Wacom Cintiq 12WX review

When Wacom first experimented with building a monitor into a pressure-sensitive graphics tablet, the result was an unwieldy, heavy box that fitted neither on the lap nor the desktop.

Several versions later and the Cintiq has evolved into a thing of beauty - a slim, lightweight tablet measuring 405 x 270 x 18mm, which sits comfortably on the lap and yet still boasts an impressive 308mm (diagonal) wide-screen monitor with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels.

There's no doubt that this is a gorgeous piece of kit, with hardware buttons on both sides and an optional flip-up stand for desk work. The tablet connects to a separate 'converter unit' via a generous two-metre cable; the converter then has three leads snaking away from it - one for power and the other two respectively for USB and your Mac's second video out ports.

The tablet features a crisp, clear LCD screen that's not as bright as we would like - moving an image from our Cinema Display to the tablet causes a noticeable drop in output. There are five hardware buttons on each side of the screen, which can be configured to perform a range of tasks from simply holding a modifier key (the most common option) to switching applications, applying multiple clicks and running macros.

As with other Wacom tablets there's also a touch strip, used for scrolling or zooming the current window. In our testing though, this behaved erratically. The printed manual refers to the online Help in the Control Panel but this doesn't appear in the Mac version.

The strip can be set to perform other functions too. When set to the square bracket keys, for example, dragging on the strip will change the current brush size in Photoshop.

The top button of the set by default is configured to switch between displays, determining the use of the pen on the tablet drive, the cursor on the tablet's own screen, or your main monitor. In the second mode, the active area is divided between your monitor and the Cintiq, allowing both to be controlled for such operations as dragging windows between the two. However, there is some jitter to the cursor when used on the main display. This is most noticeable when moving windows around - and they shake uncontrollably while in motion.

Due to its lightweight design, the Cintiq can be used while sitting back in an armchair, sketching on the tablet up to two metres from your desk. But here's a snag - whatever application you're working in you need access to a keyboard whether it's for changing tools, invoking menu options or naming files. And when your keyboard is two metres away, reaching for it does disrupt the creative flow. The obvious solution would have been to build a virtual keyboard into the Cintiq (the iPhone has shown how well this can work) but Wacom persistently refuses to take this step.

Using the tablet is a joy. Drawing directly on to the monitor means surer brush strokes, more precise tracing and greater control for such activities as handwriting. In graphics applications though, it's noticeable how your hand gets in the way of the image. It always takes new Wacom owners a week or so to get used to the fact that using the pen isn't like using a pencil. Now Cintiq owners will have to take the time to unlearn that feeling.

The tablet can be used as a secondary monitor, running some applications on it with others on the main screen. The problem here is that you can't choose which monitor to place menus on - they have to be all on one or all on the other. So you couldn't, for instance, run Photoshop on the tablet and InDesign on your Cinema Display without having to keep going back to the main screen for your menus.