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Charles Moore Reviews The Wacom Graphire2 Graphics Tablet
I’m not really a graphics person, so I’ve never had a whole lot to do with graphics tablet input devices, but the introduction of Apple’s “Ink” handwriting recognition technology with OS X 10.2 are has opened up a new avenue of potential, especially for persons with physical disabilities that make typing a problem. I’ve also been curious about the possibility that pen-based input might be another helpful work around for pointing and clicking. So when the good people at Wacom, the undisputed leader in graphics tablet technology, offered me one of their Graphire2 tablets to test, I eagerly awaited its arrival. 
The Graphire2 package consists of the tablet itself -- a note pad shaped plastic panel about half the size of the standard clipboard; the Graphire2 pen -- a pen-shaped stylus with a click button on the side; they Graphire2 Cordless Mouse -- a three-button mouse with a scroll wheel that operates on the tablet’s surface; and two CDs containing driver software and a package of bundled graphics applications. Installation of the Graphire2 proved sample. You just plug the tablet’s USB cable into a USB port, and if all is well, a small LED will light on the tablet showing that is properly connected. The Graphire2 Tablet CD contains software installers for both the Classic Mac OS (minimum OS 8.6), and OS X (minimum 10.1), as well as various versions of Windows. The installer automatically detects which system software it’s running under and proceeds accordingly. The Classic OS install was especially slick, taking only a minute or two, and not requiring a restart. The installer menu automatically displayed, and the instructions were easy to follow. 
The OS X install required a double-click of the install icon in the CD window, which, interestingly, called up Classic mode. However, a different install menu ultimately appeared from the one I had used for the OS 9.2.2 install, and the OS X installer seemed to be a standard native one, requiring entry of an administrator password, and with Aqua buttons and progress bars. Unlike the Classic install, the OS X software requires a restart in order to be fully operational. The installer CD also includes a quick start tutorial that walks you through the basic features and functions of the Graphire2 tablet and its input devices. A comprehensive user’s manual in PDF format is also provided, and I copied it to my hard drive for future reference. The user’s manual contains detailed information on using and customizing the Graphire2 tablet, including some quite advanced configuration options. 
To open the control panel and configure your preferences, in the Classic OS open the Wacom Tablet control panel from the Apple Menu Control Panels submenu. In OS X select Applications from the Go menu, open the Wacom folder, and double click on the tablet icon,. A graphics tablet like the Graphire2 of course facilitates sketching and drawing by hand, and allows you to sign your name in digital documents. However, if you, like me, are not heavily into graphics for work or hobby, is there any point in owning a graphics tablet? Probably yes. For one thing, if you are afflicted with mousing pain, a graphics tablet can help, by allowing you to point and click with less hand strain than with a mouse or trackball. The Graphire2 Pen’s flared grip and ergonomic advantages make it a comfortable way to work on your computer. 
The Wacom cordless Graphire2 Mouse also dispenses with cords and cleaning, and is claimed to be twice as accurate as a standard optical mouse. Three programmable buttons give you key commands at your fingertips, and the scrolling fingerwheel lets you scroll Web pages and text documents with ease. The pressure-sensitive Graphire2 Pen makes easy to edit photos, sketch, add a note to an email, or simply sign your name. Signing your name is easier with a pen than with a mouse. Throw in the Graphire2 tablet and a great software bundle and at under $100-- you have a bargain. Of course if you are into graphics, or just want to have more fun with your digital photos, having a graphics tablet is a no-brainer. With the Graphire2 you can move people around in photos, colorize old black-and-white images, or just clean up scratches and imperfections. Graphire2’s pen supports 512 levels of pressure, so you can easily edit your digital photos or make a quick sketch. 
With the bundled Painter Classic you can sketch and paint with simulated natural media tools like oils, colored pencils and chalks. 
My wife, who is not a computer person, had never seen a graphics tablet before, and was blown away by the feature that allows you to place a graphic or photo under the lift-up clear plastic tablet contact surface and trace over it with the pen transferring it to a graphics application document. “This is a really nice product,” she enthused, adding that she wished she had had one when we were homeschooling our kids. As this illustration shous, even in tracing mode the Graphire2 tablet won't turn someone with no drawing talent into an artist, but it does give you an idea of what can be done. (actually, while my stars are pretty lame, despite several remedial attempts, I think the lion looks pretty good. ;-) ) 
The Graphire2 pen positions the pointer (or cursor) on the screen. You can position the screen cursor two different ways, like a pen (pen mode) or like a mouse (mouse mode). 
The tablet’s working area is a map representation of your computer screen where every point on the tablet’s active area corresponds to exactly one point on display screen; when you draw or trace on the tablet, the screen cursor will jump to the corresponding point on your screen. This is the default setting for the Graphire2 and, and makes tracing possible -- something you cannot do with a mouse. In mouse mode (the default position of the Graphire2 Cordless Mouse), you move cursor with a “pick up and roll” action similar to using a mouse. As the pen enters proximity, the tablet senses the pen above the tablet surface. You do not need to touch the tablet with the pen tip in order to move the screen cursor To click, tap the tablet once with the tip of the Graphire2 hand, or press the pen tip on the tablet with enough force to register a click. (With the pen tip, there’s no audible click sound.) To double-click, quickly tap the tablet twice in the same place with the pen tip. This is like clicking twice with a mouse button. You can also double click by pressing a lower side switch -- this is the preferred method of double-clicking the pen. 
