PROS
- Large Full HD display with natural surface texture
- Excellent resolution (5080 lpi, highest in class) for precise tracking without jitter
- Highly responsive Grip Pen with eraser and tilt recognition
- 16 customizable ExpressKeys, 2 Touch Rings & 2 Touch Strips on the back for an intuitive workflow
- Adjustable stand with swivel function
- Compatible with different Wacom pens (e.g. Classic, Inking, Art & Airbrush Pen)
CONS
- Delicate surface texture may scratch easily
- Quite huge footprint and heavy weight (around 18 lbs with stand)
- No standalone device (needs computer connection)
Regular graphics tablets are fantastic editing tools, but they don’t come with a display. That means while moving the pen over the tablet, you’ll be looking at your computer screen, instead of looking down on your canvas. This can be done, but it takes some getting used to.
With its built-in display, the Wacom Cintiq 22HD interactive pen display allows for a more natural way of drawing. Instead of following your pen strokes with your eyes on a monitor a few inches away, you can do everything directly on its high-definition screen.
How it all started
Wacom launched the DTK2200 Cintiq 22HD 21-inch pen display tablet back in 2012. But even now, nine years later, the Cintiq 22HD still is a star performer among display tablets. It’s widely used by digital artists, illustrators and photographers alike, and readily available from the standard ordering platforms.
While Cintiq means stellar performance and ease of use in general, the Wacom Cintiq 22 drawing tablet with HD screen gets you as close as putting a pen to paper as a digital device possibly can.
Hovering the stylus over the Cintiq 22HD’s 21-inch display instantly turns the tablet into a huge canvas. The active surface is slightly textured to make it feel like the real deal. The provided Grip Pen can sense about 40 degrees of tilt and 2048 levels of pressure – which isn’t maximum sensitivity these days, but enough to make every artist’s drawing experience intuitive and authentic.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD vs 22HD Touch
The Wacom Cintiq 22HD display tablet comes in different variations. There’s the regular Cintiq 22HD and the Cintiq 22HD Touch.
So, the first thing you want to ask yourself when toying with the idea of getting a Cintiq is whether you need touch functionality or not. If you’re used to Wacom’s gesture-based features and don’t want to do without them, the Cintiq 22HD Touch, which comes at a slightly higher price, is the right choice for you.
We’ll be taking a quick trip to the Cintiq 22HD Touch later on in this review.
If you’re one of those artists that switch off touch functionality anyways, go for the regular Cintiq 22HD. After all, there are 16 customizable Express Keys on both models, plus two Touch Strips at the back, which offer more than enough ‘touch’ functionality for most creative needs.
Then there’s the size question. As it name says, the Cintiq 22HD comes with a 21.5-inch display. While this might be enough for most artistic needs, there’s also the Cintiq 24HD, and the Cintiq 27QHD for all those who like to work on a larger screen.
Wacom Cintiq 16 vs 22HD
On a similar note, if you want to save on some space and cash, the Wacom Cintiq 16 or Cintiq 16HD might just be your thing.
While the Wacom Cintiq 16HD has basically the same specs as its larger counterpart, the regular Cintiq 16 has a smaller 15.6-inch Full HD display. But it works with the industry-leading Pro Pen 2, featuring two customizable side switches and 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity. Contrary to the Cintiq 22HD, the Cintiq 16 does not have any Express Keys. Instead, an optional ExpressKey Remote is available.
Wacom Cintiq 22 vs 22HD
Similarly, the lack of built-in Express Keys and pen technology used is mainly what distinguishes the Wacom Cintiq 22 from the 22HD model. While both devices have the same screen size, the regular Cintiq 22 comes with the higher-responsive Pro Pen 2, but doesn’t have customizable buttons.
