Gaomon manufactures some of the best drawing tablets. Its PD1161 is a groundbreaking product meant for people who have just started sketching, animation, etc. and for those who require it for casual use such as taking notes, quickly drawing a flowchart, etc.
We recently tried it and we are overall happy with the way it works. There are a few things that annoy us but Gaomon PD1161 drawing tablet is still a good bet.
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Quick Video:
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Now, unfortunately, this is going to be a quick review of this game on pen tablet. And the idea with this thing is that it has a screen, which shows you the image of your computer monitor. So it’s easier to draw, right, because you can see what you are drawing. Now, I have very, very high hopes for this thing. But already some problems with it. So there’s a lot of wires here, you have to first connect a power button, then you have to connect an HDMI cable to your computer, then you connect this USB to your computer, and they all plug in to these two wires here that go directly into the device on the right hand side. So the problem with that is that you may not have a spare HDMI port on your computer, right? I happened to because I was using USB C for the monitor. And once I got everything connected, it seemed like it was working well. The pen was working, the screen was working. But the problem was it was extending the displays. And what that means is that what was showing on the monitor was not showing up here it was a separate display. And this is actually a problem with windows that I could not figure out. And that is that there’s no way to duplicate the displays, but have them at different resolutions. So what that meant was that this tablet was set to 10 ATP. And therefore the desktop monitor which normally is a 4k monitor had to be set for 10 ADP as well. There was no way to not do that. So because of that, this is simply not going to work out for me. Now, I will say that overall, the bit of using it that I did, I was not impressed with it. Everything feels very plastic and cheap. So it’s something to keep in mind. The fact that this is one of the cheapest tablets, it will feel kind of cheap. Now if you only have a monitor, that’s it 10 ADP already and as the max resolution, this may be perfect for you. Another problem with this is I could not use it with my Mac because because it only connects with HDMI, this Mac and my MacBook Pro, of course do not have HDMI connections. So that’s something to keep in mind. I did not think it was going to work with the Mac but I was willing to try it. So yeah, that’s that’s one thing to keep in mind with us. You know if you have a monitor with a high resolution or Windows 10 that you want to connect this to. It may not work out for you unless you lower the resolution to 10 ADP
Quick Summary:
Key Features: Provides about 10X5” working area, has programmable buttons to make your work faster and better, provides true color, pen is battery free and operates with zero lags
Pros: Affordable, works as expected
Cons: difficult to program the keys, requires HDMI port
Our Rating: 4/5
Our Verdict: Suitable for budding artists and for official use. Not that great for advanced animators.
Full Written Review:
Digital drawing tablets are highly useful home office accessories. Whether you want to sketch something to beat your stress, or quickly draw and share a design with someone, or maybe sign a few documents, or quickly take some handwritten notes, pen tablets let you write or draw freely and quickly instead of fiddling around with your mouse and numerous buttons.
They were invented to help artists digitize their artwork but soon people started loving it. Drawing tablet with screen function just like pen and paper but the output can be seen and saved on a computer. So, if you are attending a meeting and want to take some quick notes, you can write on these tablets and save your notes on the PC.
Isn’t it a great way to save your notes so you never lose them? Isn’t it faster to draw on a tablet the way you draw with a pencil instead of drawing with a mouse? Don’t you think your kids will beg you to share it with them so they can quickly do their homework?
Gaomon is the front-runner
It is renowned for independently researching and developing cutting-edge animation products and handwritten input digitization products. Its product line is exceptionally good. Plus, they are cheaper than other competitive products such as Huion.
In this article, we will brief you more about its digital drawing tablet PD1161, how it works, how you can use it, things that could have been improved, etc.
Before we begin, let’s look at some of its key features:
Key features of Gaomon PD116s digital drawing tablet
- Dimension- 15.63 x 9.37 x 2.83 inches
- Weight- 1.9 Pounds
- Display resolution- 1920 x 1080
- Working area- 256.32×144.18mm
- Has 8 customizable keys
- OS compatibility- Windows 7 and mac OS 10.12 and above. NOT COMPATIBLE WITH CHROMEBOOK.
- Software compatibility- almost all popular drawing, photography, and animation software such as Adobe illustrator, Gimp. Krita, clip studio paint, Corel paintshop pro, Lightroom, Sketchbook pro, etc.
- Pen technology- Battery-free Pen AP50
- Provides ±60 Degree Tilt Function
- Warranty- 1 year
Please note:
- It is not a standalone drawing tablet. You will have to connect it with a computer.
- You will need an HDMI port to connect it to your computer. If you don’t have a spare port, you can buy any HDMI adapter separately.
How to install Gaomon PD1161 drawing tablet
The above video will help you understand how to install a Gaomon tablet i.e. connect it to your PC or laptop. Basically, it has 5 connector points between the PC and the tablet. One of them is an HDMI connector and others are standard USB ports and power connections. Gaomon digital drawing tablets come with proper assembly instructions. Plus, it has an excellent customer support team. If you get stuck somewhere, they will help you.
Once you have connected the tablet to your computer, you will have to install Gaomon’s driver. Follow this link to download the latest software. As you can see in the above image, Gaomon has strictly mentioned that their tablet will not work if you have already installed a driver of any other tablet by another brand. You will have to uninstall them first.
That’s weird. Gaomon must resolve this driver conflict.
How to set up Gaomon PD1161 digital pen tablet
To be honest, we haven’t done much of the key mapping. We just wanted it for writing and the default setting worked for us.
