ugee 19" graphics drawing pen tablet monitor

Suitable for both right-handed & left-handed people. The Cintiq is a great device for creating artworks on your computer, but it is prohibitively expensive for many people. But in case you wanted a Cintiq but can't afford one, there are good news for you, as there are many Cintiq-like devices that allow you to draw directly on the screen, and for a fraction of the price of the Cintiq. This is especially nice in case you used to draw traditionally, using pencils or other traditional media, and wanted to do the same on the computer.And that's exactly what Ugee 19-Inches provides, after the setup process, it is easy to use, you just draw on the screen like you did with traditional pencils, but with the advantage of the digital media, like the ability to use layers or undo your mistakes, and the tons of other things computers allow you to do.This pen display is made from Ugee, a Chinese graphics tablet & pen displays manufacturer. Who I reviewed their products more than once in this blog. They make many decent products, but sometimes you may run into problems with their software drivers, which is why I outlined some tips on how to avoid these problems, which will hopefully help out if you decided to get this device.

The screen

Since the screen is an integral part of pen displays, I will talk about it in some details. Ugee 19-Inches comes with a 19-inches screen, which is large for its price, giving how the 13-Inch Cintiq is close to double the price of this Ugee pen display. The screen resolution is 1440 X 900, which does the job, even if it was not HD. If you took into account that %33 of computer screens as of January 2015 had 1366 X 768, according to w3schools's browser display statistic.

Note:- In case you really want a pen display with HD resolution, check out Huion GT-185HD, or see the other pen displays I reviewed.

The screen of Ugee 19-Inches is a shiny glass, and that is good or bad based on your preferences, some people prefer textured plastic screens that makes it easier for them to draw, and some complain about having them in their Cintiq, as it tend to get scratches more easily.

Ugee 19-Inches can be used as a stand-alone screen or as a second monitor, using two monitors is very useful for creating artworks, as it will give you a lot of screen real-estate. Another benefit of having Ugee 19-Inches as a second display is that you can compare your artwork colours with what you have your main display, to ensure you have the correct colours for your needs.

There is no guarantee that Ugee 19-Inches will work as a 3rd monitor, as by the time I wrote this review, the driver is officially compatible with two monitors only, but that will hopefully change in the future.

Ugee 19-Inches Stand

Viewing angles of Ugee 19-Inches are also nice, they are about ±80 both horizontally & vertically. The default stand of Ugee 19-Inches allows you to adjust the device to suit the way you sit, so it is unlikely you are going to have much of a problem with the viewing angels. Also, it is worth to note that it supports Vesa 100 stands and many other kind of mounting methods if you are iterated (I talk about mounting arms below).

When you first draw on the screen, the cursor may not correspond correctly with where you place the pen to draw, but that's okay, as the pen is very likely going to work correctly after you calibrate it with either 4-points or 9-points calibration.

The pressure sensitivity & the lack of tilt sensitivity.

Ugee 19-Inches has 2048 level of Pressure sensitivity, which is the typical level that comes with graphics tablets these days, and is more than enough for most of artworks creation. In case you don't know what pressure sensitivity is, it is a feature that allows you to create thicker or thinner lines based on how much pressure you apply with the pen. It works similar to how real pencils do. Some art programs allow you to vary many other things besides like thickness, like opacity.
Bear in mind that Ugee 19-Inches doesn't support tilt sensitivity, a feature that is similar to pressure sensitivity, but allows you to control the strokes thickness or opacity using tilt instead of pressure. Most affordable graphics tablets & pen displays don't support that feature. If you are new to digital art, it is unlikely you will need this feature.

The Pen Ugee 19-Inches pen, called P50S, has two buttons, can be customised in more than one way, like triggering right mouse click or toggling between the pen & eraser function.

The pen requires to be charged via the small usb cable that comes with it, the cable is plugged in the hole at the end of the pen.

Besides the pen, you get a pen holder for keeping the pen when you are not using it. Inside that pen holder, there are 8 replacement nibs, so that you could replace the nib once it wears off after so much use.

Connecting the monitor to your desktop computer or laptop, or Mac computer

Ugee 19-Inches is compatible with VGA & DVI ports out of the box, which mean it will work with a lot of computers right away, as these two ports are among the most widely used ones. The pen display comes with D-Sub cable cable in case you wanted to connect to your computer using VGA.

However, if your computer only has HDMI port, then you will need to get yourself an adapter in order to use this device with it. Like HDMI-To-VGA or HDMI-To-DVI adapter or cable.

The same goes if you Mac user, if your Mac has a mini displayport or thunderbolt, then you will need an adapter as well, like a Mini Displayport to VGA adapter.

Express keys

Ugee 19-Inches offers no express keys at all, which mean you will need to have your keyboard nearby to use the different kind of shortcuts you want. Most of the affordable pen displays I reviewed don't come with express keys, in case you really care about express keys, and don't mind spending a bit more, then you can check out www, which has 8 of them in total. Or simply get a small keyword and place it besides the monitor.

Another way to get around the lack of express keys is to get a monitor arm and place Ugee on the top of your keyboard, which is what I will talk about next.

Supported Arms

One of the nice things you can do with Ugee 19-Inches, or any pen display for that matter, is to attach it to a monitor arm, so that you can move it around or adjust its position to suit your needs. For one, you can have the pen display on your lap while you draw.
And since Ugee 19-Inches has no express keys of any type, you can have hang Ugee 19-Inches by an arm and have the keyboard right below it.

And just like the case with the Mini Displayport, you can have an arm bundled with Ugee 19-Inches by following this link:- Emgreat® Desk Mount LCD Arm 10KG Loading Capacity.

The gloves, Screen Protector and Pergear Clean Kit

One of the nice things about Ugee 19-Inches is that it comes with gloves, which are helpful for preventing you from smudging the screen with your arms while you are drawing. The pen display also comes with a simple screen protector, and cleaning kit, which are a nice addition for what you already get.

Ugee 19-Inches Setting up Tips

As I mentioned at the beginning of this review, Ugee 19-Inches works pretty great after you set it up, though you may encounter some problems while doing so, which is why I made the following steps, which I hope will save you from any the trouble that comes from installing it.

Before you install Ugee 19-Inches driver, make sure you uninstall all other drivers from your computer, and this includes any Wacom drivers.
Download the latest drivers from Ugee's website http://www.ugee.net/download.asp, as it is ore likely going to be up-to-date than the one that comes in the CD.
Don't forget to charge the pen using the small USB cable that comes with it, as the pen requires its own power source. When the pen is charging, a blue led will turn on until it finishes charging.
If you are facing problems like the pen display drawing in straight lines, try to unplug then replug the USB cable.
If all the above failed, try a different driver version. Sometimes even the latest driver is not the best one for the operating system version you are using.

What is in the box?