Besides, the Cintiq 22HD display tablet has a slightly faster response time (14 ms) as compared to the non-HD versions with 22 ms.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Review – First impressions
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Unboxing
All in all, the Cintiq 22HD Interactive Pen Display from Wacom is quite a heavy piece of gear. While the tablet itself already weighs about 15 pounds (7 kg), it comes with an included stand of around the same weight.
The tablet is about 25 inches wide, 17 inches high, and 2.6 inches thick.
That makes its footprint quite huge, so make sure you have enough desk space to accommodate its dimensions.
The Wacom 22HD display is a 21.5-inch H-IPS LCD panel with a native resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It has a 16:9 aspect ratio and a resolution of 5080 lines per inch, the highest in its class. With about 18 by 10 inches, the active area is slightly smaller than the interactive monitor.
Even though its release date is already 8 years ago, the tablet looks sleek and up-to-the-minute out of the box. In terms of color, the Wacom Cintiq 22HD 21-inch pen display tablet (DTK2200) is all black – as we would expect it from a Wacom. 😆
Built-in Customizable Keys
With 8 programmable Express Keys on both the left and the right side, the Wacom Cintiq 22HD tablet reminds of the Intuos Pro line. There’s a center button in the middle of both key sets (similar to a Touch Ring) that can also be customized. Two additional Touch Strips at the back of the device provide space for another four assignable functions.
The three buttons at the top right provide shortcuts to device, screen and Wacom settings. The vents on the back make sure to keep the device cool, even over long periods of use.
Adjustable Stand with Swivel Arm
The included tablet stand offers a 180° rotation feature and lets you adjust the tablet’s tilt to your personal preferences.
Cable Connections and Wacom Cintiq 22HD Drivers
All three cables that connect to the drawing tablet are lead through a center ring on the back (DVI, USB, and AC adapter). That way, the wiring is kept neat and doesn’t get in your way when drawing. The screws of the ring open easily, so there’s no problem if you’ll ever want to change any of the cables.
And yes, there’s a DVI cable and yet another remnant from a different time… a CD-ROM including the drivers for the Cintiq 22HD. After all, the graphic tablet was released back in 2012 and those were the tools of trade back then!
In case your laptop computer is not from 2012 and doesn’t have a CD slot (ahem…), you can also download the software from the Wacom website.
With that said, let’s move on to review the other components of the Wacom Cintiq 22HD, which are quite modern times…
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Review – Pen Technology
The included Grip Pen is pretty up-to-date, as it needs neither a cord nor a battery to function properly. It comes with a comfortable grip and two customizable side buttons. There’s an eraser at the rear end of the stylus.
Both tip and eraser are sensitive to 2048 levels of pressure and about 40 degrees of tilt. Even though that’s not the latest top-drawer anymore, it’s still enough to completely satisfy most creative needs.
You can easily adjust the Grip Pen’s pressure sensitivity in the presets. It’s also recommended to recalibrate the pen whenever you change the angle of the stand remarkably. That way, you ensure accuracy and precision at all times.
The Grip Pen comes with a set of 10 replacement nibs (standard and felt nibs), which are securely stored within the pen stand. There’s also the option to use different color rings to make it easy to identify your pen.
Pen Alternatives
If you’re unhappy with the included Grip Pen – don’t worry there are heaps of compatible pens to replace it.
For example, you can get Wacom’s industry-leading Pro Pen 2 that senses an epic 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity.
What’s even more, there’s the additional Art Pen. Besides recognizing pen pressure and tilt, the Art Pen also responds to pen rotation. This will result in a perfectly authentic simulation of painting and calligraphy brushes as well as other felt-tip tools.
The Airbrush Pen features a finger wheel for more control and comes as close to a realistic airbrush as a digital pen can possibly get.
With the Inking Pen you can sketch your ideas on real paper while the pen captures a digital representation of the sketch that you can then import to your computer via USB.
In case you prefer to use a thinner stylus, you’ll also be able to get the Classic Pen.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Review – Display Technology
The Wacom Cintiq 22HD’s screen is a 21.5-inch H-IPS LCD monitor with an active area of 18.87 by 10.68 inches.
