Active area aspect ratio

Introduction

The aspect ratio of your drawing tablet's active area can have a big impact on how good it feels to draw on.

Basics

Any rectangular area has an aspect ratio, which is the relationship between its width and height. Usually, we express it as a ratio such as 16:9 or 16:10.

Displays tend to have aspect ratios such as 16:9 and 16:10. 16:9 is the most common.

Aspect ratio mismatches with pen tablets (IMPORTANT)

If you are using a pen tablet, its aspect ratio most likely does not match your monitor's. This causes distortion when you draw.

This creates a weird and unpleasant drawing feel. You can fix it by forcing the aspect ratios to match. More here: Matching aspect ratios with Force Proportions.

Pen displays and aspect ratios

The active area of a pen display and the display panel inside it are equivalent. So they always match.

Reference

A survey of aspect ratios of Wacom pen tablets

As of 2023, NONE of Wacom's pen tablets have an exact 16:9 aspect ratio.