Wacom Intuos3 Graphics Tablet Review

Although not the latest models being offered in the Wacom Intuos range of USB graphics tablets, the Intuos3 is still a great buy and you are not really losing out on any features or benefits from paying for the newer Intuos4 range either.

The Wacom Intuos3 graphics tablet is ambidextrous and comes in 6 different sizes to suit all needs and pockets - 4x5, 6x8, 6x11, 9x12, 12x12, and 12x19 inches. This gives the user the perfect opportunity to be able to purchase the size of tablet that they need, be it a smaller, portable unit for home use or a large tablet for professional digital artwork. See our “What Size Graphics Should I Buy” article for more information on choosing the correct size for your needs. The newer Wacom Intuos4 range only comes in 3 different sizes, so the older range already trumps the newer in my opinion.

As with all of the Wacom range, the Intuos3 connects via an 8ft USB cable, provides a wireless “Wacom comfort grip pen” that is sensitive to 1024 levels, features several programable buttons and has that oh so handy eraser tip on the other end. Also supplied is a nice Wacom 5 button mouse that you can use on the tablet too, should you suffer writers cramp or need to use the mouse for any reason.

The tracking of the Wacom Intuos3 tablet is second to none. Simply hold the cordless pen over the surface of the tablet and your movement will be followed and the mouse cursor will move on the screen at the same time. The active area of the Intuos3 transposes to the whole of your PC or Mac screen, so where ever you draw on the pad, that is where you draw on the screen. The graphics pad also sports several programable “ExpressKeys” and a touch strip in each top corner of the pad (for left and right handed users). The buttons can be used for tool selection and the touch strip can be used to drag the pen over to zoom in and out of your image or change brush sizes and thicknesses. This is a great addition to the tablet and makes working with applications a breeze.

For those who have never used a graphics tablet before, there is simply nothing else like it. It may sound slightly disjointed or disconnected, but once you have tried it, there will be no going back. It becomes so intuitive and natural, you will wonder how you did with just a mouse for so long.

The Intuos3 pack or bundle comes with over $200 worth of software, drivers, games and utilities, making this a great package to buy if you are on a tight budget. It is a perfect Graphics Tablet for first time and seasoned users and can be put to immediate use editing photos, creating artwork in Adobe Photoshop or signing off your MSN messages in Windows Vista. This is the complete package.