuit, affecting the signal generated by the pen,
which modern ones often encode into the signal as a digital data stream. By using
electromagnetic signals, the tablet is able to sense the stylus position without the stylus
having to even touch the surface, and powering the pen with this signal means that devices
used

with

the

tablet

never

need

batteries.

Activslate

50,

the

model

used

with Promethean white boards, also uses a hybrid of this technology.

[10]

Active tablets
Active tablets differ in that the stylus used contains self-powered electronics that generate
and transmit a signal to the tablet. These styluses rely on an internal battery rather than the
tablet for their power, resulting in a bulkier stylus. Eliminating the need to power the pen
means that such tablets may listen for pen signals constantly, as they do not have to
alternate between transmit and receive modes, which can result in less jitter.
Optical tablets
Optical tablets operate by a very small digital camera in the stylus, and then doing pattern
matching on the image of the paper. The most successful [citation needed]example is the technology
developed by Anoto.
Acoustic tablets
Early models were described as spark tabletsa small sound generator was mounted in the
stylus, and the acoustic signal picked up by two microphones placed near the writing
surface. Some modern designs are able to read positions in three dimensions. [11][12]

Capacitive tablets
These tablets have also been designed to use an electrostatic or capacitive signal. Scriptel's
designs are one example of a high-performance tablet detecting an electrostatic signal.
Unlike the type of capacitive design used for touchscreens, the Scriptel design is able to
detect the position of the pen while it is in proximity to, or hovering above, the tablet. Many
multi-touch tablets use capacitive sensing.[13][14]
For all these technologies, the tablet can use the received signal to also
determine the distance of the stylus from the surface of the tablet, the tilt (angle
from vertical) of the stylus, and other information in addition to the horizontal
and vertical positions, such as clicking buttons of the stylus or the rotation of the
stylus.
Compared to touchscreens, a graphics tablet generally offers much higher
precision, the ability to track an object which is not touching the tablet, and can
gather much more information about the stylus, but is typically more expensive,
and can only be used with the special stylus or other accessories.
Some tablets, especially inexpensive ones aimed at young children, come with
a corded stylus, using technology similar to older RAND tablets.

History of the drawing tablet

1. Joshua berryMr. BurnsComp App, 206/10/13
2. 2. 1888The first electronichandwriting tablet wasthe Telautograph1957The
first

graphicstablet

resemblingcontemporary

tabletsand

used

forhandwritingrecognition by acomputer was theStylator1964The RAND

tablet, alsocalled the Grafacon (forGraphic Converter) wasone of the earliest
tabletcomputers and sold for$18,000.
1. 3. 1972The tablet officiallyknown as the Atlas DECPDP 15 was producedfor
commercialconsumption by schoolsand technology labs.1979Apple released aGraphics
Tablet in 1979which enabled users todraw on the tablet with awired stylus pen andtransfer
those creationsover to their computer."1989The Grid Pad was one ofthe very first
portabletablet PCs
2. 4. 1991An early tablet that ranonthe Pen Point operating systems for tablets andPDAs. It cost
a whopping$4,765.1993This $1,599 portable tablet, which also ran on the Pen Point OS,
camewith an integratedcellular phone, a modemand fax, a harddrive, speakers and
amicrophone.1998This tablet was one of the very first to offer color touch screen.
3. 5. 2001Bill Gates himself debutedthis Compaq tablet PC at atech fair in 2001, predictingthat
tablets woulddominate the PCmarket within five years.The device helpedpopularize the term
tabletPC.2005Though attaching physicalkeyboards to tablet PCshad become a trend
by2005, some devicesremained touchscreen-only, such as the $1,899Motion Computing

