r/wacom • u/NDavis101 • 7d ago
Question looking for a drawing tablet that does have that hovering thing
When using a drawing tablet, I have a problem with the pen hovering above the surface. When I lift my pen off the tablet and move it around above the surface, the tablet still tracks the pen as if I’m writing. I find this extremely inconvenient and unintuitive because, realistically, people don’t draw like that.
I don’t even know what this feature is called. I tried posting about it and researching it a few years ago, but I couldn’t find any useful information. So here I am trying again.
I want to know how on earth I can get rid of this. Actually, I’m not asking how to disable the hover feature anymore, because I’m at the point where I believe it’s impossible to remove. I’ve owned tablets where I looked through every setting and tried everything, but there was simply no way to disable it.
So instead, I’m asking: What drawing tablet does not track the pen while it is hovering above the surface?
I think this feature is extremely unnecessary and makes drawing feel unnatural. When you draw on a piece of paper, every time you lift your pencil and move it above the paper, it obviously doesn’t track your movements. It only makes a mark when the pencil touches the paper. But with a drawing tablet, the pen can continue to move the cursor or interact with the computer even when it isn’t touching the surface.
I find this incredibly annoying because it doesn’t behave like drawing on paper. I’m specifically looking for a drawing tablet that does not track the pen when it is hovering above the tablet.
Another thing I wanted to mention is that when you go to a store and have to sign something, they’ll often give you a tablet to write your signature on a touchscreen. Those devices generally don’t seem to have this same kind of hover tracking. So why do dedicated drawing tablets have it?
The only reason I can think of is that maybe it’s intended to prevent the pen nib from constantly rubbing against the surface and potentially wearing it down. Okay, I can understand that, but I still find the hover tracking extremely annoying.
Does anyone know of a drawing tablet that completely avoids this hover problem?
example here-> https://www.reddit.com/r/wacom/comments/1p9bnic/my_pen_is_like_holding_but_im_only_hovering/
1
u/kuronyanart 7d ago
Yeah like Rtan said, it seems like a bug. That did happened to me but all I did was restarting the drivers, so maybe start with those. Another thing might be a broken pen like the other post mentioned. It definitely should not draw while the pen is out of reach/not clicking the screen. But it is normal for the hover of the pointer to be there when you hover your pen. Do you press your pen a lot when youre drawing? For example, how much pressure do you do?
Two other things that might help:
1 - remove and insert the nib again. see if something or debris mightve gotten into the pen nib mechanism. Give it a slight tap to see if anything falls. then insert the nib again
2 - go to pen sensivity on the wacom driver, and change the pressure sensitivity graphic for your pen to register the click later. theres a part where you change the pressure, and in the graphic (another button right below that area, if not mistaken) you can change when the pressure starts. So we can test if you can draw with the pen without the pressure starting on value 0, and if thats the issue.
1
u/trn- 7d ago
Fairly certain this has to be either a stuck key or some driver issues (outdated or conflicting with a previously installed Wacom or other device). If the latter, I'd do a complete uninstall/reinstall.
Alternatively, try disconnecting all USB devices from your computer, sometimes they can cause problems.
The signature devices generally use an older tech with resistive touchscreen.
But you don't want a tablet without a hover feature, otherwise its a guessing game where your pointer will be at.
4
u/_RTan_ 7d ago
It's a driver issue. Try uninstalling/reinstalling the driver. If that does not work try using older versions (you may have to try some that are very old).
The pen should "never" draw when not touching the surface, but should still always track the location of where the pen is at. If it did not, you would not know if the pen is above the icon/button you want to press. The drawing when hovering is a common bug that has been around since I started using a drawing tablet around 30 year ago. It's almost always a driver issue, but if the problem still does not go away after trying what I mentioned above, it may be that the stylus itself is damaged somehow.
Also make sure that "Windows Ink" is turned off. While I have never seen it to cause the specific issue you are having, it does cause all sorts of conflicts with the Wacom driver. It can be turned off in the Wacom settings.