Review: XP-Pen Star04 9x6" Graphics Drawing Tablet
Review: XP-Pen Star04 9×6″ Graphics Drawing Tablet
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If you're looking for a powerful beginner's tablet or a cheaper Wacom replacement then you'll fall in dearest with the XP-Pen Star04.
This tablet is sturdy, affordable, and the stylus is completely battery complimentary. If you've never owned an XP-Pen tablet earlier then you might be skeptical. Information technology seems like an unknown brand with petty info on the web.
But if you lot're willing to requite it a chance the Star04 can offer one of the best digital drawing experiences you'll ever have.
Overview
The Star04 is one of many in the line of XP-Pen graphics tablets. This is the higher-cease tablet and it'due south also the i with the most features.
In full the tablet measures xiv″ broad by nine.vi″ long. It's also surprisingly thick with a 2″ depth. But information technology simply weighs two.4lbs which is right on target with similar drawing tablets. The Intuos Pro weighs 2.2lbs even though it's much thinner, so these ii tablets can feel very similar.
The actual drawing surface area measures ix″ x 6″ which is pretty big for the price. It works great on all monitors and should fit on your desk just like any other like cartoon tablet.
All the technical specs cheque out and provide a very smooth drawing experience. The Star04 comes with 2048 levels of force per unit area sensitivity which is typical of whatever mid-range tablet.
It comes with 230 RPS(reports per second) which measures the total number of signals sent to the computer each second. Anything above 200 RPS is solid.
The tablet'south resolution measures 5080 LPI(lines per inch) which is just a fancy way of saying excellent recognition of the stylus in the drawing surface area.
The Star04 besides comes with 8GB of wink memory for saving work locally. You still need a computer to view the files, but you lot'll accept an easier time transporting them to different computers.
You'll get everything you lot need right in the box so you tin sit downwards and kickoff drawing. Here's a list of everything you become:
- XP-Pen Star04 tablet
- XP-Pen passive stylus
- Pen holder w/ 8 nibs
- USB cable
- Drawing glove
- Install manual
One of the coolest things about this tablet is the passive stylus pen. This means information technology works just from pressure on the drawing area without any wireless connection to the surface.
The stylus has no battery and never needs to be recharged. It works by physically interacting with the screen simply like you tap your smartphone with your finger.
Some artists prefer the active stylus because y'all can hover the cartoon surface area and see feedback on the screen. But never having to charge your pen is also pretty sweet.
Yous can setup the drawing pad for lefty or righty drawing and the express keypad is attainable either manner. This keypad allows you to configure 9 total express keys through the outer directional buttons and the inner circle bike.
I rarely find tablets in this cost range that come up with express keys and then this was a pleasant surprise.
The whole tablet runs on a single USB cord so there's no plug for the wall outlet. Information technology seems power efficient since I got a comfortable 2+ hours of drawing on my Windows 7 laptop earlier I had to plug it in.
Overall the drawing experience is phenomenal. Honestly I haven't gotten lost in my artwork in a such a long time, and the Star04 makes it piece of cake to forget you're drawing on a mechanical surface. It feels incredibly comfortable and while it is a fleck chunky it's also lightweight and the perfect size for artists of all skill levels.
Pros
- Lightweight yet sturdy
- Bombardment-costless stylus
- Super easy to install
- 9 configurable limited keys
Cons
- Stylus buttons tin feel awkward
- Express keys are a bit confusing to learn
Device Setup
Compared to many similar tablets I'thou thrilled to say the XP-Pen Star04 comes with total English instructions. The setup is incredibly simple and this will exist a no-brainer for anyone.
To get the latest drivers I recommend visiting the drivers page on XP-Pen'south website. Some of the current drivers as of this writing have been updated within the past 3-4 months and then they do seem to push updates frequently.
Everything you need comes in a unmarried .zilch file with installers for Mac and Windows machines.
Make sure that you download & run the setup earlier plugging in your tablet. Once the settings window appears information technology'll guide you on how to proceed.
In the settings window y'all'll want to change the force per unit area, working area, and test your brandish settings to brand sure they look good.
To setup the pen buttons and the limited hotkeys you'll demand to go into those tabs in the driver settings window and configure them manually. I'm nonetheless not sure how this works considering the pen has no batteries, then I'm non sure how the stylus buttons register with the computer. But somehow they piece of work.
In one case you get the push setup you lot tin quickly alternate between pen & eraser mode with one click.
