I debated over whether or not to get a 12WX ever since the product was announced, and part of my hesitation was due to the fact that the information I found on the internet did not fully address the concerns I had. Please keep in mind that this is all my opinion, and my needs may not be the same as yours, but hopefully this information proves a little useful to those who still are unsure about purchasing the 12WX.

My primary reasons for getting the Cintiq 12WX:

1) Alleviate some of my physical pains. Without going into too much detail about my personal life, let's just say that due to a number of factors, certain actions and postures that others have no problem with are difficult for me.
2) Provide a portable secondary display for work and home.

Design

The 12wx with the height stand fully extended

I'll skip the tech specs, as they are easily found elsewhere. It's surprisingly light for what it is; I was expecting something thicker and heavier. The adjustable stand is sturdy, but not sturdy enough to withstand drawing if it isn't fully extended, or if you have something else to prop it up against.

One of the first things I noticed about the 12WX was that there wasn't a seamless bezel on it (like the 21UX), which probably means dust may get under the screen easier. I haven't had any problems so far, but I'll just have to wait and see how long it lasts. The screen is framed by a 1/2" black border, meaning you'll never have to worry about your pen hitting the bezel. Interestingly enough, when you toggle between displays, the active tablet area expands beyond the screen and into these borders. No matter how hard you press down on the pen, the 12WX does not suffer from any LCD pooling, which is probably because the distance between the tablet surface and the actual display appears to be greater than in the 21UX. Depending on what angle you're sitting at and how you're looking at the screen, you probably won't even notice the distance between your pen tip and the cursor if you face the display head on.

Size difference between the 12wx and my old Intuos 2

Back View

Flat view of how the cable comes out

Another view of how the cable comes out of the unit

Portability

Everything needed to run the 12WX: Video Connection box, video cable, AC adaptor, power cable, and USB cord. Definitely not something I'd want to carry around with me everywhere I go!

I chose the 12WX over the 20WSX and the 21UX because I wanted to be able to take it to and from work. Unfortunately, because of the the connection box and the number of cables necessary to operate it, it's not a fully portable device. But it is easy enough to carry around if your intention is on using it in a limited number of locations. My workplace provided me with the extra cables, so all I have to do is bring in the video connection box, AC adaptor, and the unit itself. I'd be interested in purchasing another video box and AC adaptor just to make setting up and disassembling faster, but I have a feeling it would be more expensive than the convenience is worth.

Video Connection Box with wires plugged in

Display

I'll preface this by saying that I do not proclaim to be a color expert. In fact, I wish I knew more about it, but since I do not work for print purposes, I haven't taken the time to read too much into it. The display itself is good, but not great. It seems like the screen has a warm up time, because it feels a little dark whenever I turn it on. My main complaint, however, is with the color. It took a lot of fussing around with matching color profiles across monitors and reconfiguring my Photoshop work space to even out the color discrepancy. Even after all of that, the colors do not saturate the way I'd like them to unless I resort to some hack "fix" like increasing the digital vibrance through my video card.

There's a fair amount of backlight bleeding at the corners and extremities of the display, which has not proved to be much of an issue for me as it is only viewable if you are working on a predominately dark/black image. From what I understand, it is this backlight bleeding that causes the cursor jitter towards the corners and sides of the 12WX. This seems to be a make or break deal for a lot of people, but I can assure you that I've never missed a click, button, or anything else for that matter because of it. I also work mostly around the center of the screen anyway, so it doesn't bother me at all.

Functionality

The surface is a bit smoother than the 21UX, but it's not excessively smooth or distracting. Using felt nibs helps considerably, and thankfully these nibs last a great deal longer on the 12WX as the reduced friction puts less stress on the nibs' marker-like response. I would like to point out that when I first got the 12WX, there was a strange grit to the surface that made it VERY tactile. This grittiness went away as the day went by, and while it was kind of neat, it made me wonder if I was scratching the display (thankfully I didn't!).

This is not the greatest way to illustrate screen resolution, but hopefully it will give you a better idea as to whether or not a 12" display running at 1280 x 800 is large enough to work with:

2048 x 2048 texture at 100% zoom (Photoshop interface hidden)

2048 x 2048 texture at 100% zoom (Photoshop Interface on)

Same texture, resized to 1024 x 1024 (Photoshop Interface Hidden)

Same texture, resized to 1024 x 1024 (Photoshop Interface on)

While I have found myself occassionally wishing the screen size and resolution was just a tad bigger, it's not uncomfortable to work with, and I can still paint in Photoshop even with a number of palettes open.

One area that I did not expect to make much of a difference with the Cintiq was in digital sculpting. I think there is a bigger eye-hand coordination disconnect with 3d art than 2d art because usually you are so far removed from your geometry that accuracy never seems to be as big of an issue as it is with 2d. I was pleasantly surprised at how much more natural Mudbox felt with the Cintiq. Drawing on the screen adds an extra level of interactivity, as if you're physically indenting the 3d object as opposed to magically deforming the surface.

