What is a creative pen tablet or creative pen display?

Sometimes called “drawing tablets,” “digital graphics tablets,” “pen tablets,” “drawing tablets,” “drawing pads,” “creative display,” “pen input screens,” or “graphics input tablets,” among other names, creative pen tablets and displays are technology that converts digital pen input from a device to a computer.

Pen tablets vs. pen displays

“Creative pen tablets,” like the Wacom Intuos, are flat, and pen input is displayed on the computer’s monitor.

“Creative pen displays,” like the Wacom Cintiq, act as their own monitor, so pen input is done on the screen itself.

Essentially, a creative pen tablet or display allows users to write or draw like they would with a pen on paper – but have that input seamlessly show up in whatever computer software they have it connected to. Instead of trying to create with a mouse or trackpad, or creating art traditionally and then photographing or scanning it into a digital form, artists can easily create work digitally.

Why digital artists and creators of all kinds use Wacom products

From comics artists, to illustrators, to photo editors, to game designers, to 3D artists, to fashion designers, creatives of all kinds use pen tablets and pen displays to marry the intuitive feeling of using a pen or paintbrush with the power of digital creative software. That’s why Wacom’s pen tablets and displays are used to make cutting-edge work in top animation, design, concept art, video game, and film studios, as well as by amateur and freelance artists across every creative industry.