PROS
- Perfect combination of digital drawing and traditional sketching with ink on paper
- Wacom Pro Pen 2 & Finetip Pen with high pressure sensitivity, tilt response and virtually lag-free tracking
- Wacom Inkspace to sync, store, and export your paper sketches in common creative file formats
- Workflow booster with multi-touch gestures, customizable ExpressKeys, Touch Ring and pen side buttons
- Super-slim but sturdy tablet made from premium materials
CONS
- Finetip Pen ink cartridges don’t last too long
- Slightly more expensive than the regular Intuos Pro line
How does the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition work?
The Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition with Pro Pen 2 technology combines professional pen tablet with real paper drawing experience.
Whether you like to draw digitally or traditionally on paper, the Intuos Pro Paper Edition offers you the versatility to do both whenever you like.
To work digitally, all you need to do is grab the Pro Pen 2 and start drawing on the graphic tablet’s active area.
Drawing on traditional paper is as easy as clipping a paper sheet on the tablet surface and then starting out by sketching on that paper with the Wacom Finetip Pen.
Once you’re done sketching, you can transfer your drawings straight to your computer and edit them digitally in your favorite software.
Like all tablets of Wacom’s Intuos Pro series (note that there’s also a regular Intuos line), the Intuos Pro Paper Edition has customizable Express Keys and a Touch Ring.
It comes with sophisticated pen technology and multi-touch functionality, making it a great choice for digital and mixed media artists opting for more versatile creative tablet.
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Pen Tablet Review: First impressions
With a height of 0.3 inch only, Wacom’s new Intuos Pro Paper Edition graphic drawing tablet is the thinnest since the company started selling graphics tablets many years ago.
It’s available in two sizes: Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Medium (13.2 × 8.5 in) and Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Large (16.8 × 11.2 in).
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Medium vs Large
The Paper Edition Large is big enough to hold an A4 or letter size paper sheet, while the medium model uses A5 (half-letter size) paper sheets.
Both models are not particularly heavy. The medium one weighs 1.54 pounds and the large one 2.86 pounds.
Like most Wacom tablets, the Paper Edition is plain black, too. Both sizes feature a Touch Ring. The Intuos Pro Paper Medium has altogether 6 Express Keys, while the Intuos Pro Paper L has two more.
Both the medium and large paper drawing tablets come with a paper clip, two Wacom pens, pen holder, and pen case. You’ll also find some replacement pen nibs and paper sheets with different surface textures in the package.
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Pen Tablet Review: Pen Technology
When purchasing an Intuos Pro Paper Edition digital graphic drawing tablet, you’ll get two pens. The first one is Wacom’s sophisticated Pro Pen 2 for digital editing that also comes with the regular Intuos Pro tablets.
Additionally, you’ll also get a fine-point gel pen, the Finetip Pen, which is included for sketching on paper.
Both pens feature 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees tilt recognition. The Pro Pen 2 has an eraser on its end and two side buttons, which can be customized in the Wacom Desktop Center.
Thanks to Wacom’s electromagnetic resonance (EMR) technology, both pens are battery- and cord-free. This is something you might even more appreciate when drawing with ink on paper.
There’s a range of replacement items included for both pens. The replacement nibs (6 standard nibs and 4 felt nibs) for the Pro Pen 2 are housed in the pen holder, which also contains the nib remover.
As for the Finetip Pen, Wacom provides you with three ink refill cartridges. If there’s a downside to the sketching pen, it’s that its ink supply won’t last too long. Additional refills are available in three-packs to keep your creative sketching juices flowing.
If you prefer more versatility in drawing on paper, you can try out the Ballpoint Pen, which is compatible with the paper edition, too.
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition combines high-spec digital drawing tablet with classic sketching on paper with real ink.
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Pen Tablet Review: Creative Experience
how to use the wacom intuos pro paper edition?
Paper sketching is extremely simple to set up. There’s a long paper clip at the top of the tablet that holds the sketching paper. A 10-pack of paper sheets is included with the Paper Edition. A4/letter size for the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Large and A5/half-letter size sheets for the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Medium.
Wacom paper sheets are available with different surface textures, from smoother or coarser. The supplied texture sheet sample card gives you an idea of the surface textures available.
However, you can basically use whatever paper you like with your Intuos Pro Paper Edition. Just make sure the sheet isn’t too thick.
Drawing only works within the active area of the tablet. Once the device senses the Finetip Pen on the surface, it automatically goes into recording mode.
Working with Inkspace
As you draw, the Intuos Pro Paper saves your strokes as an editable file to its internal memory. The strokes are captured in Wacom Ink Layer Language (WILL), and the tablet stores up to 200 multi-layered or 1,000 single-layered drawings, when it’s not connected to a computer.
As soon as you connect the tablet to a PC or MAC, Wacom’s Inkspace app will start to synchronize and download the saved sketches. From there, you can export the sketches in several file formats, including JPEG, PNG, PDF, SVG and PSD.
→ Best File Type To Save Digital Art
The files can be opened in most common applications like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Corel Painter, Autodesk SketchBook or Affinity Designer.
Within Inkspace itself, you can make modifications to your original sketches, such as adding or removing lines. There’s also something like a history tool that allows you to go back to a certain point in your sketch and to isolate individual steps.
Inkspace requires you to subscribe to a free account for synchronization. More options are available with a premium account. With the basic Inkspace account, you’ll get 5 GB of storage. The paid model will give you 50 GB.
