XP-Pen Artist 12 Digital Drawing Display Tablet Review!

I realize this is my third blog post today and I *could* schedule them apart, but why not just keep up the flow and be spontaneous!

Without further ado, let's get into the tablet review.

I decided to go with yet another XP-Pen tablet, if only to make sure having multiple brands' drivers on my computer didn't cause conflict. It happens and I was so happy with the 22E Pro anyway that it wasn't a sacrifice. Most complaints come from Wacom users having conflict with their drivers not playing nice...

What does it come with?

• the 11.5" widescreen drawing display tablet
• a screen glove
• a screen cloth
• an assortment of cords for *most* Mac and PC users
• power adapters for overseas use
• instructions for setup
• one no-charge stylus
• extra nibs in a pen case/stand

What it ISN'T: a standalone tablet or touch screen. A good deal of reviewers thought this would be akin to an iPad, have its own graphics software, or work without a stylus. Depending on where you shop, this tablet will run about $225-250, which no such technology would be this inexpensive. It is, however, akin to a Wacom Cintiq, as it is simply an extra display that can communicate with a stylus. Cintiq does have a touchscreen model, but you're looking to pay hundreds more.

THE SCREEN: HD, all the way. It's comparable to my MacBook Pro screen. It also has a screen protector pre-set, which I don't suggest removing. Some people insist it makes their screen blurry. My advice is to set the navigator or preview screen of your graphics program on your primary monitor to view it more clearly. No warranty covers scratches of the screen guard or the original screen, so protect your assets. However, I don't have an trouble seeing the work. Make use of zooming and the hand tool to improve the view for details.

THE HOT KEYS: There are six on this one, as well as a slider bar. The defaults suffice, but I changed the bottom three to Eyedropper and Zoom/In Out and the slider bar to brush size. The first three are brush, eraser, and undo. I may use Undo, but the first two are kind of useless with the default stylus options, which I'll get to. They click quietly when you push them and they're in a good place to not be accidentally hit even when you hold the tablet on that side to draw with the tablet in your lap. The options are easy to set in the driver's folder.

THE STYLUS: Love this even more than the 22E Pro! There is an eraser on top like my Wacom Intuos 4 and the grip is angular like holding a wooden pencil. The buttons are NOT easy to accidentally press as they are recessed into the grip rather than sticking out. It also works without charging. Very lightweight as well.

CALIBRATION/PARALLAX: Very simple, but beginners may have some difficulty getting used to it. It's not necessary to do this if you have the indicator cursor on, showing you where you'll make your marks anyway. Don't overthink this. Unless you're completely stationary, you'll have to calibrate it every time to make it 'perfect.' I've described the concept of parallax in my 22E Pro review, but it's basically the room between where the pen touches the glass and where it shows up. Some people complain about this, but again, it's not something that slows me down. For the money, it's pretty damn great and cuts down plenty of time from my Intuos' issues.

CONNECTIONS/POWER: I haven't had any trouble with the cords causing interruption when the tablet is moved, nor any faulty wiring. I have the MacBook adapter plugged into the HDMI, and the two USBs plugged into the USB ports. I also plugged the port that connects to the tablet with the wires not hanging over the power button. For some reason, I plugged it in the other way and there was some screen jittering. This issue went away when I flipped it. Not sure why you'd want to cover the power button anyway... Sometimes USB port warnings will pop up on laptops when they are using too much power, but I don't have that issue with the tablet (even though charging an ipod has given me that grief before). They do include a power adapter to use if that is an issue. They also include international power adapters so bonus for those using this as a mobile display.

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I only used it for an hour, so I can't speak for long-term heating issues, but I haven't seen complaints with that. The tablet itself only weighs a couple pounds, no more than the Intuos 4, so it's very comfortable using it in my lap. I did a little doodling in my favorite drawing program, Clip Studio Paint:

Me and my cyan lines on grey to draft...

Thoroughly enjoyed just playing with it a bit. Once again, I look forward to what all I can accomplish with this over time.

Oh, and as for SET-UP, the instructions take you to their website to install the drivers. Install discs are defunct in this day and age, so anticipate using the internet just for this. It's a small file size so it downloads quick even with a slow internet connection. I do still have the Wacom driver on my MacBook but it didn't cause issues. My computer automatically set the screens as separate when I powered on the tablet, but some people have to set up whether they want to mirror screens or treat them separately manually. You'll have the options to set buttons on the stylus, hotkeys on the tablet, calibration and screen operations from there.

I don't know why I thought this would be a big task. It was set and customized within 15 minutes and it's very intuitive for most artists. As long as you know how to use your graphics program, the tablet doesn't add a huge learning curve to that.

If I can think of anything I overlooked, I'll add it later (asking me in comments will also help me decide what to add). For now, I hope this convinces you to give this tablet a try! As nice as this tablet is, it's hard to believe Wacom could really be worth paying hundreds more for. It really is a joy to work with.