The configuration process is likewise rather simple and the instructions are crystal clear. Just follow the install guide that comes with the tablet and y'all should exist fine.
If you lose the transmission or if y'all casually throw it out you tin can become a digital copy from the XP-Pen downloads page.
Best Features
The very offset characteristic I wanna praise is the incredible XP-Pen stylus. Since information technology doesn't have whatsoever battery slot it never needs to be charged. Ever.
It feels very natural while drawing and the two buttons on the side can be programmed to switch between pen & eraser mode.
While cartoon I actually found it difficult clicking these buttons. The grip feels amazing and the stylus works better than I'd ever imagined. But it was a tad awkward holding the stylus where I could reach the buttons without accidentally clicking them.
Other than that I had no troubles with the stylus. The cartoon surface feels incredible and I didn't feel whatever jitters while working on my laptop or desktop PC.
I also like the little stand y'all can use with the Star04 to prop it up at an angle. This is much easier to describe and it feels solid on any drawing surface.
While cartoon I noticed that virtually jittery lines seemed to disappear shortly subsequently cartoon them. I looked up the Star04 webpage and found at that place seems to be some anti-jittering applied science that adapts your lines appropriately.
This means if you jiggle the tablet or if your line jumps a bit the driver software tin can recognize this and try to correct it. This may be common in larger brands similar Wacom but I've never seen this before in cheaper tablets.
As well the 8GB flash memory is really absurd. I usually bear a USB flash drive with my files simply this tablet works similar its own footling flash bulldoze. And 8GB is a good amount of infinite when you're just saving PSD files and reference photos.
While the express key bicycle can exist a tad confusing it'due south also incredibly versatile. Programming the wheel is easy plenty in the settings window, and if you spend enough time using it you lot'll primary the functionality without even thinking.
If you're looking for more traditional express keys you should check out the XP-Pen Star03 model instead. It is a fleck cheaper and I personally like the Star04 more. But these two tablets role similarly if you lot're looking to save money.
Also one last cool addition to the Star04 package is the creative person's anti-fouling glove. Very few tablets ship with a complementary glove but this little extra really makes a deviation.
The glove keeps your device free of sweat and oils from your hand while also helping you glide along the surface with ease. Calculation this into the package makes the Star04 tablet an even better deal for beginners.
Complaints
Overall I really can't complain much about this tablet. I didn't know what to await going into information technology. And at present having used information technology I accept to say it's pretty damn sweet. Simply it'south certainly not perfect.
When drawing with the stylus I did experience uncomfortable using the side buttons for toggling between drawing/eraser mode.
They're easy to click and like shooting fish in a barrel to find since they protrude from the surface. But I just couldn't detect a solid grip on the pen that didn't feel too stiff or risk accidentally pushing the buttons.
If yous really don't similar the stylus you can always take hold of a replacement instead.
But if you spend enough time cartoon with the default pen you'll go used to the grip.
The expresskey roller wheel was really confusing and took me way as well long to figure out. I'm comfortable with most tech gadgets so this is kinda embarrassing. But it also leads me to believe that less tech-savvy artists may struggle worse than I did.
There are four outer express keys denoted past arrow icons exterior the circle. Y'all also become an internal rotating cycle that operates kind of similar a joystick. The bike is like a secondary input to adjust pen size, opacity, and other incremental features.
Once you get this set up and larn how information technology works you'll exist very comfortable using it while painting. But the initial hurdle tin can be a challenge so don't get also frustrated.
Other than these minor complaints I accept zilch just laudatory praise for the XP-Pen Star04.
Considering all the features y'all get along with the clean drawing experience & bombardment-complimentary stylus this tablet is simply fantastic. Whatsoever complaints I accept ultimately pale in comparison to the feel I had from initial setup to sitting down and getting lost in my artwork.
To Summarize
If you're on the fence about this tablet let me share my last thoughts: if you desire to spend more than time cartoon & painting digitally then the XP-Pen Star04 will go out yous pretty darn happy.
The stylus feels incredibly lightweight and easy to utilize once you get accustomed to information technology. The limited keys are tricky at start, but also actually fun once you learn how they work. And the drawing surface + actress artist's glove actually seals the bargain for me.
Whether y'all're looking for your very showtime drawing tablet or just desire a cheaper Wacom alternative the Star04 is an impeccable choice for any artist.
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Source: https://conceptartempire.com/review-xp-pen-star04-tablet/
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