Graphics tablet maker Wacom Technology Co. is using this week’s Photo Plus Expo in New York City to publicly debut the “Quartz” version of its 4 x 5 inch USB-equipped Graphire2 tablet. Announced earlier this month, the semi-translucent white pen tablet was designed to complement Apple’s iMac and iBook, according to the company.
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The Graphire2 sports a 1016 lpi resolution and measures 8.2 x 8.4 x .4 inches and sports an active area of about 3.65 x 5 inches. It includes a wireless, batteryless stylus that features 512 levels of pressure sensitivity, along with a three-button cordless, ball free mouse with scrollwheel. The Graphire2 has a removable pen stand and a transparent overlay to help ease tracing.
The Graphire2 also comes with a software bundle that includes Adobe Photoshop Elements 1.0, procreate Painter Classic and nik multimedia’s penPalette LE. Painter Classic and penPalette LE both support Mac OS X. (Oddly, Wacom’s Web site notes that penPalette LE requires Photoshop Elements 2.0 or Photoshop 7.0 to function on the Mac.)
The new Quartz model — a limited edition, according to Wacom — joins the Bronze, Ruby and Steel Blue models. All carry a suggested retail price of about $100.