Its native resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels Full HD with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. With a response rate of 14 ms and 5080 lpi drawing resolution, the display offers stellar performance. It has a brightness of 230 cd/m2, and a color depth of 16.7 million colors. The color gamut is 72% of Adobe RGB.
To cut down on reflections, the display surface has an anti-glare coating and is slightly textured. The definition is sharp, although the surface texture dims the color intensity a bit. But as a trade-off, the texture accounts for a paper-like feel and just the right bit of resistance to make drawing feel as natural as possible.
Nonetheless, the surface texture is quite delicate and can scratch easily. Therefore, it’s recommended to use a screen protector to prevent your Cintiq 22HD display tablet from getting scratches.
One thing you also need to keep in mind: the pen nibs wear down over time, so the edges may get sharp and damage the display surface. That’s why you should change worn down nibs regularly. If you’ve used up all the included replacement nibs, you can purchase new nibs for the Grip Pen, instead of replacing the entire stylus.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Review – Creative Experience
When working on the Cintiq 22HD you will experience the immediate benefits that come with a display tablet: it feels way more natural, the accuracy is higher, and the tracking is flawless without any jitter. The Cintiq 22HD just fares smoothly – no matter how fast or slowly you move the pen.
There can be a slight parallax effect, meaning you might notice a minimal gap between the pen tip touching the screen and the stroke appearing on the display. However, this is something you can most often fix by recalibrating the pen. The calibration tool that comes with the Wacom software is easy to use and it aligns pen and display perfectly.
For more comfort, there’s a wide, soft bezel around the display where you can rest your palm while drawing. That way, your hand will be at ease even during long editing sessions.
Setting up the ExpressKeys
The Wacom Cintiq 22HD comes with 8 Express Keys on both the left and the right side. That means you have a total of 16 keys available to customize to your heart’s full content! All these controls can be mirrored, so there won’t be any problem for left-handers either.
There’s a center button (similar to a Touch Ring) in the middle of each set of ExpressKeys. On the back of the tablet, right behind the ExpressKeys, you’ll find two Touch Strips that are programmable, too.
Using the center button, you can toggle between the functions of the Touch Trips, such as auto scroll and zoom, cycle layers, brush size, and rotate.
Depending on what function you assign to the Touch Strips, you can zoom in and out easily or change your brush sizes on the fly without interrupting your workflow.
In case you forget what functions those plenty of shortcut keys are set to perform, all you need to do is press the information button in the top right corner. Once the button is pressed, the screen dims down and a menu appears, showing you what each ExpressKey is assigned to do. It cannot get any easier than that…
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Touch
The Wacom Cintiq 22HD Touch comes with exactly the same specs as the regular Cintiq 22HD, plus the added benefit of touch functionality.
If you’re a big fan of gesture-based input, then the Wacom Cintiq 22HD touch pen display is the right deal for you. Instead of using Express Keys and pen, you can use your fingers for actions like zooming, rotating, cycling layers, and many more.
The Wacom Cintiq 22HD Touch also gives you the option to use an on-screen touch menu. When you press three fingers on the screen simultaneously, a radial menu opens. It’s split into 8 sections that you can fully customize to your needs, too.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Compatibility & Connectivity
First off, the Wacom Cintiq 22HD display tablet is no stand-alone device. It needs a connection to a computer, running either Windows or Mac OS.
Second, the Wacom Cintiq 22HD works with DVI input – remember, the device is from 2012! Therefore, you most likely need to get a DVI to HDMI adapter before getting started on the Cintiq 22HD. Apart from that, it comes with a USB cable and an AC adapter for its power supply.
The Cintiq 22HD features plug-and-play functionality; once you’ve plugged in all three cables, you can start setting up the tablet.
