Those of you that use a Wacom Graphire, do you use the mouse that came with it, and if so, how well does it work? Does it work just like a ball mouse? i.e. if you pick up the mouse and set it back down on another part of the tablet, does the cursor follow the mouse like the pen does, or does the cursor stay where it was when you picked up the mouse? Thanks for the help.

I don't use the mouse because our floor is so springy that when my dogs run across the floor the mouse slides across the tablet because the tablet is so smooth. You should have seen me the first time I saw it. The mouse is jumping all over and I amtrying to figure out what is wrong with the computer.hahaha. Anyway I digress the mouse works exactly like a regular mouse only a little more sensitive and the cursor works with the mouse exactly the same as the pen does. I really like my graphire I found it very easy to get used to. Marge

Thanks for the advice. I have an older Wacom tablet, but I got greedy and bought a 12X12. Way to big to work with. I'm trying to decide if the Graphire will be good enough, or if I should spend the extra and get an Intuos. I should probably contact Wacom and see if they'll take my old tablet in trade.

I recently bit the bullet and purchased the Wacom Graphire also. I find it really easy to use and it doesn't clutter up the desktop at all. I find that because it is so compact you can either leave it on the desktop (removing the pen and mouse away so they don't cause interefence with the normal mouse) or stash it away onto a shelf or in my case the computer box itself. I do this because I tend to only use it when I am in my graphics programs and use my normal mouse at other times :) If they will not take it in trade you could try and see if any of the members here would be interested in purchasing it. I think you could almost guarantee that you would have more than a few takers :) Eshal

wyrwulf, about your original question - all new wacom tablets (including graphire) are able to detect the kind of pen automatically, and the control panel (on Mac, probably something similar on PC) allows you to set every detail. You can choose "relative mode" (mouse like) or "absolute mode" (pen like) for every input device. By default, mouse and pen are set to their "natural" behaviour, but you can change it. Even better, you can override it for individual programs... if you want, you can set the pen to "relative" mode for just one paticular app, but "absolute" for everything else... nice feature :-)

I really like the graphire including the mouse. I tried adjusting the sensitivity of the mouse and it was too sensitive for me and the cursor seemed to jump about with a mind of its own. I had to get used to the mouse as it is more sensitive than the regular one but it works great and for the price $99 here it was less than the other wacom tablet that I had which caused caniptions with Painter6; this one works great and the brushes work wonderfully well....

I must get one, what size tablet do you use?

I recently brought an Intuos tablet - only a small one. But, by God, now I wonder how I got by without it. I haven't got the mouse yet, but it's on my list to buy (right after the "airbrush") Paul

Lorraine, if you still have your other tablet (if its an Intuos anyhow-and a number of others), you might try their new drivers (just go to www.wacom.com and look for drivers). I have a 6 x 8 Intuos and had problems with Painter Classic. I wrote Wacom tech and they advised the new driver. Fixed things immediately. The driver installation is very easy too--just uninstall your old one and add the new one. Diane B

wyr, I have a Graphire and do not use the mouse. I have a Logitech Wheel mouse that I like better. I can use either mouse if I want but I like the feel and weight of the logitec better. The Graphire kicks butt for the money! Clint

If your thinking about selling the 12x12 to some one here, how much would you concider for it? If it's not too much I might be interested.

Thanks, everyone, for the advice. Hob, I just e-mailed Wacom to ask if they took trades, and how much it is worth. It is an ArtZ II 12X12 in great condition. It's just too big for my workspace. The new Intuos accessories ,like the air brush, don't work with it. Wacom still has drivers for it on their download site. I paid $400 for it two years ago. I think it should be worth $200. I will wait and see what Wacom says about the value. If I decide to try to sell it, I'll let everyone here know.