LS800tablet device.2010The $499 (minimum) AppleiPad is being hailed byApple as a

"magical andrevolutionary" device.Reviewershave raved about theproduct, but its
marketsuccess remains to beseen.
4. 6. Todays Drawing Tablet Wacoms Cintiq line of drawing tablets is the cream to digital
graphics editing and creation, and of the crop when it comes the 12WX long reigned as an
impressive entry-level option for those with limited budgets and/or available work space.
5. 7. Site Resources Huff Post Tech Drawing Tablet Timeline of the Drawing Tablet
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/15/history-tablet-pcphotos_n_538806.html#s77827&title=RAND_Tablet_1964Huff Post Tech Drawing Tablet
Timeline Of the Drawing Tablet http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/04/15/history-tabletpc-photos_n_538806.html#s77827title=RAND_Tablet_1964JMCVEY Drawing Tablet
Timeline of the Drawing Tablet
http://www.jmcvey.net/cable/elements/telautograph1.htmWikipcpedia Drawing Tablet
Timeline of the Drawing Tablet http://wikipcpedia.com/wiki/on-the-move-%E2%80%93progress-and-mobile-computing/keep-taking-the-tablets/Tech Crunch Drawing Tablet
Timeline of the Drawing Tablet http://techcrunch.com/2013/03/19/cintiq-13hd-wacom/

If you have ever had a large image-retouching project, working with a mouse usually
makes it a less-than-precise and laborious endeavor. After years of experience using a
mouse, I have refined my ability to use a mouse to edit images. However, there are
better tools than mice out there to make your image editing quicker, easier work with
noticeably better results.
Working with a mouse can be tedious because your wrist is flat, and you can only work
using crude dragging motions that involve your entire hand. Usually, a mouse is
imprecise and clunky in your hand, and after prolonged use, your hand will start to
cramp. A mouse is fine for surfing the web, scrolling, or doing simple work, but a
drawing tablet allows you to complete more detail-intensive much more comfortably.
A drawing tablet usually comes with a stylus, which is closely related to a pen in shape.
They are generally much easier and more comfortable to hold in your hand than a
mouse, and they allow for an incredible degree of precision in your work. Wacom tablets

have up to 2400 different levels of pressure sensitivity. Mice only have two levels of
pressure sensitivity; clicked or not clicked. This gives tablets a huge advantage over
mice, especially for detail-oriented image editing. When using Photoshop, the pressure
sensitivity applies to your brushes as well. This makes it so much easier to blend colors,
add effects, and apply retouching techniques.
With a stylus, you can tilt the pen, and move your hand and wrist into a natural drawing
position. This allows you to have much more control over the strokes that you make. You
can literally sketch with your computer. You can paint with your stylus digitally inside of
Photoshop, and your work will have a more natural appearance, simply from the fact
that you have a natural range of hand and finger flexibility. If you want your images to
come alive and have an organic, natural, professional look, then a Wacom tablet is an
ideal tool for your design work.
There are many different models available; you just have to decide which one is right for
you. It really depends on the features that you want, and whether you are using it for
work or recreation. The following models are available

The definition of a Digitizer (also known as Drawing Tablets, Digitizer Tablets, Graphics Tablets,
Drawing Tables, or CAD Tablets) is an input device for converting analog to digital data using a
single pointing device. The pointing device can be either a cursor, puck, stylus, or mouse and people
call them by different names within the industry. Digitizers are also used for software menu overlays
where the user can select commands in CAD much faster from the tablet menu as opposed to
selecting them in the software. Or perhaps its a customized menu overlay that the user has to use,
and this is where a digitizer can perform. Digitizers are great time-savers when entering data into
estimating and cad programs. Engineer Supply is a Factory Authorized GTCO CalComp Dealer.

Digitizer Tablets are electronic boards that send very accurate points to a computer through a usb

cable. Used with appropriate software, digitizers can trace parts and patterns, compute areas and
lengths, and digitize XY points for Excel spreadsheets. Digitizing tablets are useful in many
industries.
Digitizer Tablet types include rigid hardboards, flexible rollups, and large jumbos. Hardboard tablets
are very durable and range in size from 12x12" (30x30cm) to 44x60" (110x150cm). Rollup digitizers
are flexible and portable and range in size from 20x24" (50x60cm) to 36x48" (90x120cm). Jumbo
boards are multiple digitizers connected together, from 2 to 16, for tracing very large patterns and
parts.
Digitizer Tablets come with a pen stylus or cursor for digitizing. A pen stylus has a click tip on the end
and side buttons. The cursor looks like a mouse and has 16 buttons with a cross hair on a
magnifying glass for added accuracy.
Scroll down to view Digitizer Tablets and Digitizer Tablet software solutions available from The Logic
Group.