In 2006, I bought a Motion Computing LE1600 TabletPC for drawing comics. I switched from ink and Bristol board to drawing in Manga Studio EX. Matt Feazell shot some footage of me using the system at SPX 2006:
Since then I have been asked many questions about this setup, especially as the price of used LE1600 tablets continues to fall. Here’s some thoughts for those who buy LE1600 systems:
Don’t store the Motion Computing stylus in the built-in holster until the computer has fully cooled. Otherwise, the rubber grip could expand, loosen and fall off the pen body. Motion Computing fixed this issue in early 2007, but a used LE1600 might ship with the older stylus.
Install TabTipTamer for super-fast response when drawing.
Consider purchasing and installing a WriteShield for a paperlike drawing surface.
Once or twice a month, the screen blanks out, displaying only solid white or black. To deal with this inconvenience, I have the power switch assigned to “Hibernate” mode in the Motion Dashboard. Whenever the screen blanks out, I pull the LE1600 power switch and wait for the computer to store its present state to the hard drive and turn off the power. I then count to three and pull the power switch again to turn on the computer and bring it out of “Hibernate” mode. The computer picks up where it left off, with no work lost.
Make sure the Wacom Penabled driver is installed so that non-TabletPC applications can “see” the pressure sensitivity.
A Targus Podium Coolpad protects your lap and props up the LE1600 at a comfy angle. Of all the LE1600 accessories I own, I get the most questions about the Coolpad.
At the time of this writing, I’ve drawn three comics, various sketches and a trade paperback cover on my LE1600. It’s a great little machine.
Some fang designs look cooler. Arthur Adams’ Longshot had good fangs. The vampiresses in Vertigo’s Vamps, on the other hand, had inconsistent fang designs from panel to panel.
