VANCOUVER, WA — Xencelabs Technologies (xencelabs.com) is a brand-new company that launches with the mission of building a professional brand of drawing tools that give artists an option to those currently on the market. According to Michael Thompson, who serves as head of professional products, more than half the company’s team previously worked at Wacom (himself, 10 years), a company they will be competing with directly with their initial Pen Tablet, as well as with planned future releases.
Xencelabs (pronounced “sense labs”) launches with Pen Tablet Medium, a tool that was designed based on artist feedback. Suitable for use by photographers, illustrators, graphic designers and VFX professionals, the tool closely matches the traditional hand-drawing experience while also offering a number of improvements over current releases.
“Our Pen Tablet prioritizes a faster and more efficient creative workflow with a satisfying, natural drawing experience,” Thompson explains. “This product aims to address common nuances to help enhance the work of creative professionals daily.”
Pen Tablet Medium includes two slightly different-sized pens - one with two buttons and the other with three. Both pens are outfitted with an eraser, 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity, three gram initial activation force, tilt recognition and virtually no lag.
The tablet itself is the result of thoughtful design, says Thompson. It features a 16:9 worksurface, sculpted side edges, a curved palm rest and foot pads. The tablet can be used wirelessly or with a cable, and has minimal buttons on its surface (just three), based on user requests. Corner lights mark the active worksurface area and can change color.
Xencelabs offers the Quick Keys remote as an available option, enabling artists to incorporate shortcut keys into their regular workflow through an easy-to-use interface. Quick Keys offers five sets of eight keys, giving it a total of 40 customizable shortcuts per application. An OLED display shows the assignment of each key and can be used in a portrait or landscape mode. In scenarios where physical security is important, the tablet and the Quick Keys remote feature a Kensington NANO Lock Slot.
The standard Pen Tablet Medium is now available for $279.99. A bundle with the Quick Keys remote will cost $359.99. For those who want to purchase the remote after the initial purchase of Pen Tablet, it will cost $89.99.