Note Taking, though it sounds simple, is a task without which many things will go haywire. Whether you are a student, a businessman, or just anyone attending a seminar, you are bound to make notes for future reference.

Note Taking has traditionally been done using paper and pen. But with the advancement of digital technology, there's a shift of population from pen and paper to laptop or a digital device. It is also a skill for which you can be expected to get paid.

Gone are the days when notes and pens were mandatory; now, laptops or digital tablets with stylus are preferred to take notes.

A perfect device for note-taking does not really require expensive and top-notch specifications. However, a few basic specifications and configurations are essential.

When you think of a device to take notes, it must be something convenient and easy to carry. It must also have a decent battery life not to have to look for a plug point instead of writing.

Stylus pens have gotten increasingly more precise in the last few generations of tablets, and can pick up even the finest lines you put down. For digital artists, designers, students, editors, even anyone putting together a presentation for the office, these are an invaluable tool for boosting productivity and making your work look great.

Benefits of Digital note-taking

Digital note-taking has a lot of advantages over its physical counterpart. Firstly, less paper is used therefore it is better for the environment.

Anyone who is in school has probably experienced having mountains of notebooks piling up. Not only do they require hundreds of trees to be cut down, but also take a lot of space, which can be avoided by simply having a laptop and a drawing tablet.

Digital notes are also easier to search, making studying or projects easier.

Moreover, all your notes for every subject will be in one place for convenient usage. Even if you don't have your laptop with you, you can still view them by uploading them to the Cloud.

So you don't lose important information when a traditional paper notebook or sticky note accidentally ends up in the trash or goes missing.

Note Taking apps support Handwriting with stylus

Note Taking apps let you capture your ideas and stick them somewhere useful. That way, no matter what you need to know and no matter where you are, you can pull up the information you need.

There are literally hundreds of note-taking apps on the market. A lot of them are free, or at least provide a free trial.

If you are searching for the app to make note with your stylus for tablet, then OneNote, Evernote, Google Keep, Notability, Goodnotes, Xournal++, and Squid is the most appropriate option for you.

Portable standalone tablet with stylus for note taking

The thought of writing down every word on your tablet with a screen keyboard appeared tedious.

The solution is a tablet with a stylus with installed note-taking apps, high-efficiency technology, and advanced intelligent styluses.

If you're looking for the perfect tablet for taking notes, ipad air, ipad pro, Microsoft Surface Pro, Samsung Galaxy Tab, Huawei MediaPad Pro, and Xiaomi Mi Pad Pro are the best choice.

Some tablets, like the Samsung Galaxy Tab come packaged with compatible styluses so you can get to work right away, while others like the Apple iPad Pro, surface pro require additional purchases for peripherals.

Tablets make it easy to take notes on the go and provide almost as much computing power as a laptop. But It's more expensive than the laptops.

Graphic drawing tablet for note taking

If you think an iPad is kinda pricey as of now and you're looking for a budget-friendly tablet with digital pen to achieve your dream handwritten digital notes on your laptop then you can try the graphic tablet.

Also often called a drawing tablet or a pen tablet, “graphic tablet” is really a blanket term for a touch technology that uses a stylus that, when used to draw on the tablet's surface, will translate the strokes from your tablet on to your computer.

There are two different types of tablets for drawing, pen tablets and pen display monitors . Pen tablets are simpler drawing pads that need to be connected to a PC with screen monitor to display your work. While pen display monitors allows you drawing directly on the tablet screen.

Both Mac and Windows are able to properly support handwriting recognition and indexing. Being able to index an dynamically search your handwritten notes and diagrams is a unique and spectacular advantage when you're dealing with months' worth of scatter-brained thoughts.

The drawing tablets offer support for Windows and Mac platforms, some newly models now compatible with selected Android and Chromebook devices.

A drawing tablet usually comes with a stylus, which is closely related to a pen in shape. They are generally much easier and more comfortable to hold in your hand than a mouse, and they allow for an incredible degree of precision in your work.

The kind of precision that writing utensils bring, compared to fingers, is a chasm of difference. That is the appeal of using a stylus.

