REVIEW – In my multi-year profession as an artwork director and kids’s ebook designer, I’ve used fairly a couple of graphics tablets. And over the previous few years, I’ve reviewed many different graphics tablets, each with and with out screens. Some I now use daily in my work—I like them that a lot. And whereas I could admire different tablets, they’re generally outshined by higher ones and return into the field when the overview is completed. It doesn’t matter what pill I’m testing, there’s one commonality I require of the tablets I overview—ease of use. If you happen to spend beneficial time futzing round with {hardware} or software program points, it could bitter your expertise. This brings us to the Gaomon PD156 Professional Pen Show.
What’s it?
The Gaomon PD156 Professional Pen Show is a light-weight, 15.6-inch graphics pill that comes with a built-in display screen. Suppose iPad with an Apple Pencil. Nevertheless, pen shows require a separate pc to work because it’s a monitor that may be drawn on with a provided pen. Its dimension and weight imply it may be moveable when related to a laptop computer.
The Gaomon PD156 Professional Pen Show has an anti-glare glass laminated display screen. Whereas the display screen is glass, it has a protecting movie utilized over it. Dearer pen shows have etched-glass screens that are extra sturdy over time. Lamination merely means the pen and on-screen cursor match precisely the place the pen tip touches the display screen. Extra on that later.
There are 10 shortcut buttons and a scroll wheel alongside the facet of the pill. Shortcut keys are precisely that—keys that may carry out numerous features with a single click on. These keys are absolutely customizable per software. Which means that the shortcut key settings are virtually limitless—solely depending on the variety of purposes in use.
Colour accuracy is fairly good—not nice. Notice that absolute colour accuracy comes at a a lot greater price—one thing solely a discerning artist is perhaps involved about.
The pen sports activities the same old 60° tilt and stress sensitivity, though no stress score numbers are provided by Gaomon.
Many equipment are included within the field, amongst them: Pen, Cables, Glove, a pen holder that holds further drawing nibs, an adjustable stand, and a protecting carrying pouch for occasions when the show wants transporting.
Specs
- Panel dimension: 15.6 Inches
- Decision: 1920 x 1080
- LCD display screen
- Facet ratio: 16:9
- Distinction ratio: 1000:1
- Gamut quantity: 88% NTSC
- Show colour: 16.7M (8bit)
- Pen: Battery-free electromagnetic resonance
- Strain degree: 8192 ranges
- Pen decision: 5080 LPI
- Tilt: ±60°
- Glass: Anti-glare protecting movie
- Full lamination: Sure
- Press keys: 9 personalized press keys, 1 OSD change button
- Weight: 2.9 lbs.e
- Dimensions: 17.4 x 10.7 x .5 inches
- Enter interface: Sort-C
- Output interface: USB-A, HDMI, DC
Design and options
Let’s start with the numerous plusses of the Gaomon PD156 Professional pen show. The pill feels solidly constructed. There’s little or no flexing. The glass floor feels good to attract on. The floor has an analogous toothy really feel just like drawing on paper. Drawing nibs can put on over time, however Gaomon provides many replaceable nibs.
The shortcut keys carry out as marketed. Making use of shortcuts to your favourite apps generally is a large time-saver when doing repetitive duties. Utilizing the spherical, rotational wheel as a zoom instrument in Adobe Photoshop or for scrolling up and down in virtually any app generally is a game-changer in how you’re employed. But as helpful because the wheel and shortcut keys are, I don’t use them. I’m old-school and proceed to depend on a normal keyboard for all my shortcuts. Due to this, I gravitate towards pen shows that don’t have any connected shortcut keys. Keyless shows generally include a hand-held, wi-fi shortcut key system—which once more, I don’t use. I’m cussed like that.
Gaomon features a small—however helpful—moveable stand with the PD156 Professional show. I want all smaller-sized pen shows included stands. I don’t know the way anybody can draw on a show mendacity flat on a desk.
As soon as I put in the driving force app (software program that permits the PC to hook up with the show) on my MacBook Professional, I used to be prepared to attach the Gaomon PD156 Professional Pen Show. That’s the place the complications started.
Later Intel MacBook Execs (not the most recent M chip variations) got here with 4 USB-C ports—that’s it. So something utilizing HDMI (or some other connector) requires an adapter. Notice that many more recent pen shows depend on a single USB-C cable because the solely connection. Sadly, the PD560 Professional doesn’t. It requires a proprietary 2-in-1 cable—a combo USB-C to HDMI and USB-A cable. After all, this cable wouldn’t work on my MacBook Professional with out an adapter—which Gaomon doesn’t embrace or provide any assist with the handbook. I used to be fortunate sufficient to have already got an adapter that (form of) works—the Ugreen USB C to HDMI Ethernet Adapter. As soon as related, The PD156 Professional labored nicely—besides when it didn’t.
The difficulty with this adapter is that the show pill shuts off randomly—about each 2-3 minutes—and turns again on. It’s very annoying, but when the Gaomon PD156 Professional Pen Show is related to a wall outlet for energy, the difficulty resolves itself. Sadly, this will increase wiring and the place it connects. Once more, a single USB-C connector cable would have been a lot simpler.
Notice to Gaoman: Both embrace the required cabling for well-liked computer systems or design them to work with USB-C solely.
{Hardware} was not the one difficulty I had with the PD156 Professional. Since I’m left-handed, my choice is to have any shortcut keys on the suitable facet of the show—draw with the left, activate shortcut keys with the suitable—if I used them! Nevertheless, there are a lot of left-handed artists who love shortcut keys. The motive force app gives a approach to rotate the display screen 180° so it may be flipped for left-handers. Nice thought, besides it didn’t work. Possibly a firmware replace will repair the difficulty.
The motive force app has many settings. Pen stress sensitivity might be adjusted, specific keys might be set per app—or globally, and display screen ratios might be set. That is customary driver app stuff.
The display screen is laminated, which signifies that the cursor and pen tip ought to visually line up or match. That solely issues if the pen tip calibration is appropriate. After going via the driving force app’s calibration setting a couple of occasions, the pen tip lined up completely with the on-screen cursor—because it ought to. Besides because the pen drew nearer to the sting of the display screen, the tip and cursor now not matched. Lamination or not, this could possibly be a deal-breaker—a minimum of for knowledgeable.
What I like
- Effectively made
- Included moveable stand
- Carrying pouch
What I’d change
- The show retains shutting down and restarts until plugged right into a wall outlet
- The motive force’s rotational instrument doesn’t work
- Calibration not good
- Embrace USB-C solely connection
Last ideas
The Gaomon PD156 Professional Pen Show has a couple of issues to suggest it.—particularly for somebody new to pen shows. It’s nicely made and has a pleasant display screen and colour. Sadly, it has the phrase “Professional” in its title. Primarily based on its price and the problems I encountered, the software program must be mounted to be thought of professional.
Value: $299.99
The place to purchase: Amazon
Supply: The pattern of this product was offered by Gaomon.
