Graphics Tablets (Affinity compatibility)

[Petch-a-Sketch]

Morning all!  I’m Petch - it’s my first time posting on these here forums… and I hope my newbie enquiry isn’t too cumbersome, as introductions go! 😄

I’ve long been considering purchasing the Affinity trio of applications once funds permitted, and am pretty close to making a purchase. However, I’ve also been contemplating acquiring a graphics tablet, but again, I’m on a budget, and so aim to start small.

I wanted to get a rough idea of which makes/models were compatible with the Affinity suite, and indeed if there are any I should avoid.

I appreciate however that this question likely involves a multitude of answers, so I will limit my initial focus for now on the XP-PEN and Ugee ranges:  

So first of all, are they compatible? And secondly, if so, are they are a solid enough entry level tablet? 

Any advice will most definitely be gratefully received.

Cheers,

Petch

Edited April 7 by Petch-a-Sketch
Forgot to say an introductory “hello!” :-)

[Alfred]

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums, Petch.

53 minutes ago, Petch-a-Sketch said:

I’ve long been considering purchasing the Affinity trio of applications once funds permitted, and am pretty close to making a purchase. However, I’ve also been contemplating acquiring a graphics tablet, but again, I’m on a budget, and so aim to start small.

Has your long consideration included the (all too brief) free trials?

55 minutes ago, Petch-a-Sketch said:

I appreciate however that this question likely involves a multitude of answers, so I will limit my initial focus for now on the XP-PEN and Ugee ranges:  

So first of all, are they compatible? And secondly, if so, are they are a solid enough entry level tablet? 

I don’t know the Ugee tablets, but I am a happy user of the XP-Pen Deco 03.

[Komatös]

1 hour ago, Petch-a-Sketch said:

Any advice will most definitely be gratefully received.

I've been using an XP-Pen Deco Pro (Gen 2) for a few weeks now as a replacement for an ageing Wacom Intuos graphics tablet and I'm very satisfied.

But generally speaking, all graphics tablets that offer Windows and MacOS driver support also work with the Affinity programmes.
 

[Petch-a-Sketch]

2 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums, Petch.

Has your long consideration included the (all too brief) free trials?

I don’t know the Ugee tablets, but I am a happy user of the XP-Pen Deco 03.

Thanks Alfred! 😎👍

In truth, I hadn’t realised there was a free trial option - then again, I had bookmarked Affinity’s website a ways back, and may well have forgotten that little detail…

I pursued graphic design for 11 years until recurrent redundancies left me more than a tad jaded, and I ultimately turned my back on the profession around 13 years ago. However, I seem to have rekindled my creative mojo just recently, and am hoping to start using my design skills once more, albeit solely from a hobby standpoint, and the tablet seems like a worthwhile investment. Hence my revitalised interest in Affinity’s design suite!

I do like the look of the XP-PEN range that I’ve perused online so far, so I appreciate your upvote in that regard. I’ll take another gander at the Deco 03 and see if that fits in with my budget…

Many thanks for your feedback, squire! 👍

[Petch-a-Sketch]

1 minute ago, Komatös said:

I've been using an XP-Pen Deco Pro (Gen 2) for a few weeks now as a replacement for an ageing Wacom Intuos graphics tablet and I'm very satisfied.

But generally speaking, all graphics tablets that offer Windows and MacOS driver support also work with the Affinity programmes.
 

Thanks Komatös!

That’s good to know; I guessed that compatibility probably wouldn’t be an issue, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to be doubly cautious, and get a second opinion from those already in the know! 👍😎

Thanks also for your device review!

[Komatös]

1 minute ago, Petch-a-Sketch said:

Thanks also for your device review!

You are welcome!

[Alfred]

27 minutes ago, Komatös said:

I've been using an XP-Pen Deco Pro (Gen 2) for a few weeks now as a replacement for an ageing Wacom Intuos graphics tablet and I'm very satisfied.

Which one do you have? Like the Wacom Intuos, the XP-Pen Deco Pro (Gen 2) is available in different sizes.

 

[Komatös]

35 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Which one do you have? Like the Wacom Intuos, the XP-Pen Deco Pro (Gen 2) is available in different sizes.

The Wacom tablet is an Intuos Pen & Touch M from 2013. I had used it with the wireless module, but the charging electronics for the battery are, to put it mildly, "for the arse". 

I have the XP-Pen Deco Pro MW (Gen 2), which is the smallest of the series.

[Petch-a-Sketch]

Thanks again for the feedback, folks! If anybody else has got recommendations for any alternative brand or model of entry level graphics tablet that might be worth my consideration, I will gladly take those into account too! 👍

[Bryan Rieger]

FWIW I've been super happy with the Xence Pen Tablet (Medium) which replaced my Wacom Intuos and works great with the Affinity apps. The Quick Keys controller is really handy as it enables you to largely work without also having a keyboard directly in front of you for common shortcuts.

[Petch-a-Sketch]

17 minutes ago, Bryan Rieger said:

FWIW I've been super happy with the Xence Pen Tablet (Medium) which replaced my Wacom Intuos and works great with the Affinity apps. The Quick Keys controller is really handy as it enables you to largely work without also having a keyboard directly in front of you for common shortcuts.

