I'm looking to pick up a Wacom Tablet. I got to use one of the Intuos 6x8 recently and was impressed. After pricing them, I realize that one of the 4x5's is more in my price range. (Unless I get luck on Ebay :) So my question is has anyone here used the Intuos 4x5 and did you like it? I'm worried about the translation in the smaller screen area. Is it acceptable for a beginner? Also can anyone tell me the difference between the Graphire and the Intuos? I read the Wacom site material and can't make heads or tails of the differences. Thanks.

I use a Graphire and now I'ld say I really like it :o) But it took me about one month to be nearly as fast as with my old mouse ... But I really can suggest it.

I own a Grahire and I love it, I got it because it was in my price range and I use both the mouse and pen. The difference between the 2, the Intuos has more what you might call range of pressure off of the pen. But that is about it. The Graphire has 512 different pressures on the tip, so you can make approximately 512 different lines for an example, from the very faint to the very very thick. That is about it, if you are a beginner you should try the Graphire, if you like it but need more range other than 512, then by all means go for it. I am not a beginner and I love the Graphire because it does all that I expect. Hope this helps. Sharen:)

Blurb from the Wacom site about the differences http://www.wacom.com/productinfo/differences.cfm Both products are good and it will depend what you need it for what you end up buying. I have the Intuos 9 x 12 but only use the smallest area in the corner for 90% of my work (you can map an area) , so the size of the smaller one should not be too big an issue.. I bought the bigger one as I often use it to trace.. I have also heard people who own the Graphire rave about it. Mine takes up a huge area of desk... The smaller size would probably be a lot easier to manage..

I have a Graphire and highly recommend it to anyone who is into doing post work on pic's etc. I did want the Intuos, but the price factor made me go with the graphire. I also doubt you will find the size all that small concidering that is inches, your screen is in pixels. It's very unlikely you will ever feel that 4x5 is too small.

Attached Link: http://www.epinions.com/content_26682297988/tk_~CB005.1.3

PS, if you want a more detail on the tablet I wrote an epinion here.

I have the 4x5 intuous , I never used a tablet until a couple of months ago, and now it feels like im missing a arm without it. I love the thing , and the size is perfect for me, I can leave it on my slide out or put it in my lap. Im glad I didnt buy anything bigger it would have been a waist of money 4x5 does all I need.

Well to put a little of the negitive here. I too have the 4x5 Wacom with pen and mouse. I'm on a MAC and it is great to have a 2 button mouse and scroll wheel. But as for using the pen ... I have to say it has always been far too small for me to use effectivly. You have to scale down any sweeping motion to a very small space, making it diffucult to do something as simple as a signature. I don't know why I have problems because I have a Palm and a Pocket PC which are tiny and I have no problem with the stylus input on those. I highly recommend a tablet and for the price, the Graphire is a good way to go. But get ready for a frustrating learning curve for a month or so, but you'll get the hang of it eventually. Another good rule of thumb, is to find someone who has one and go over and use theirs and see how you like it. Or if possible, find a store that has a working model that you can play with. James

I have the Intuos 9x12, and I think it's great! I think that these tablets should be standard-issue for all artists. I do think having the larger size is nice because you can do longer brush strokes on it, though I haven't tried the small one. Another thing I liked... I have the USB version and I plugged it into my Mac and it worked. No fussing. Gosh, if only everything was that easy!

Attached Link: http://www.wacom.com/promo/refurb.cfm

Wacom also sells refurbs, which might allow you to buy a bigger size. I went with the 6 x 8 refurb, and am happy with it. They are also running a 9x12 and 12x12 refurb special right now.

I've got a 4x5 Graphire and I'm perfectly happy with it. A bigger one would've been waste of money, 4x5 is just perfect at least for me. The difference between Graphire and Intuos is (if I've understood correctly) that not only does Intuos have more pressure sensitivity but it also has tilt sensitivity which Graphire doesn't have. However, I personally feel Intuos is more for professional use - if you're a hobbyist a Graphire will probably be good enough for you. It sure is for me :)

Ive been using the graphire for a few years, and i love it.

The intuos mouse also does not come with a scroll wheel on the mouse. Since I use the mouse that came with the Graphire and a scroll wheel extensivly this to me is a small minus for going larger. And to touch on the price structure also. $429.00 for the 9x12 is a bit pricy, and even the refurb special is still $299.00 and pricy for a hobbiest. As I mentioned before, go find one and see what it's like and then decide if you can afford the higher priced Intuos or if you'll be happy with the much more affordable 4x5 Graphire. James

I have the 9x12 Intuos at work and the Graphire at home, using the same applications on both. Bottom Line: The differences between the $429 one and the $90 one are for most people too minuscule to make the more expensive one worth it. Get the Graphire, don't think twice about it, and go on your way.

Doing as much texturing as I do I finialy went adnd bought my first Wacom. I picked up the Wacom Graphire and have to say that it's the best investment I've made. I've had tablets ranging from 4x5 up to a Summa Graphics 3 14x14 inch tablet over tha past 8 or so years. The Graphire in my view is the best possible tablet not only because of the price but for the sice and ease of use. And...if down the road you feel you need to upgrade to a bigger tablet you haven't invested hundereds into the Graphire one. GeorgeD

I use now a Intuos 4by5 and i like it.Before i used Graphire model before and resell it for Intuos.Honestly ,Graphire was enough good for me.I wanted Intuos because i wanted use 4d mouse:this mouse was $$$ and finally i don't use it(Deep paint was supposed to use it but it still buggy).Graphire tablet and Painter 6:a perfect duo for digital painting

Attached Link: http://www.pricewatch.com

Well, I don't have a 4x5, but I do have a 6x8 Intuos. I got it for $150 on Amazon's auction (came with everything in it and I can barely tell that it was used). I got real lucky with finding it. I don't know how it compares to the 4x5 for quality or usage, but I looked at a Graphire while in a Fry's some time back and decided I wanted something a little bigger for my tastes. If a 4x5 suits your purposes, by all means go for it, but you may want to check a few of the auction spots too. You may get lucky like me. :) Also, pricewatch is your friend when you're looking for how much you can get one for. (See attached link.)

Wow, thanks for all the input. Based on your comments and the fact I'm a hobbiest, I will most likely go with the Graphire, which I wasn't really considering. Thanks everyone.

Attached Link: http://store.yahoo.com/muskalipman/gts.html

Also, you may want to pick up this book, it will help alot.

Ok..I'm sheepishly admitting this. I bought the Graphire at this board's recommendation about two months ago. It's still in the box. I LOVE my Intellimouse Explorer glow in the dark mouse, so I have a question. Can I use the Wacom tablet and my regular mouse too? I'm running ME on this machine, frothing at the mouth waiting on XP. I can't seem to figure this out from the docs in the box. GrayMare

I use a Graphire and an Intellimouse equivilant with zero problems. I say go for it. :-) (I love the Graphire board - hate the Graphire mouse.) TomD

Attached Link: http://www.mtl.t.u-tokyo.ac.jp/~takeo/teddy/teddy/teddy.html

Found this link in another forum. If this doesn't encourage you to try out your tablets, nothing will! Also, if you download the software, you'll be able to save what you create with it as an obj file, which means you can load the results into programs like Poser and anim8or. Ah, I should probably mention that this might be PC only; I'm not sure.