Most digital pens of drawing tablet come With EMR technology, the stylus will never die and never need recharging. It's designed to feel comfortable in the hands, with a natural feel in the way it writes.

Thousands of individuals use Drawing tablet for NON-artistic purposes. Think note-taking, CAD, medical imaging, teaching, presentations, annotating, signatures, people who can't use mice due to repetitive strain, etc.

Not only is this device perfect for note taking, it is also excellent for many other intensive applications such as graphic design and digital art. Most people will have no problems with the performance, so we highly recommend that you go for it.

graphics tablets such as XP-Pen brand have up to 8192 different levels of pressure sensitivity. With 8192 levels of pressure, you'll not only be able to take advantage of note-friendly applications such as Notability (Mac) and OneNote (Windows), but programs with dedicated graphic tablet support (Photoshop, Sketchbook, etc).

With a stylus, you can tilt the pen, and move your hand and wrist into a natural drawing position. This allows you to have much more control over the strokes that you make. You can literally sketch with your computer.

4 Best drawing tablets for note taking

You can easily write your thoughts on OneNote and other note taking apps with digital pen tablet, write papers on Word and organize your files, among other productivity tasks.

The drawing tablet enables you to have one powerful laptop that runs everything. Whether it's for painting, sketching, whiteboard writing, online classes, taking notes, annotating PDF/PPT documents or productive zoom meetings. Having a drawing tablet next to your Laptop can help you a lot.

If you just want a graphics tablet for note-taking, no Ipad, I say buy a xp-pen tablet, you don't need some expensive wacom tablet if all you're gonna do is take notes, it would be a total waste of money to buy the expensive tablet just take notes.

XP-Pen provides a cheap and great alternative to Wacom when it comes to drawing tablets for note taking.

1. XP-Pen Star G430S / Star G640

There's not a whole lot to this XP-Pen Star G430S / Star G640 tablet but it's a great entry-level device.

With an active surface measuring just 4 x 3 inches / 6 x 4 inches it's not great for really detailed work but combine the high resolution 5080LPI with a pen that supports 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity and you can still create quite sophisticated work.

The pen is comfortable to hold and its battery-free which delivers a high-quality e-writing experience. The feel of pen on the surface is surprisingly good for such a cheap device, with just the right amount of drag, and the accuracy is spot on.

If you're serious about your art or design work you'll want something bigger but this compact, lightweight option is just fine for people starting out. and It can be carried around and used on the go!

2. XP-Pen Deco Fun XS / S / L

XP-Pen offers the following 3 sizes in it's “Deco Fun” line: 4.8 x 33, 6.3 x 43 , 10 x 6.273. Available in four colors: Classic Black, Apple Green, Space Blue, and Carmine Red.

The battery-free pen has a 8192 pen pressure levels and 60 degrees tilt sensitivity which is comfortable to use and feels like a pen on paper. Deco Fun XS Version doesn't support the tilt function.

This tablet is simple to set up, you don't need any external power adapter, just plug it in the USB port of your PC using the USB cable provided and you are good to go.

Valid for Chrome OS, Windows , macOS, Linux and Android operating system. You can use this device with your favourite note taking apps like OneNote, Evernote, Google Keep and Xournal++.

XP-Pen Deco Fun XS / S / L tablet itself doesn't have any customizable buttons. However, the pen has 2 buttons that you can customize for tasks such as scrolling or erasing.

3. XP-Pen Deco Mini4 / Deco Mini7

XP-Pen Deco Mini4 / Deco Mini7 is a great budget device and has a compact size ( 4 x 3 inches / 7 x 4.37 inches active drawing area ) which is perfect for limited desktop areas.

It also has 6 / 8 customizable Expresskeys for keyboard shortcuts such as undo, copy/paste etc.

As for the pen, it has 8,192 pressure levels and “tilt recognition” to provide a natural drawing experience ( Deco Mini4 Version doesn't support this tilt function ). The pen also has programmable buttons for easy access to your favourite shortcuts.

XP-Pen Deco Mini4 / Deco Mini7 tablet works with Windows, Mac OS, Linux, Android and Chrome OS devices. ideal for online tutoring, distance education, zoom meetings, editing of documents, photos, videos etc.

