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Interactive Displays
Review: Wacom Cintiq 12WX
The high-end interactive display goes mobile for around $1,000
12/12/2007
Obviously I haven't had this particular unit long enough to make any claims to its durability. But, in my extensive experience with all sorts of electronic devices, this is a rarity. These days, Wacom might even be unique in this regard. The company simply doesn't build disposable technologies. Even the nibs, which are consumables, are meant to last. I still haven't gone through a complete set, and I use these pens every single day. So the indication is, at least from a historical perspective, that the 12WX has been built to last as well.Software Features
Like all Wacom tablets, the Cintiq 12WX includes driver software that provides a variety of controls over the behavior of the tablet and individual pens. This includes sensitivity adjustments for tip feel, eraser feel, and tilt sensitivity; button assignments for individual pens; and functions for the buttons and touch strip on the tablet itself. These range from display toggle (critical when using multiple displays), modifier keys, and keystroke sequences to first through fifth mouse clicks, application switching, and activating the pop-up menu.
These settings can be made globally or assigned as custom settings for individual applications. This is useful, for example, when you want to set the touch strip to scrub in Apple Final Cut Pro but zoom in Adobe Photoshop.
Like other Cintiqs, the 12WX include a utility (built into the driver software) for calibrating the cursor with the position of the pen.
On the software side, it's also worth noting that the Cintiq 12WX comes bundled with Corel Painter Essentials 3 for Mac and Windows (far superior to the previous version of Painter Essentials), Adobe Photoshop Elements 5 (Windows) and 4 (Mac), and Nik Color Efex Pro 2.
The Bottom Line
For instructors and students involved in the visual arts, a pressure-sensitive tablet is crucial. A mouse simply won't cut it--not in the professional world, not in an educational setting. It used to be that I'd pretty much universally recommend Intuos tablets to my readers. Now, however, with its comparatively low price point, wealth of high-end functionality, high-quality display, and surprising portability, I can't help but move the Cintiq 12WX up to the top of my recommendation list. Couple this with a laptop or, say, a Mac mini, and you have yourself an excellent, compact, portable setup for visual arts. Or combine it with a higher-end workstation and additional displays, and it makes a great companion tool that can also be taken on the road when needed. This is the most innovative, ground-breaking high-end input device to come along in years.
The Cintiq 12WX is available now for a retail price of $999. It's compatible with all applications, and all major graphics applications have built-in support for the tablet's advanced functionality. (For those of you who think like me, yes, it also works with first-person shooters.) It supports Mac OS X, including Leopard, and Windows. Drivers for Wacom tablets for Linux are available through the Linux Wacom Project (a third-party initiative supported by Wacom).
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About the author: Dave Nagel is the executive editor for 1105 Media's educational technology online publications and electronic newsletters. He can be reached at dnagel@1105media.com.
Have any additional questions? Want to share your story? Want to pass along a news tip? Contact Dave Nagel, executive editor, at dnagel@1105media.com.
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