• Wacom Bamboo Pen Driver

ORIGINAL POST: Although it hasn’t yet appeared on any Wacom site, the new Bamboo Ink Smart Stylus was briefly available for purchase this week at Best Buy stores throughout the U.S. We’ve received unconfirmed reports that the pen won’t be available again until after its official release date June 1.This on-again, off-again release is only fitting for a product that’s received very erratic promotion from the very start. The dual protocol pen was originally supposed to be announced on stage by Microsoft at its Build conference in March, 2016.

But presenter Bryan Roper ran out of time during his Windows Ink demo and forgot to mention the. Instead, he tweeted the news a few minutes after he got off the stage.For the next nine months, we heard nothing until Wacom issued a release at CES that the pen was almost ready.

It showed up at Best Buy online a few weeks ago without a ship date and as I write this post, that retailer still shows the pen as a pre-order item with no store availability.Last week, I was able to order one online and received it two days after walking in to my local Best Buy and purchasing another one in person. Several other pen enthusiasts on Twitter and TabletPCReview.com have reported finding them in stores throughout the country. According to an exchange with Wacom customer service, shared by reader Brian Eun, the pen will be officially unveiled and show up on Wacom’s site May 31. We certainly hope so, because the Bamboo Ink needs official support if it’s to fulfill its promise as a Surface Pen replacement.A successor to the Bamboo Smart Stylus for select tablets and 2-in-1s (CS320AK), the new Bamboo Ink (CS321AK) retails for $70. But before you run out and spend your hard-earned money, it’s important to understand what it is – and isn’t.The Ink has been positioned as part of Wacom’s Universal Pen Framework (UPF), but it’s still a significantly less-than-universal solution. The pen supports both Wacom Active ES devices and the Microsoft Pen Protocol (formerly NTrig’s DuoSense2).

The pen DOES NOT work with Wacom EMR (passive) tablet PCs like the original Surface Pro 1 and 2. It also does not work with devices featuring pen tech from rivals like Synaptics.

However, the Bamboo Ink does allow you to draw with the sides of the pen tip, holding the nib almost parallel with the display, which is a welcome improvement over any Windows active pen available to date.Initial activation force (the weight required for the device to register a pen mark) is slightly lower than the current gen Surface Pen and previous generation AES pens. Microsoft this week announced that the new Surface Pen will require less than 9 grams of initial force. Wacom has not published a similar value for its AES pens. My guess is that the Bamboo Ink requires no more than 5 grams. EMR devices like the MobileStudio Pro require only 1 gram.Linearity, the pen’s ability to transition smoothly from 0 to 100% pressure, is very good. Many lower end devices, like those with UC Logic digitizers, tend to reach 100% pressure too quickly, resulting in “blown out” strokes. As for pressure levels, who knows?

I’ve searched high and low for a utility that would allow me to poll the pen for pressure sensitivity but if it exists, I can’t find it. I honestly can’t tell the difference between this pen’s 4096 levels or the Bamboo Smart’s 2048 or the Surface Pen’s 1024.Ergonomically, the Bamboo Ink is a vast improvement over its predecessor. It has a soft-touch rubberized surface, similar to the new Samsung S-Pen. The 5.8-inch pen weighs 0.7 ounces and is very nicely balanced in my hand.The Ink has a rounded triangular barrel that causes the side switches to fall comfortably under your thumb. The switches are flush with the barrel, so you won’t accidentally trigger them.A Bluetooth pen top button allows you to pair the pen with your device so you can launch your favorite apps like the Ink Workspace with your choice of one-, two- or three-clicks. The pen ships with a nice carrying case with three spare nibs: hard, medium and soft. The pen has a medium tip pre-installed.

To open the nib case, you slide the bottom with your thumb. The case has an extractor slot on its bottom.Inserting the pen’s AAAA battery can be a little tricky.

It’s a tight fit and the battery compartment can be closed incorrectly. Make sure to note the alignment of the markings on the pen barrel and cap when opening and closing the compartment.I had trouble pairing my first pen with the Yoga 720 and thought I might need a battery that wasn’t mentioned in the manual. I tried twisting the pen cap button and promptly broke it off.

That didn’t affect the pen’s drawing ability, but I lost the quick launch capability. Be careful with that button; it’s very delicate. Wacom has updated its Feel driver to 7.3.4-36 and the Ink is instantly recognized. The driver allows you to program the top pen button and two side switches, set tip sensitivity, calibrate the pen and configure the optional radial menu.By default, the pen is configured for Active ES devices. To switch to Microsoft Pen Protocol, simultaneously hold down the two side switches for two seconds.

Going back and forth between several devices, I found that protocol switch didn’t happen 100% reliably. There’s no visual feedback on the pen itself when the switch occurs, so it’s just a matter of repeating the steps until the new device recognizes the pen.I tested MPP compatibility on the Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro 3 and VAIO Z Canvas.

In all cases, the pen worked perfectly. IAF is slightly better than those devices’ native pens, so if that matters to you, you may want to give the Ink a try.I prefer the Ink’s shape and feel to that of the Surface Pen, but the lack of a magnet or other means to attach it to a portable device makes it a little impractical.A more significant downside is that without a compatible Feel driver for MPP devices, you can’t change the pen’s tip sensitivity, calibrate it or program its side switches.

The Bluetooth pen top button can still be programed via Windows’ Bluetooth pen settings.The Bamboo Ink manual and the new Feel driver download page refer to a new link, Wacom.com/Inkgo, but that isn’t active as I write this. I hope that Wacom will offer some alternative method to adjusting these critical settings.