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Key Specs
- Screen: 21.5 in, 1920 x 1080 px, H-IPS LCD
- Color gamut & brightness: 72% Adobe RGB, 230 cd/m2
- Active area: 19.5 x 11.5 in (479 x 271 mm)
- Pen technology: 2,048 pressure levels, 40 degrees tilt recognition, 5080 lpi resolution
- Touch features: 16 ExpressKeys, 2 Center Rings, 2 Touch Strips on rear
- Size: 26.5 x 15.7 x 2.2 in (650 x 400 x 55 mm)
- Weight: 18.8 lb (8.5 kg) with stand
Wacom Cintiq 22HD Display Tablet
Overall rating
Even though the Wacom Cintiq 22HD display tablet is pen input only, it comes with 16 customizable ExpressKeys, two Center Rings and two Touch Strips on the back. That’s probably enough ‘touch’ functionality to keep your fingers on the display during an entire editing session. If you want the real touch, however, then go for the Wacom Cintiq 22HD Touch.
The 21.5-inch full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, 5080 lpi, accurate color representation, and anti-glare surface texture does not only provide a natural way to edit directly on-screen but also satisfies most artistic needs of both professional and serious amateur digital artists and photographers.
PROS
- Large Full HD display with natural surface texture
- Excellent resolution (5080 lpi, highest in class) for precise tracking without jitter
- Highly responsive Grip Pen with eraser and tilt recognition
- 16 customizable ExpressKeys, 2 Touch Rings & 2 Touch Strips on the back for an intuitive workflow
- Adjustable stand with swivel function
- Compatible with different Wacom pens (e.g. Classic, Inking, Art & Airbrush Pen)
CONS
- Delicate surface texture may scratch easily
- Quite huge footprint and heavy weight (around 18 lbs with stand)
- No standalone device (needs computer connection)
Frequently Asked Questions
The Wacom Cintiq 22HD display tablet is not a stand-alone device. It doesn’t run its own operating system, and there’s no possibility to install any software on the drawing tablet. That’s why the Cintiq 22HD needs to be connected to a computer in order to function.
As for the system requirements, the Cintiq 22HD is compatible with Windows and MAC OS.
The Wacom Cintiq 22HD comes with three cables: a DVI cable, a USB cable, and the power cord. As the device was launched back in 2012, it works with DVI input. Therefore, you might need to get a DVI to HDMI adapter to connect the Wacom Cintiq 22HD tablet to your modern-times computer. After having connected everything, the Cintiq 22HD works plug & play.
The Wacom Cintiq 22 costs around $1,200, while the Wacom Cintiq 22HD's price is around $970.
If you don’t want to spend that much on a display tablet, there’s also the option to get a Wacom Cintiq 22HD refurbished or second hand. Check the common online 2nd hand platforms, such as eBay and AliExpress, and maybe you’ll be lucky enough to find a cheaper tablet for sale!
Alternatively, you can take a look at the Wacom One, an entry-level display pen tablet that sells at around one third of the price of the Cintiq 22HD.
Procreate is a raster graphics editor app for digital painting on iPad Air and iPad Pro. It offers over 130 brushes, multiple layers, blend modes, masks, and many other digital art tools. The software can also render text and vector graphics.
Procreate is designed for multi-touch and the Apple Pencil. On devices that are incompatible with Apple Pencil, Procreate currently supports a number of third-party styluses, among others the Wacom Intuos Creative Stylus 1 & 2, Bamboo Fineline 1, 2, & 3, and the Bamboo Sketch.
It does not support the use of Wacom tablets.
However, there’s no problem to use a Wacom tablet with the common software apps, such as Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop & Lightroom, ZBrush, Gimp, Krita, etc.
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My name is Angie and I’m a self-taught digital artist. On this blog, I am sharing my knowledge and discussing the best software and hardware for different artistic needs. My desire is to offer options for all creative stages and budgets so that everyone can follow their dream and create art!
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