The Mudbox inteface is pretty streamlined, so there's plenty of room to work with

Mudbox (Expert Mode)

I find the ExpressKeys and touch strip a lot more useful on the 12WX than on the Intuos 3 (where I never use them at all), though honestly the only key I really use is the one I have set for the Display toggle. I would rather rely on my Nostromo Speedpad N52 (Man, I sound like a commercial!) for all my keyboard shortcuts than try to rely on 10 buttons divided across 2 sides of the tablet. Another reason why I rely on the Speedpad is because it prevents me from reaching forward and putting my upper body into a strange position in order for me to use keyboard shortcuts. Using the 12WX puts the mouse out of reach, so the toggle is useful to control both monitors, and it also allows me to use it as if it were a normal tablet. This is nice because extended sessions using the Cintiq the way it was meant to be used can put some strain on my neck.

One of the big reasons why I never invested in a Cintiq before (besides the prohibitively high price tag) was that I wasn't sure if I would be distracted by not being able to "see" through my drawing hand. Now that I have used the 12wx, I realize that it was a silly concern as from the very first day I had my 12WX, I didn't have a problem at all!

I know some artists have expressed concerns over the 21UX's screen getting warm, which would potentially cause one's hand to sweat or stick to the surface of the tablet. Wacom has remedied this to a certain degree on the 12WX, but it isn't completely gone. For whatever reason, the unit begins to warm up after a while along the lower edge of the screen, and crawls up just slightly. It never seems to get warm above that area though.

I've also run into a problem where turning the Cintiq on and off whenever I needed to use it will occasionally kill the tablet drivers, forcing me to restart my computer. I haven't been able to pinpoint whether or not this problem happens more in XP or Vista (or perhaps user error for me doing something wrong?), but it can become troublesome.

Cintiqs vs TabletPCs

It's difficult not to compare the 12WX with a TabletPC. After all, if part of the appeal of the 12WX's portability (which it really isn't all that portable), why get a Cintiq when a TabletPC gives you a pressure sensitive display as well as the computing power all in one package? If this is an ongoing question that prevents you from investing in a Cintiq, I think you will be happier with a TPC. The Cintiq is meant to be used as an accessory and to complement your workflow, not necessarily to act as the source for all your computing needs.

I have had the Fujitsu T4020D for over 2 years now, and the entire experience has been a big let down after the first few weeks of excitement wore off. One of my chief complaints regarding my tablet is that regardless of whether I am in Slate or Convertible mode, it was just uncomfortable to work on. I would have had to have invested in some kind of slanted table, or a more elegant stand that would prop it up in order for me to effectively use. Although this may sound silly, the 12WX's height adjustable stand is actually a big advantage because it helps finding a comfortable work position a lot easier. I was also frustrated by not having the freedom to re-map the screen buttons to any command I wanted; they are limited to whatever operations Fujitsu decided upon (and none of these overlap with digital art software at all!). Using my Nostromo helped, but that still did not address the fact that I still could not position the tablet well.

In my experience with TPCs, I always felt like it did a lot of things, but it didn't do any particular thing well. At first, I thought that I could live with the underperforming integrated graphics card and the low pressure sensitivity, but the more I used it, the more I realized that not only did I not need the portability, but also when considering the kind of work I do (in addition to my own physical problems), TPCs in their current state just do not fit my workflow well. I'd love to be proven wrong though! I hope the technology improves because I do think there's a lot of potential, it's just I went into it with the wrong set of expectations. But for now, I'd rather carry a sketchbook.

Should You Buy One?

While I can't say that I've done better artwork since I got the 12WX (nothing can replace actual ability), I think it has definitely made my life easier. The 12WX satisfied my need for an alternative workflow to help alleviate some of my physical problems, and it gave me a solid secondary display I could use both at work and at home.

It has been a pleasure to discover that the advantages of drawing direct onscreen go beyond linework and sketches. Digital sculpting on the Cintiq is great, and I would suggest any 3d modeller to give it a try. I find creating art in general a lot more comfortable now, and while the technology is not perfect, the advantages far outweigh the cons. Of course, there are plenty of artists out there who do just fine without Cintiqs, and in some cases, with just mice!

Obviously the 12WX isn't for everyone, and I think the 12WX is meant for a smaller group of people who have very specific needs. If some of the issues the 12WX is known for (cursor jitter, smooth surface, etc) sound like they could be a big deal to you, you may be better off looking into a different product. Cintiqs and TPCs both have their pros and cons, and more than anything else, what it really comes down to is how do you intend to work, and what sounds easiest to integrate into YOUR workflow :) Just because the 12WX works for me does not necessarily mean it will work for you. For what it's worth, I do not regret my purchase!

Questions? Comments? Contact me at: admin (at) donaldphan (dot) com

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