Replacing Wacom cover sheet
polycounter lvl 11
So I bought a Intuos 4 Medium about a year ago, and tried my best to keep it in good shape... Nevertheless I found a crack in the drawing area a couple of weeks ago. Its big enough to interfere with my drawing, stops the pen a little bit, so I contacted Wacom and asked if it was covered by the warranty. They replied that the drawing area has a sheet on it, that is replaceble and therefore not covered. So I checked online and its not that expensive, 15-20 euro or something like that.
The problem is, as far as i know, im supposed to be able to just lift of the current sheet with my fingernails. I tried that, and mine seems stuck! No easy lifting for me, I tried until my nails broke, so now im thinking of jamming a sharp metal edge in under it and bend it loose.
Thats why i made this thread, to check before i damage my wacom in the parts which ISNT replaceble.
Does anybody have any experince of changing the cover sheet on a Intuos 4 and can tell me if im doing it right?
The problem is, as far as i know, im supposed to be able to just lift of the current sheet with my fingernails. I tried that, and mine seems stuck! No easy lifting for me, I tried until my nails broke, so now im thinking of jamming a sharp metal edge in under it and bend it loose.
Thats why i made this thread, to check before i damage my wacom in the parts which ISNT replaceble.
Does anybody have any experince of changing the cover sheet on a Intuos 4 and can tell me if im doing it right?
Replies
i replaced more than 5 so far (intuos3) and found out that the replacement sheets wear off pretty fast compared to original sheet. currently i am working without a sheet and it has been working great for more than a year now with no sheet.
the bare surface in intuos3 is same glossy plastic hard surface as it is around the active area.
however, i use intuos3 and not 4. for wacom, it is their intention that you keep buying more sheet again and again.
alternatively, you can also buy regular clear plastic sheets and cut it to proper size. just so you know, the actual surface is not the pressure sensor, the pen is the pressure sensor and the surface is the location sensor.
EDIT: not sure if you are aware but the sheets are glued on the top so if you are trying to peel it off from the top corners it will feel impossible. try peeling it off from one of the bottom corners.
its good to hear that im on the right track, going to try the lower corners instead... I havent really put a lot of force on in, was afraid of breaking some vital part.
The worst part is that I hesitate to draw since i dont want to wear on it to much. Which is really bad since i dont need more excuses NOT to draw.
But will order a new cover sheet ASAP and then draw like there is no tomorrow!
have you tried working without any sheet?
my intuos3 works great without a sheet.
Yea this is what I do. I have rotated/replaced mine often. I have two additional tidbits to add.
- I hadn't replaced the first one in 3-4 years and it was really stuck on there. I used a hairdryer to heat up the glue and it peeled off much easier.
- You can actually "buff" out alot of the scratches if you are super cheap like me and crazyfool. I had some plastic buffing compound left over from when I removed some scratches from an old iPhone. It worked amazingly. It left the surface semi-glossy but after a week or so oil from my hand and micro scratches turned to back to a uniform surface. You can only tell if you look at it from a steep angle.
You don't have to use that stuff. You can get fine buffing compounds a hardware stores or even at WalMart in the auto department I think. Then you can use super fine sandpaper (400-600 grit) to get the deep stuff and then just a soft rag with the compound to polish it. It takes about an hour of elbow grease but might save you $30.
since the pressure is measured by the pen, the only thing you actual pad does, is track the pens position.
i gues this should be the cheapest and fastest solution.