Wacom tablet troubleshooting

Installing the latest drivers

If your Wacom device seems to work when you first plug it in, but you experience erratic behavior (for example, problems with stylus pressure or with drifting or offset of the brush stroke), you need the latest tablet driver.

NoteIf you switch from serial to USB devices, try uninstalling the tablet driver and reinstalling it.

For the latest Wacom drivers, go to the Support area of http://www.wacom.com. Install a tablet driver only after you have plugged in the Wacom device, uninstalled the previous driver, and restarted.

NoteFor PC users, do not install Wacom drivers on a Tablet PC. Only install those drivers provided by your Tablet PC manufacturer.

Using default tip pressure feel

Stylus responsiveness

Adjusting system stylus responsiveness

Styli (pens) for various systems each respond differently to the pressure you apply. If you dislike the feel of your current stylus, use the following instructions.

NoteThis setting affects brushstrokes for all pressure-sensitive brushes.

Select a pressure-sensitive brush, such as the pencil.

NoteYou cannot adjust stylus responsiveness, unless the current brush is pressure-sensitive.
Select Edit > Pen Responsiveness.
The Pen Responsiveness window appears.
Move the slider to the right to increase the responsiveness of the stylus.

For PC

For Mac

As you move toward the Less end of the scale, the feel of the stylus becomes softer. You do not have to press hard to get dark and thick strokes.

As you move toward the More end of the scale, the feel of the stylus becomes harder. Press hard to get dark and thick strokes.
Test your stylus on the canvas. Experiment with different types of brushes.

NoteThe Pen Responsiveness window stays up while you test.
Keep testing with different responsiveness values until the marks on the screen look and feel right.
With heavy pressure, the markers and other heavier brushes tend to make dark, thick strokes. With light pressure, the pencils tend to make light, but visible strokes.

NoteYou may need to adjust the pen responsiveness each time you use a different tablet or stylus.

Adjusting stylus responsiveness for one brush

Adjusting Tablet PC settings

For PC users, optimize your workflow by changing Tablet PC settings.

NoteThe following settings are for the Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition operating system running on Tablet PCs. They do not apply to other operating systems.

NoteDo not install Wacom drivers on your Tablet PC. Only use drivers provided by your Tablet PC manufacturer.

Using primary landscape orientation

Disabling the pop-up keyboard

Disabling the right mouse button menu