Thanks Bryan! I’ll look into that one too - much obliged, squire!

[Petch-a-Sketch]

Okay, so, quick update:  I finally settled on the XP-PEN Deco Pro (Medium) 11" x 6" - yay! 👍  

It's just arrived, and I must say I'm extremely happy with the build quality already - can't wait to get it set up.  

So, granted, yes, I was initially intending to opt for a much smaller tablet for budget's sake, but after carefully considering all the advices here, and perusing several online reviews afterwards, I figured I'd chance my arm on something a tad pricier and with a bigger working area that will hopefully be far less likely to trigger RSI! 😆

I just need to download the free trials for the Affinity package next (with a view to purchasing in full next month) - I did scan the site, but I couldn't seem to find any detailed specifics as to the trial period - does anybody happen to recall how long the trials are? 14 days? 30?

Many thanks!

[Alfred]

20 minutes ago, Petch-a-Sketch said:

Okay, so, quick update:  I finally settled on the XP-PEN Deco Pro (Medium) 11" x 6" - yay! 👍  

It's just arrived, and I must say I'm extremely happy with the build quality already - can't wait to get it set up.

Congratulations on your purchase. If your experience is anything like mine, you won’t be disappointed!

20 minutes ago, Petch-a-Sketch said:

I just need to download the free trials for the Affinity package next (with a view to purchasing in full next month) - I did scan the site, but I couldn't seem to find any detailed specifics as to the trial period - does anybody happen to recall how long the trials are? 14 days? 30?

Sadly, the trial period for version 2 (which was originally 30 days, much better than the standard 10 days for version 1) has shrunk to a measly 7 days. The only saving grace is that purchasing from the Affinity Store gives you a 14-day money back guarantee, which you don’t get if you purchase the Mac App Store version or the Microsoft Store version.

[Petch-a-Sketch]

17 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Congratulations on your purchase. If your experience is anything like mine, you won’t be disappointed!

Aythangyew! Looking forward to getting it all set up. 

17 minutes ago, Alfred said:

Sadly, the trial period for version 2 (which was originally 30 days, much better than the standard 10 days for version 1) has shrunk to a measly 7 days. The only saving grace is that purchasing from the Affinity Store gives you a 14-day money back guarantee, which you don’t get if you purchase the Mac App Store version or the Microsoft Store version.

Dang, a measly 7 days, eh? That really is rather pants, innit? You weren't kidding when you said "all too brief"!  Ah well, at least it's a free anything, I suppose.

Good to know about the 14-day money back guarantee, too - I mean, I hadn't planned on purchasing via Microsoft or Mac App Stores, but forewarned is forearmed, cheers! 

[MikeMcE]

I think thats a great tablet choice. I too went with the Xencelabs tablet with those quick keys, replacing my ancient wacom bamboo. You can get the quickkeys later, or something similar. Ive used Affinity for many years and love it. The Quickkeys make it much faster to change brush size, and all keyboard short cuts.

[Petch-a-Sketch]

17 hours ago, MikeMcE said:

I think thats a great tablet choice. I too went with the Xencelabs tablet with those quick keys, replacing my ancient wacom bamboo. You can get the quickkeys later, or something similar. Ive used Affinity for many years and love it. The Quickkeys make it much faster to change brush size, and all keyboard short cuts.

Cheers Mike!  I did really like the look of the Xencelabs tablet, but it was about £200 outside of my budget unfortunately. That gentle front edge slope is a nice aesthetic feature, and would doubt be more comfortable than my actual purchase - I'm sure I'll manage with some form of wrist rest/support if needs be, though.

Good to hear your enthusiastic upvote for Affinity. The sheer wealth of creative add-ons on offer intrigued and enticed me to consider investing, and it's great to hear first hand from users as to their feelings about the platform.

I used to use the Adobe triple on Mac way back in the day, but I came to graphic design late as a vocation and ultimately felt lacking in terms of skill (and speed), and it's now been well over a decade now since I last used any related software, after two redundancies and a crash in self-confidence left me utterly jaded, so I turned my back on it.  

Long story short, I haven't missed it as a vocation but I have missed having a creative hobby, and I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into Affinity now that I finally have the creative itch once again - can't wait to rekindle some long-dormant creative passions and see where it leads. Yay!

[MikeMcE]

I hear you about the price, not budget. I started this as someone in the photographic community( repair cameras and lenses) but a complete hobbyist.  I started way back with PS7 and used it until the cloud rental was pushed by the A company. Switched to Affinity and was hooked. Little bit different, but not that much. I was sorta upset because no upgrade was offered, but when it went on sale I jumped and haven't looked back. 

YouTube has definitely changed learning for the better. I watch James Ritson, Olivio Sarikas, Robin Whalley to mention a few> The big deal for me is the compound masks now offered, truly neat once you figure it out>.

[Petch-a-Sketch]

9 minutes ago, MikeMcE said:

YouTube has definitely changed learning for the better. I watch James Rison, Olivio Sarikas, Robin Whalley to mention a few> The big deal for me is the compound masks now offered, truly neat once you figure it out>.

I totally agree with you vis-à-vis YouTube, Mike - you can find tutorials for pretty much anything nowadays. Thanks too for mentioning a few of your fave YT channels - I'll be sure to pay them a visit!