If you'd like to minimise the cables trailing across your desktop, the Deco Mini7w Wireless version is a great option. It connects via 2.4Ghz radio-frequency connection rather than a USB cable.

4. XP-Pen Artist 12

Artist 12 tablet is the cheapest pen display model XP-Pen has produced yet. It has a 11.6 inch FHD display with 72% NTSC Color gamut.

Meanwhile, on the display you get six customisable buttons and a touch bar. so you can program a greater number of shortcuts in your display tablet.

The battery-free pen has 8192 pressure levels and a digital eraser at the end. Moreover, this pen uses software to act as multiple pens and brushes in a full range of colours, with superb accuracy.

One can easily sketch or paint directly on screen, draw diagrams, annotate documents, enhance photos and videos with ease using this tablet.

Note that, XP-Pen Artist 12 is not a standalone device. You'll need a USB port, HDMI port on your PC to connect. it can get power from the laptop or from power socket.

If you need a screen fully laminated, tilt senstivity, more sharper with better colour accuracy. you can have a look at XP-Pen Artist 12 2nd Generation or Artist 12 Pro version tablet.

Final Words

Note-taking tablets allow you to jot down ideas and questions quickly, holding a stylus gives you far more control over what you are doing.

If any of the above-mentioned tablets tick the boxes on your list, you are good to go.

Getting used to using a non-screen graphics tablet can be challenging, so don't be disheartened if you aren't getting it perfect first time round. It takes time and practice and once you try out a few of these tips, you might find that you improve a bit quicker.

This article should help you to find the best tablet and stylus to make your note-taking and your life that much better.

Source: https://www.xp-pen.com/forum-5614.html

Graphic design is a craft where professionals create visual content to communicate messages. By applying visual hierarchy and page layout techniques, designers use typography and pictures to meet users' specific needs and focus on the logic of displaying elements in interactive designs, to optimize the user experience.

graphic designers need more than just talent or skill to create visual art. To produce compelling visuals, graphic designers use simple and sophisticated graphic design tools that capture the ever-shifting shapes and colors in their mind.

A graphic designers would always require some essential tools up to the mark that could be worked in best manner to create best designs and graphics. Tools help us create the things we need, like, or dream about.

The tools for graphic designers play an essential role in easing things for them. It makes them create unique designs in no time.

Computer for graphic design

The first thing you're going to need as a graphic designer is a very good PC or laptop with the latest and most advanced features.

If you are in the visual industry, Apple has the best tool for design enthusiasts. The iMac and MacBook are famous for its high-quality tools and can eventually help you set your mark in the creative industry.

However, if Apple products are too pricy for you, Any decent computer that can adequately handle graphics software and reliably connect to the cloud can sustain your life as a modern-day graphics designer.

Graphic design applications

This is the largest and arguably most important part of a digital artist's tool stack.

Whether installed to run from a desktop computer or offered as a cloud-based service, these software applications enable graphic designers to create, edit, store, and manage their creative output: photos, images, videos, presentations, brochures, and other visual formats.

The Adobe Creative Cloud sets the standard for this tool type, providing a full suite of applications for creating and manipulating raster graphics (Photoshop), vector images (Illustrator), videos (After Effects, Premiere Pro), and different desktop publishing formats such as posters, magazines, brochures, and ebooks (InDesign).

Paid alternatives to specific applications in Adobe's subscription service include Serif's Affinity Designer (vector) and Affinity Photo (raster), CorelDRAW (vector), and the macOS-exclusive Sketch (vector).

Free tools with similar capabilities include GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) for authoring and manipulating raster images and Inkscape for creating and editing vector graphics.

You can eventually bring out creative skills using Graphic design apps for editing, web design and video editing. As designers, you can focus on creating the best designs.

Is a graphic tablet necessary for graphic design?

Oftentimes, graphic designers will be toying with text, lines, and shapes, which do not require heavy use of hand-drawn graphics. As a result, it is not a necessary purchase, but it could make some of the more tedious tasks a little easier.