But, if you are an artist or an animator, you may have to do some customization. You can program the express keys to help you work faster and boost your productivity. But, programming the keys does require some brainstorming, especially if you are not a tech person.
Here are some tips from the manufacturer itself. We don’t know if they are of any help. You can also search YouTube for tutorials but there are not many of them. See a buyer’s comment below.
Vivid display
This Gaomon pen tablet is sleek and compact, unlike the other cheaper bulkier larger-screened ones that are difficult to hold and use. But, despite being minimal, it still provides about 10 X 5 inches of working surface. The screen has a resolution of 1920 X 1080 which provides sharper and crisper images, something that animators and artists would love.
People have mentioned that the colors are very accurate and the pen pressure is perfect. But, a few of them have mentioned that the calibration needs to be adjusted because it usually comes off-centered. Plus, the pen can recognize tilt, so you will have to practice a bit to understand how the pen will draw when you use it in a specific way and with a specific amount of pressure. Well, almost everything comes with a bit of a learning curve, so this isn’t a deal breaker.
Smooth and seamless pen
The way the pen of a digital tablet works can make a lot of difference in your work. Gaomon, being the industry leader, knows it very well, so it hasn’t cut corners while designing it. The Gaomon PD1161 pen tablet comes with an ArtPaint AP50 pen, which works as smooth as a physical pen or pencil. No matter how you want your lines to be or what shape you want to draw, you will get exact output. You will feel as if you are writing or drawing on a piece of paper!
The pen is ergonomically designed and has a soft rubber grip to let you work comfortably for hours. Buyers haven’t reported any lag in the operation of the pen, which is a surprisingly good thing because the other cheaper pen tablets usually have a few seconds of lag. If you are an artist, a few seconds of lag can break your momentum and affect your productivity. So, this digital pen tablet is a good option for beginners.
Battery-free operation
Unlike other affordable digital drawing tablets, this model from Gaomon doesn’t require any battery for its pen.
Does it matter?
Yes, it does! Imagine what could happen if you are in the middle of a meeting, jotting down key points and the pen’s battery dies.
Gaomon PD1161 drawing pen uses electromagnetic resonance technology, so you don’t need to charge it all. You will have to replace the nib though, as and when they get damaged. For our convenience, the manufacturer has included 8 extra nibs with the set, you can find them inside the pen holder.
Affordably priced
Let’s admit it. It isn’t that cheap but it is cheaper than other drawing tablets that offer similar features. For example; XP-PEN StarG640 digital drawing tablet costs 1/10th of the price of the Gaomon one but it has an extremely small working area. It is only meant for casual use and for taking online signatures, etc. It is not meant for artistic work although the manufacturer claims that you can draw too. There are no programmable buttons. You will have to work with whatever the pen provides.
Wacom DTC133W0A Digital Drawing Tablet is the perfect alternative of Gaomon PD1161 and it costs about $170 more . XENCELABS graphic tablet is another option you may want to check out but that too is more expensive than the Gaomon.
We told you right at the beginning of the article that Gaomon’s product line provides the best value.
Amazing customer support
Gaomon is a Chinese company, so doubting its customer support team is very natural but, don’t worry. You can contact them through Amazon messages, email, or through live chat available on their website. Hundreds of buyers agree with us that they are very prompt and helpful.
We admire brands that value their customers and Gaomon is one of them.
What we don’t like about the Gaomon PD1161 drawing tablet
There are quite a few things that we don’t like but we have listed the major ones here. The minor issues are not really worth mentioning.
Too many wires
The 5 cords are just too annoying to connect. If you are a perfectionist, you will hate the black wires lying all around your work table. Plus, if you don’t have a permanent setup, you will hate carrying so many wires with you.
To unclutter your workstation, you may consider mounting your monitor to your wall. Here are some of the best dual monitor wall mounts that we recommend for home office as well as for professional workplaces.
If you need a single monitor arm for a desk, why not check out the Huanuo monitor mount stand. Full review here.
Requires HDMI port
If your HDMI port is already occupied, you will have to buy an additional converter. Other alternatives that we have listed above use standard USB ports. Maybe Gaomon should think about changing the HDMI technology to USB one.
Well, we might not have a spare USB port on our laptop but we won’t mind buying a USB port hub instead of the HDMI one.
We have recently bought a Sabrent 4-Port USB 3.0 Hub and so far, we haven’t had any issue with it. Read its full review here.
Pen scratches the display
Sounds funny isn’t it?
Many buyers have stated that the nib of the pen can scratch the screen. We didn’t face this issue. You should, however, check the pen before use to see if it has a sharp part. If so, then replace the nib.
Drawing tablets do get scratched eventually but Gaomon should ensure that the nibs are well made and smooth.
Our Rating: 3.5/5
Our Verdict:
It loses points because of the requirement for an HDMI port. Plus, we obviously do hate having too many wires on our tables. But, if you don’t mind these issues, Gaomon PD1161 digital drawing tablet is an excellent product for people who have just started animation or sketching and also for people who want something to write and store their notes digitally.
Do check out this article that lists some of the best storage options for home office because you would need them to properly store this digital pen tablet and all its wires.
Looking for ergonomic chairs so you can comfortably sit for hours making your sketches or animations? This article will help you. We will soon be reviewing a lot of other home office products. So, keep checking our blog as and when you can.