{"id":12658,"date":"2022-06-16T15:02:47","date_gmt":"2022-06-16T22:02:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/us\/?p=12658"},"modified":"2026-06-05T13:41:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T20:41:54","slug":"eight-uses-for-a-pen-tablet-at-the-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/community.wacom.com\/en-us\/eight-uses-for-a-pen-tablet-at-the-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight Uses for a Pen Tablet at the Office"},"content":{"rendered":"

Header by me.\u00a0 Instagram<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

Tablets are made primarily for art, so most discussion of them overlooks their use as general-purpose input devices.\u00a0 No more: A flat tablet is capable of being a full-time mouse replacement\u2014or at least, if you already have one, you might find a lot more uses for it at the day job than you\u2019d think.\u00a0 So let\u2019s go over a few of them:<\/p>\n

1. Whiteboarding<\/h2>\n

We\u2019ve<\/a> written<\/a>\u00a0a <\/a>lot<\/a>\u00a0about how useful they are with remote whiteboarding tools like Limnu and Collaboard.\u00a0 And if you work remotely, I suggest you check them out.\u00a0 But did you know that, combined with a projector or HDMI input, they\u2019re just as useful for in-person meetings too?<\/p>\n

With a laptop (even a Chromebook) and a simple, portable tablet like the Intuos Small, you can whiteboard in the office, the boardroom, the class, anywhere you\u2019d use a marker\u2014and more, since you don\u2019t need a special surface to write on and you can save your creations permanently.<\/p>\n

A tablet is perfect for visual idea-generation exercises like\u00a0mind-mapping<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0starbursting<\/a>: much better than tediously dragging dozens of ugly text boxes into a place with a mouse, at least.\u00a0 You can even make things more interactive by inviting all your coworkers up to write their ideas themselves.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

With mind mapping, you start with your goal at the center of the board and assemble a tree of related ideas around it.\u00a0 Example\u00a0<\/em>from Mindtools.org<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

And most importantly, you\u2019ll never have to fight to write with a dried-out Expo marker again.<\/p>\n

2. Client presentations<\/h2>\n

Ever been in the middle of a PowerPoint you spent ages preparing only to see your coworkers nodding off and furtively checking their phones? Maybe some visuals will add more interest.<\/p>\n

Whether you just use it to help you pre-prepare illustrations and charts to drop in beforehand, or to navigate, write on, draw on, and highlight content during the slideshow itself, there are a lot of ways a Wacom tablet can make a dry presentation faster and more fun.\u00a0 And as a bonus, using the laser pointer tool in Presentation Mode with a pen is a lot more intuitive than a mouse.<\/p>\n

3. Notetaking<\/h2>\n

\u2026But should you be the one on the receiving end of the presentation, a tablet can still help.\u00a0\u00a0Studies show<\/a> the process of translating your thoughts into letter shapes helps you retain notes taken by hand more than ones taken with a series of identical keystrokes\u2014but on the other hand, the latter are easier to store and accessible from multiple devices.\u00a0 Taking notes with a tablet and uploading them to a cloud solves both problems at once.\u00a0 For a full guide to the finer points of it, check out \u201cHow to Take Notes in a Meeting with a Writing Tablet<\/a>\u201d on Wacom Discover.<\/p>\n

4. Photo editing<\/h2>\n

With a mouse, spot-healing, clone-stamping, color-brushing, and isolating photo subjects is a tedious chore.\u00a0 I used to do it full-time ten years ago and\u00a0still\u00a0<\/em>think about how much I wish I\u2019d had a tablet.\u00a0 Now, when I need an image cut out, I\u2019ll just pop it open in Photoshop (or even Clip Studio Paint) and erase the background in minutes, using hard brushes to cut along edges and soft brushes to gradient smooth areas to transparent.<\/p>\n

5. Graphic design<\/h2>\n

If your job involves even the slightest bit of graphic work\u2014say, cropping header images for blog posts\u2014a tablet will speed it up, and the more advanced you go, the more uses for it you\u2019ll find.\u00a0 Drawing up website mockups, typography layouts, user flow diagrams for UX, storyboards for video content\u2014you really don\u2019t realize how many there are until you try it.<\/p>\n

6. Saving your wrist<\/h2>\n

Navigating with a pen feels more natural than spending the day with your wrists pressed flat against a table as you switch between mouse and keyboard. You might even find it more<\/em> comfortable.<\/p>\n

7. Passive drawing practice<\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re a digital artist on the side, maining a tablet is a good way to get used to using a pen as an input device, learning the driver and shortcuts.\u00a0 Not to mention just getting your hand physically acclimated to the feel of the pen you\u2019ll be drawing with.<\/p>\n

8. Cool factor<\/h2>\n

As mentioned in the last article, using a pen tablet is just fun.\u00a0 And anything that makes the work day more fun can\u2019t be bad, right?<\/p>\n

\u2026Now, which device?<\/h1>\n

Generally, this is where I run down the list of our current-gen products, and give a quick summary of their whole deal, before concluding that the best choice depends on your budget and how much you plan to use it.\u00a0 But for this specific task, there are three clear winners.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Intuos Small<\/a><\/h4>\n

The best all-around choice, for its four shortcut keys.\u00a0 Program them to the simplest functions you use most, or save one to open the Vertical or Radial Menus, onscreen toolbars of extra shortcuts. You could go for the Intuos Medium for its larger drawing surface, but for a mouse replacement, a small will do.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Bamboo Ink<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

If you already have an iPad, Android, or Windows tablet and don\u2019t think you need a whole new drawing device, our Bamboo line of active stylii is made for exactly these same use cases\u2014especially notetaking, via the\u00a0Bamboo Paper<\/a>\u00a0app.\u00a0 The Ink comes with 4,096 pressure levels, beating a passive stylus any day\u2014and the Ink Plus adds USB recharging and a choice of nibs for finer control.<\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n

ExpressKey Remote<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/h4>\n

This, you might notice, isn\u2019t a tablet\u2026\u00a0 but a shortcut dynamo, with seventeen programmable buttons that you can assign every function you regularly use to, in every program.\u00a0 I personally use it for autocomplete and formatting shortcuts on everything I write, including this.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Interested in trying one of the above?<\/p>\n

Check out the Wacom Estore.<\/a><\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

\n
\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n

\"CS<\/p>\n

CS Jones is Philly-based writer and illustrator.\u00a0 You can see more of his work, including most of his contributions to this blog, at thecsjones.com<\/a>, or follow him at @thecsjones on\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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