Drawing tablets provide more precision than standard mice while working with graphic design which is why it's a necessary tool for graphic designer professionals. It's much more natural than using a mouse to illustrate, paint or retouch photos .

Compared to the mouse, using a graphics tablet is similar to using a pen for writing or drawing. so It's More Natural. and the mouse can be get your hand cramped if used for a long time.

Since graphics tablet allows you to point at any point of the screen very fast, it cannot just make you draw or retouch comfortably, but faster as well.

Mouse does not have pressure pressure & tilt sensitivity. You'll absolutely need pressure & tilt sensitivity if you want your lines and brush strokes to have life and fluidity in them in them. with the drawing pad, Pressure controlled width, and opacity are amazeballs.

Connecting to your computer, the drawing tablet is compatible with the most used applications in the design world, such as Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Corel Painter, Krita, Gimp, Inkscape, CorelDraw, Corel Painter, among others.

Once you get a graphics tablet and get used to it, you'll can't imagine using the mouse for any sort of drawing & editing anymore (unless for very simple stuff maybe).

How can I go about selecting a graphics tablet?

While all tablets have similar advantages, not all tablets are produced equal.

The price of a drawing tablet will vary greatly—flat tablets (without a screen) are much less expensive than those with a monitor. Furthermore, some are more precise and have a wider drawing area, while others are small and have simple specifications.

So, the first decision you would make is whether you want a plain graphics device (without a screen), a digital drawing tablet with screen , or a tablet computer (iPad Pro or Galaxy Tab).

Also… developing hand-eye coordination while drawing on normal tablet, shouldn't take too long. It is probably matter of days to get used to it.

Which drawing tablet is best for graphic design?

Depends what you want to do and what you need. Wacom is a well-known brand that specialises in drawing tablets except they are expensive. I highly recommend Wacom Intuos series. If you have more budget, Intuos Pro or Cintiq is much better.

If you're looking cheaper alternative, XP-Pen is good. XP-Pen is very cheap and can get you the same quality of graphic tablet for a cheaper price. XP-Pen's digital pens are battery-free, super lightweight

XP-Pen is a fairly known brand now. They are a growing company thanks to the success they've had. A lot of people are opting to buy XP-Pen over wacom due to the price and this has grown XP-Pen fairly quickly. Wacom still owns the pro market. Functionality wise you won't notice a difference.

6 Best Drawing tablets for graphic design

I believe when a person should prefer a tablet that appears to be in middle range that covers major of features from superior range but also gets under a certain cost.

If you never had a drawing tablet before, you could start with a small tablet similar to XP-Pen Deco Mini7 . Then see if you need anything bigger.

XP-Pen Deco series is great, but if you have more budget, you can try Artist series drawing tablets with screen, because XP-Pen is great investation, will last forever until you become a professional.

1. XP-Pen Deco Mini7

For a designer with a tight budget, this XP-Pen Deco Mini7 small drawing board may be your best choice. It is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, Chrome OS, Android, and Linux systems.

You just have to connect the USB cable to the port of your PC and start using the pen as if it were the mouse pointer.

Its active area is 7 x 4.37 inches, it has 8 Hot Keys that have a preset configuration to speed your workflow.

Comes with a battery-free stylus which provides 8192 levels of pen pressure sensitivity, 60 degrees of tilt brush delivers more natural lines and strokes. The P05D Stylus has an ergonomic design with a silicone grip and is extremely lightweight, being comfortable for any designer.

This graphic tablet shares the same characteristics that the XP-Pen Deco 01 V2 A4 version have, but the only difference is that the drawing area is smaller, making it light enough to take it everywhere.

2. XP-Pen Deco Pro MW / SW Bluetooth

If you'd prefer a Bluetooth connection for wireless use, we recommend the XP-Pen Deco Pro MW / SW, which typically costs around $30 more than normal Deco Pro M / S Version.

Featuring a stylish and lustrous design, the graphics tablet is available in two different sizes - Small  9 x 5 inches and Medium  11 x 6 inches - with or without Bluetooth connectivity.

The eight shortcut keys and a double wheel design give you access to your most used commands and resources. Use the outer mechanic wheel to zoom in /out of your canvas, adjust brush size, etc, while the inner virtual wheel can be used as a trackpad or mouse.

