A Brief History of Graphics Tablets

This look at graphics tablet history revisits tools that helped bring drawing into digital workflows. Pen input has supported illustration and logo design for decades; our logo portfolio shows examples of the finished identity work.

Among the tools we take for granted in our studio is the trusty Wacom tablet. We find it a boon for illustration, especially for web design, brochures, and image manipulation. Drawing with a stylus can feel more natural than using a mouse, depending on the task and personal preference. The examples below trace several stages of that development.

Drawing tablet and stylus beside an older style digitiser and a sketchbook.
Concept illustration: drawing tablet and stylus beside an older style digitiser and a sketchbook.

Quantel Paintbox and early drawing systems

An influential creation was the Quantel Paintbox. Launched in 1981, it became an important tool for television graphics. The system combined a display, keyboard, dedicated graphics hardware and a drawing tablet. Artist Kim Mannes-Abbott’s Paintbox account describes its broadcast roots and later use in art colleges. It belonged to a different market from the low-cost drawing accessories that followed for home computers.

Professional systems offered capabilities that were beyond the budgets of most home users. During the 1980s, products such as British Micro’s Grafpad brought tablet input to smaller computers. Models and supported machines varied: the Centre for Computing History records a Grafpad II for Amstrad and IBM systems. A tablet, compatible software and a suitable connection worked together, so the name alone did not establish compatibility.

KoalaPad and pen-tablet workflows

KoalaPad was a notable drawing tablet of the 8-bit era. The Computer History Museum records an Apple II Touch Tablet introduced in 1983, while versions also supported machines such as the Commodore 64 and TRS-80 Color Computer. A small touch-sensitive pad, two buttons, a stylus and software such as KoalaPainter made it possible to draw and edit images on home computers.

Later pen tablets, including Wacom devices, continued the familiar pen-and-surface approach. Their usefulness depends on software support, driver compatibility and the task; shared design principles do not establish that one product directly caused another to exist.

Drawing displays and the Surface Studio

By this article’s original 2017 publication, Microsoft’s Surface Studio offered another approach. Its screen could tilt into a drawing position. Microsoft’s launch announcement describes pen, touch and Surface Dial working together; the dial complemented the pen. For another historical perspective, explore our article on lettering tools in graphic design.

British Micros’ Grafpad III image by 488405 Sespo (Creative Commons License: Share Alike-Attribution).

Contact Dreamkatcha today to discuss a web design or logo design project.