Wacom Bamboo (One) – Updates over the years Wacom Bamboo updates over the yearsThe Wacom Bamboo is one of Wacom’s most famous models. Most of the beginner artist get it as their first drawing tablet.Wacom has been actively updating their bamboo devices over the years. The updates usually take place after every two or three years.In the latest update of the Wacom Bamboo tablet, they have done some major design changes. First, they got rid of all the unnecessary space on the left (as seen in the image). Next, they made the tablet slimmer.The new Bamboo looks very modern and minimalistic and feels like a well put together device. In the image you can see how Wacom Bamboo use to look and changes they went through over the years.

Design and Build QualityBuild Quality and material usedWacom devices are known for their excellent quality of drawing tablets which lasts a long time. Even though Wacom Bamboo is the cheapest tablet they make, they have done a great job of maintaining the overall quality.The Bamboo has the exact same textured drawing surface which you will find in much expensive Wacom Intuos and Pro models. The tablet is made of plastic but still feels strong and sturdy in hand. Design – Changes in the new updateWhen it comes to design, Wacom Bamboo has gone with the minimalistic design. The whole top surface is covered with a textured drawing area with virtually no wasted space.

Wacom Bamboo Pen Driver

The rear end on the tablet has rubber pads on all its four sides. These rubber pads make the tablet stable on smooth surfaces. Pen Holder – simple yet genius design Wacom Bamboo pen holderStylus are round in shape, which is very easy to roll of your desk and get damaged. Most of the drawing tablet come with a dedicated pen stand to hold the pen while not in use. But considering how cheap Wacom Bamboo is – adding a pen holder could have significantly increased its price.To get around this issue Wacom has come up with a very simple yet genius design choice.

There is a pen holder loop which sticks out of the right-hand side of the tablet. Where you can simply slide in your stylus when not in use.

Color – The new color optionMost of the drawing tablets – cheap or expensive – come in just one color that is “Black”. Wacom has gone a different route and introduced a new color in its latest Bamboo update.The red colored tablet has the whole rear panel colored in bright red. The top surface is still black which makes a pleasing contrast between colors and looks really cool. For those who are wondering – The Tablet is also available in traditional all-black color option. Stylus – Pressure range and Buttons StylusWacom Bamboo comes with a new, more ergonomic and more capable pen. The new pen is lighter and very comfortable to hold.

The pressure sensitivity has also increased from 1024 to 2048 levels.The included pen is a “passive stylus” which does not need any power and has no batteries inside. It takes its electrical power from the drawing tablet with the help of a wireless technology called.

One of the biggest advantages of these types of pens is they do not need to be charged ever. These pens are less prone to damage on accidental drops.The pen is made if plastic from top to bottom and has two buttons at the side. The button is of high quality and has a tactile response on clicking. The initial activation pressure is very balanced and well optimized.

While using you just need to write naturally and it will start working.The tablet comes with three extra pentips and a nib remover tool. The nib is very easy to change and only takes a few seconds. Drawing SurfaceOne by Wacom has a very true to paper like the texture on the drawing surface. It provides a slight resistance and makes a paper like sound which the drawing experience very pleasing. It uses the same materials for the drawing surface which they use in their more expensive tablets.Many other cheap tablets can get scratch marks on their tablet over prolonged uses. But Wacom Drawing surface lasts a very long time and you would not have any scratch issues even after heavy uses.

PerformanceWacom Bamboo One may be a cheap tablet but when it comes to real life uses it is no less than any expensive tablet. The strokes are smooth with virtually no lag or delay. The strokes are smooth and the tablet does not have wobble and jittering issues where the line are not straight and comes out like a wave.

Many other cheap tablets face these kinds of issues but not this one. Accessories – What you get in the box Inside the packageIn the box, you get the Stylus, a long USB Cable, nib remover tool, three extra pentips and the tablet itself. The USB cable has a USB-A port at the end which connects to the tablet and a traditional full-size USB to connect to the computer. If you are on the latest laptop which does not has the full-size traditional USB port, then you need to grab a dongle.One more point to note is – the extra pentips and the nib remover tool comes in a transparent plastic bag. There is no place inside the tablet to store them, so you need to be extra careful and store them safely. Wacom One Driver/ SoftwareOther than the tablet you need to install the Driver for the tablet to work properly. The Driver is free and can be easily downloaded from the Wacom official site for both Windows and Mac devices.

What does the driver do?The driver is the communication link between your tablet and your computer. It helps your computer to understand pen pressure data and other inputs to help your device to work properly.Other than communication, the driver also gives you extra functionality and settings. You can change the pressure range (how hard and soft you want to press). It also helps to customize buttons on the pen to any shortcut of your choice.

Setup and InstallationWacom One is very easy to set up and you can start working within minutes. First, you need to connect you drawing tablet to the computer using the USB cable. Download the official Wacom one Driver from the. (Wacom One Driver for, ). Go to your downloads folder and Install the Software.You are ready to rock.

An important thing to note is the above-mentioned process needs to be done only once when you use the device for the very first time. After that you just need to plug in the tablet to the computer and the driver will automatically get activated and the tablet will start working without you needing to do anything extra. Summary – Who it is made for?If you are a graphic designer and or do any kind of digital creative work this tablet is for you.

You can easily make a selection, mask objects paint and do a lot of other stuff using it. It is a very popular device among photographer who uses it for photo retouching. These are also great for learning digital painting and it is fully capable to make professional digital art.Other than that 3D software like ZBrush takes full use of the device capabilities for 3D sculpting. These devices are also used in offices for making digital signatures and making handwritten notes. Some also use the device to play games like OSU. In a nutshell, it is an all in one device for all your digital needs.