Its pen has a pressure level of 8192 and a natural tilt support of up to 60 degrees so you can enjoy a more fluid and more natural drawing with accuracy and precision.

It also brings several elements to make your work more professional, such as 8 extra Pen Nibs, a drawing glove (two fingers), a pen holder and the manual for any questions you may have.

With a large surface and a high sensitivity stylus, the XP-PEN Deco Pro MW / SW is shown as one of the best graphic tablets of the moment.

3. XP-Pen Artist Pro 16

The XP-Pen Artist Pro 16 drawing tablet offers you 15.4 inch fully laminated screen with FHD 1920×1080 resolution allow you to draw directly on your graphic tablet screen.

99% Adobe RGB superb color space can ensure accurate colors when proofing and printing.

The super-responsive stylus equip a X3 Smart Chip which giving you the precision and control you desire. It have the Faster response and low activation force recognizes even the lightest pen strokes.

Made of highquality aluminum alloy material, hard and durable, has long service life, and easy to carry.

With its 8 custom keys and Multi-function wheel, your productivity will surely be increased.

If you have a creative idea you can use this drawing tablet at the same moment, and this drawing tablet offers you a great value for the money.

4. XP-Pen Artist 22 (2nd generation)

If you are a digital artist or graphic designer and you are looking for the best drawing tablet then you need to go for the XP-Pen Artist 22 (2nd Generation) .

Its 21.5-inch FHD large screen supports a wide range of colors, up to 90% Adobe RGB, allowing your illustrations to be much more colorful and crisp.

The battery-free stylus of this Artist 22 (2nd Generation) display tablet Features 8192 pressure levels and 60 degrees tilt sensitivity, achieving greater precision when drawing.

It has a support that adapts to the position and angle in which you draw, helping you to have greater comfort when drawing.

This graphic monitor works in any creative software as All Adobe Suite, Corel Suite, Autodesk Sketchbook, and more.

It allows you to work without space restrictions in your project thanks to its large size, giving you greater freedom to illustrate and edit images while enjoying the sharpness of colors captured on screen.

5. XP-Pen Artist 24

If you are looking for the best screen resolution on a graphic tablet consider buying the XP-Pen Artist 24 as it offers you a 2560×1440 QHD display and an active drawing area of 23.8 inches giving you an extraordinary drawing experience.

It also covers 127% of the sRGB color gamut displaying 16.7 million colors giving you great color accuracy.

XP-Pen Artist 24 also comes with a battery-free stylus pen with 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and 60 degrees of tilt action giving you a very satisfying drawing experience.

Built of durable, scratch resistant materials, Artist 24 attaches easily to your Mac or PC with HDMI and USB cables ( also supports a USB-C to USB-C connection ) and offers a truly natural experience to help take your creative ideas to the next level.

6. iPad Pro

A tablet that is used for everyday use and also for graphic design. By having your operating system (iOS) , RAM, ROM, and CPU, you can use it without the need for a computer.

It is totally light, aviliable in 11 inches and 12.9 inchess two sizes, and its portability allows you to make designs, edit photos and do any task from the place you prefer.

The iPad Pro for design is a great option, its ProMotion screen from edge to edge and the use of the Apple Pencil will allow you to carry out professional projects for up to 10 hours in a row.

Being also a standalone tablet, you can perform countless tasks outside graphic design, from surfing the internet to watching a movie.

when you want to save your projects in storage, you can do it quietly thanks to the large available space they bring, from 64 GB to 1TB.

Conclusion

You should find the right tablet for you from this list! Whether you're looking for a graphics tablet, pen display, or regular tablet.

Graphic design is a competitive and challenging field. Practitioners looking to future-proof their careers need to keep their design skills sharp and their knowledge of tools always updated.

Whether you have been a graphic designer for some time or have just found your way into this exciting field, these graphic design tablets can help you achieve your creative potential.

We hope that with our recommendations, you'll be able to get your creative juices flowing start your work of art in no time!

Source: https://www.xp-pen.com/forum-5608.html