The Duo Switch has two programmable functions that can be selected by rocking the switch in either direction. You can use the Duo Switch whenever the pen tip is within proximity of the tablet. You do not have to touch the pen tip to the tablet in order to use the switch The upper switch position stimulates a control function. Clicking with the pen while pressing the side switch will display a contractual menu The lower switch position is set for a double-click by default. To assign alternate functions refer to customizing tools instructions in the manual. To drag, first point to an object, then press the Graphire2 pen to the tablet and slide it across the tablet. The selected item will move across the screen. To select text, move the painter to the beginning of the text line, then drag the Graphire2 pen across the tablet until the text is highlighted. The pen is activated this soon as it enters proximity of the tablet’s active area. This allows you to position the screen cursor or use the side switch without touching the pen tip to the tablet. You can also trace a drawing or photograph as long as the pen tip remains within proximity height, which is approximately 5 millimeters or 0.2 inches The Graphire2 pen responds to the nuance and inflection of your hand movements, enabling you to create natural looking pen and brush strokes. Many grapnics applications have drawing tools that respond the pressure you place on the pan. For example, in some drawing programs sliders are used to vary brush characteristics (width, color, and opacity.) These characteristics can be controlled much better by the Graphire2 pen’s pressure sensitivity. You can very line width, blend colors, and change opacity the pressure you exert upon the pen. To draw with pressure-sensitivity, select a pressure-sensitive tool from your application’s tool palette. Draw along the surface of the tablet while applying various amounts of pressure downward on the tip of the Graphire2 pen. Press hard for thick lines or dense color, and gently for thin lines or softer color. You can also adjust the tip feel. 
The eraser on the Graphire2 pen works like an eraser on a pencil. In graphics applications that support the pen’s eraser, you can erase intuitively and naturally. When you use the pen’s eraser, the application will automatically switch to the eraser tool. You can also use the eraser in many standard office applications. The eraser will not the pressures sensitive, but you can use it to select and delete text or spreadsheet cells You can try out the eraser in SimpleText or a text editor like Tex Edit Plus. Type a few words; then use the eraser to select the text. When you lift the pen, the text will be erased. There is also a Photoshop Eraser Support Plugin included on the Graphire2 CD, which, The plug-in works with Photoshop version 3.04 or later. Versions of Photoshop after 3.04, but not 4.0, shipped with the eraser support plug-in; but you can use this plug-in for versions which do not already have an eraser plug-in in the Photoshop plug-in extensions folder. Notwithstanding the bundled Adobe PhotoShop Elements application, which is very nice, I still prefer Color It! 4.1 (complete application folder size - 3.8 MB), which is a lot quicker and nimbler for what I routinely do with graphics, and which supports Photoshop plugins. I popped the Photoshop Eraser Support Plugin into Color It!’s plugins folder, and sure enough, the eraser works just as described above, switching back and forth between whatever Color It! tool I had selected and the eraser tool. 
The Graphire2 mouse is cordless, batteryless, and works by moving across the tablet’s active area. You can position the screen cursor just as you do with a regular mouse. The buttons are programmable, and the integrated finger wheel is both programmable with programmable middle button and a rolling wheel for scrolling. The application list is for advanced users who want to create application-specific settings. It is not necessary to select applications to customize your Graphire2 tools. 
To customize Graphire2, select the that Graphire2 pen or cordless mouse from the tool list; the appropriate tab will display for the selected tool. Just select the tab for the tool settings you want to modify. One feature that I mentioned above that I was not able to test for this review, and that will have to wait for a follow-up article, since I don’t have OS X 10.2 Jaguar installed on my computer yet, is Jaguar’s new handwriting recognition feature, Ink. As I’ve seen it described, when a graphics tablet is connected to a Mac running Jaguar, the “Ink” preference panel appears. Ink can reportedly be used to enter text anywhere in Mac OS X. John Siracusa of Ars Technica reports that:
Since I find handwriting a lot less stressful on my neuritis-plagued arms and hands than typing, I am really interested to try this out for myself. 
Bundled with the Graphire2 are Corel’s aforementioned proCreate Painter Classic, and Adobe Photoshop Elements - a “lite” version of Adobe PhotoShop (but still a 65 MB package). These bundled applications add a ton of value to the Graphire2 product, and provide the wherewithal to do some pretty cool stuff with your new tablet right out of the box. The Wacom Graphire2 graphics tablet is a very cool product, and, I think, and excellent value at $99. I have not yet explored more than a fraction of its capabilities, but so far, it works as advertised, and I have no hesitation in giving it a full 5-A Applelinks rating.
In summary, the Graphire2 includes: Graphire2 Specifications System requirements PC- PC running Windows 98, 2000, Millennium or XP; Powered USB port, CD-ROM drive & color monitor. The Wacom Graphire2 sells for $99.95 For more information, visit: Incidentally, Wacom has just posted some new drivers for their graphics tablets: Driver Downloads Beta Driver 4.75-a6 for Mac OS X v.10.1.5 & v.10.2 9/27/02 5/16/02 You can check them out at:
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