Comparison XP-PEN Deco 03 vs XP-PEN Star 06

The exact size of the active area of a tablet (or screen in a graphic display) in width and height. In general, it is more of a reference than a practically significant parameter: when choosing a traditional graphics tablet, there is often enough information about the format (see above), and for displays, primarily the diagonal (see above) and aspect ratio (see below) are of practical importance . However, the exact dimensions can also be useful in fact: for example, you can determine the aspect ratio from them (for classic tablets, this parameter is often not indicated).

The aspect ratio of the tablet working area (width to height). This parameter allows you to evaluate the overall proportions of the device: for example, the ratio of 4:3 gives an almost square shape of the work area, and in 16:9 models it is noticeably elongated in width.

Actually, "widescreen" aspect ratios — 16:9 and 16:10 — are now much more common than the classic 4:3. The 3:2 standard is also rare, although it is actually also a widescreen. This situation is due to the fact that, ideally, the aspect ratio of the monitor and tablet should be the same (otherwise, there may be a mismatch in the movement of the pen and the cursor on the screen, or part of the screen or tablet area will be unused). And the most popular nowadays are just monitors in 16:9 and 16:10 formats, the 4:3 standard is much less common, and 3:2 is extremely rare.

The model of the pen that comes with the device. Allows you to understand which one is used and learn more fully its full characteristics. In this case, in the case of a replacement, you will already be aware of which accessory is needed for the purchase. However, nothing prevents you from replacing the existing one with a more advanced one, of course, if the graphics tablet itself allows you to work with a different pen model.

A characteristic of a graphics tablet that determines how many times per second the tablet records the artist’s actions. The response rate is expressed in PPS (Points Per Second).

The higher the PPS value, the more responsive the surface is. If responsiveness is low, there is a possibility of getting jagged lines when working with the pen, and the stylus cursor may lag behind the movement of your hand. Devices with a response of 266 PPS or more perform best, the “golden mean” is the range of values 230 – 233 PPS and 250 – 260 PPS, and in entry-level models the response can be 220 PPS or less.

The number of control keys provided on the pen. These keys can be used for various purposes — for example, changing the type or size of the brush for painting, switching colours, turning on the eraser mode, etc. The more keys — the more options the artist can switch on the fly without getting into the settings of the graphic editor, and the more advanced, usually, this pen is.