Getting started with a drawing tablet
Overview
If you just got a drawing tablet and want to start using it, this guide will walk you through the basics.
If you are new to drawing tablets, first read Beginner's guide to drawing tablets.
If you do not have a drawing tablet yet, read the Drawing tablet buying guide.
Consider recording the unboxing and initial setup
When your tablet arrives, there is a chance it is defective. In some cases, it works when shipped but is damaged during transit. For example, a pen display screen may be cracked.
If you open the box and find a damaged unit, you will need to contact the retailer or tablet brand for a replacement. That conversation will go much more smoothly if you can show that the damage happened before you even opened the box.
For this reason, it is a good idea to record yourself unboxing the tablet. Record yourself examining it for any signs of damage. Keep recording as you turn on the tablet, since some problems only appear when the tablet is on.
Find the tablet's model number
Make sure you know the tablet's model number. This will help in many ways later. More here: Finding the model number of your drawing tablet.
Identify how to contact support
Most of the time, everything just works. But you may still need help from customer support. Make sure you know how to contact support for your tablet manufacturer. More here: Contacting support.
Read the user manual
Most of your questions are already answered in the user manual.
You will spare yourself a lot of frustration if you read it first.
You do not even need to open the box. You can download the manual from the manufacturer's website.
The most important thing to understand in the user manual is how the tablet physically connects to your computer. This is especially important if you have a pen display (screen tablet).
Don't drop the pen
If you drop the pen on the floor, it will usually be unharmed.
When you are not using it, make sure it is stored so it cannot fall off your desk.
However, sometimes a pen lands just wrong and the fall damages it.
Keep the box safe
You may need to return or transport the tablet. The original box is the best way to do that.
Verify the box contains what it should
The box usually lists everything that is supposed to be inside it. If you cannot find that list there, check the user manual or the manufacturer's website.
Then verify that the box contains everything expected.
99.9999% of the time, it will contain everything it should. But every now and then, you may get a box with a missing cable.
Prepare for replacing your pen
The pen has somewhat delicate parts inside and is the most likely thing you will break. If you lose or damage your pen, there are some things you need to know:
First, drawing tablets are generally compatible only with the pen they came with, or with a small number of other pens. Note the pen model number. You will need it to get a replacement. More here: Pen compatibility.
Pens are surprisingly expensive to replace.
Some pens cost half as much as the tablet.
Some pens (especially Wacom Pro pens) are more expensive than the tablets of other brands.
Install the tablet driver
You need the tablet driver installed for the tablet to work correctly.
You can go to the manufacturer's website, download the driver, and install it before your tablet arrives.
If the driver is already installed, the driver will detect the tablet when you connect it with a USB cable. The pen will work as soon as it comes within about 10 mm of the tablet.
The driver also installs an app you can use to configure the tablet. That app has a different name depending on the brand.
Why you need to install tablet drivers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUsZUcH6SWk
More here: Drivers
Connect the tablet
Pen tablet - There will be a simple USB cable. These days, that cable is usually USB-C.
Some pen tablets ALSO support wireless connection. For now, ignore wireless. It adds more complexity. Get it working with a cable first. Once everything is working, try wireless.
Pen display - There are several options. See Connecting a pen display.
Find the driver UI
At some point, you will need to find the driver UI again after installing it. You should know how to do this. Here are the instructions: Finding the driver settings UI.
The NO SIGNAL problem with pen displays
If you encounter a "NO SIGNAL" message, follow these troubleshooting steps: TSG: Pen display shows NO SIGNAL message
How the pen & tablet work with the computer
Once the tablet driver is installed and the tablet is connected, it will detect the pen. It treats the pen much like a mouse, except that a mouse uses relative positioning and the pen uses absolute positioning. More here: Absolute versus relative positioning
If the pen is in range, about 10 mm from the tablet, or touching the tablet, moving the pen will move the mouse pointer.
If the pen is not touching the tablet, it is like you are not pressing any mouse buttons.
If the pen is touching the tablet, it is like you are holding down the left mouse button.
Pen-aware drawing apps can also use features like pressure and tilt.
If you are using a drawing program, you do not need to hold down any button to draw. Just touch the pen to the tablet.
Learn what the active area is, also called the "working area"
The active area is the region of the tablet that responds to the pen.
Wacom calls this the "Active Area" in their docs. In the driver, it is called "Mapping."
Huion calls this the "Working Area."
This guide uses "active area" because it is the oldest term for it.
Go into the driver, find the active area setting, and get familiar with it. It is one of the most common things you will need to adjust.
More here: Active area
Pen tablets: map the active area to a single display
This step is needed for pen tablets, the ones without a screen.
The active area is mapped to one of your displays or to multiple displays.
By default, they are often mapped to multiple displays.
Recommended setup:
Map the active area to a single display.
If you want to use multiple displays with your pen tablet, use the tablet driver's display toggle feature. It lets you switch the active area mapping between displays by pressing a button on the pen or tablet. See: Display toggle
Pen tablets: Enable Force Proportions
This step is very important for pen tablets (the ones without a screen). You do not need to do this for pen displays.
If you do not do this, your drawing will be distorted. In other words, tracing a perfect circle on the tablet will produce an oval on the screen.
Explanation and instructions here: Matching aspect ratios with Force Proportions.
Pen displays: map the active area to your pen display if needed
With a pen display, the active area should be mapped to its own display.
However, sometimes tablet drivers get confused. They might initially map the active area to another display you have. When this happens, you move the pen on your tablet but see the pointer move on a different display. This is easy to solve: TSG: Pointer on wrong display
Adjust the pressure curve to give you more control
Drawing tablet pens are often over-sensitive at low physical pressure. Near the initial activation force, pressure can swing wildly. If you use pressure to control the width of your strokes, the width may vary more than you expect. This is especially obvious when you are doing linework and your brushes get larger, such as above 50 px.
This over-sensitivity is common. Some people may not even notice it. But if you do, you can use pressure curves to reduce it. You can change the pressure curve in the tablet driver or in your drawing application - they usually have an application global pressure curve or per-brush pressure curves. To keep it simple, I suggest you change it in your drawing application.
Mapping buttons, dials, and sliders
If your tablet has additional inputs such as buttons or dials, you can control what they do. You can even assign different actions per application.
Here are some popular assignments: Popular bindings for auxiliary inputs
Windows
Perform this configuration: Disable the press-and-hold ring in Windows
Apps
Krita - I highly recommend Krita. It is a good free drawing app. Even if you are not going to draw anything yet, it is useful for testing and troubleshooting.
Kleki - Kleki is a free web-based app that is very simple. It is a good starting point for kids before they try something more complex, like Krita.
Clip Studio Paint - I draw a lot of illustrations, so I pay for a subscription to Clip Studio Paint.
Photopea (https://www.photopea.com/) is a web-based Photoshop-like app. It is very good and also has a free tier.
Procreate - This is the drawing app to get if you are drawing on an iPad.
Infinite Painter - This is the closest equivalent to Procreate on Android devices.
Other applications - Look here for many more apps to explore: Apps
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