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Pen Tablet Review: Customization Options & Multi-Touch Functionality
Just like all Wacom Pro tablets, the Paper Edition splashes out on customization options. The Intuos Pro Paper Edition Large has altogether 8 ExpressKeys, the Intuos Pro Paper Medium has 6 ExpressKeys. You can program the Express Keys to whatever function you want them to perform. Both models have a Touch Ring, which is customizable to four different functions.
Like all Wacom Pro tablets, the Paper Edition features excellent accuracy and precision. It captures every line you draw and every dot you place. You have the option to work on your sketches in layers. A double tap on the button inside the Touch Ring creates a new layer. As simple as that.
All customization is done within the Wacom Desktop Center and can be programmed on a per-app basis. For example, you can assign a certain function to one Express Key in Photoshop, while it has a different function in Illustrator.
Last but not least, the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition also features multi-touch functionality. There’s a range of gestures that you can customize in the Desktop Center along with everything else.
If you belong to those artists who don’t like touch, then the Paper Edition offers a convenient solution for you, too. You can toggle touch on an off at the push of a button at the side of the tablet.
Connectivity & Compatibility
The Intuos Pro Paper Edition is compatible with Windows 7 or later and Mac OS 10.10 or later.
You can connect the tablet to your MAC or PC via the included USB-C to USB-A cable. There’s also Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity for wireless tablet to computer connections, and Bluetooth LE for mobile devices.
In any case, the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition runs as a peripheral to the connected computer or mobile device, not as a stand-alone tablet. If you’re looking for a pen tablet that can be used on its own, take a look at the Wacom MobileStudio Pro, which is a more substantial creative tablet that runs full Windows 10.
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Key Specs
- Active area: 8.7 x 5.8 in (Medium), 12.1 x 8.4 in (Large)
- Pen technology: Pro Pen 2 and Finetip Pen with 8,192 pressure levels, ±60 levels tilt recognition, 5080 lpi resolution
- Buttons & Touch: 6 (M) and 8 ExpressKeys (L), Touch Ring, Multi-touch functionality
- Size: 13.2 x 8.5 x 0.3 in (M), 16.8 x 11.2 x 0.3 in (L)
- Weight: 1.54 lb (M), 2.86 lb (L)
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition vs Intuos Pro
If you’re wondering which tablet to get, Wacom Intuos Pro or Paper Edition, both the regular Intuos Pro and the Paper Edition have identical specs. The Intuos Pro is available in three sizes: the Intuos Pro Small, Intuos Pro Medium, and Large. The Paper Edition, on the other hand, is only available in medium and large.
If you’re interested in a compact professional graphics tablet with high portability and don’t need the option of sketching on paper, check out the Wacom Intuos Pro Small.
If you prefer a larger drawing space but can’t decide between Wacom Intuos Pro Medium vs Paper Edition, have a look at our Wacom Intuos Pro Medium Review, before making your final choice.
In terms of Wacom Intuos Pro vs Paper Edition pricing, the Intuos Paper is slightly more expensive than the Intuos Pro, due to its paper recognition technology and accessories included, such as Finetip Pen and paper sheets.
While the Wacom Intuos Pro Large is around US$500, the Paper Edition Large costs about a hundred dollars more. On the other hand, the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Medium costs around US$400, whereas the regular Intuos Pro Medium is available at around US$380.
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Pen Tablet Review
Overall rating
The Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition is a slim, build quality tablet made from premium materials. Its paper to digital capability lets you choose your preferred drawing method. Sketch on traditional paper or work digital from start to finish.
Wacom Inkspace allows you to store, sync and transfer your paper sketches in editable file formats to your computer, where you can then flesh out your drawings in your favorite application.
PROS
- Perfect combination of digital drawing and traditional sketching with ink on paper
- Wacom Pro Pen 2 & Finetip Pen with high pressure sensitivity, tilt response and virtually lag-free tracking
- Wacom Inkspace to sync, store, and export your paper sketches in common creative file formats
- Workflow booster with multi-touch gestures, customizable ExpressKeys, Touch Ring and pen side buttons
- Super-slim but sturdy tablet made from premium materials
CONS
- Finetip Pen ink cartridges don’t last too long
- Slightly more expensive than the regular Intuos Pro line
Frequently Asked Questions
Wacom doesn't offer a driver for Linux directly, but you can get a Linux driver for most Wacom tablets at the Linux Wacom Project on Github. Many Linux distributions come with the driver pre-installed. So always try to attach your device to your Linux computer first to see if it works.
The Intuos Pro is a worthy upgrade of the Intuos line, offering the best price/performance ratio in the professional pen tablet section.
A big advantage over the regular Intuos tablets is that the Intuos Pro features built-in Bluetooth connectivity. This helps avoid cable clutter in smaller workspaces and brings mobility for artists on the move.
The Intuos Pro devices have a larger active area than the regular Intuos products. The drawing surface is smooth and matte, resisting scratches and fingerprints.
The included Pro Pen 2 boasts 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of tilt recognition for both tip and eraser and is significantly lighter, as compared to the Intuos pen with only 2.046 pressure levels.
The resolution was doubled, from 2,540 lines per inch of the Intuos to 5,080 lpi of the Intuos Pro.
There's no 'best' software for your Wacom tablet. On the contrary, there are many software programs that work with Wacom tablets. This includes Abode Photoshop, Lightroom and Illustrator, Autodesk Sketchbook, Corel Painter, ArtRage, Clip Studio Paint Pro, Affinity Designer, ZBrush, Gimp, Krita, and many more.
Related Products
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!
