I recently posted the question asking what the difference in tablet sizes was. I found out that artists generally like to use the larger ones as it resembles the size of a scetch book, and many artists draw using large sweeping motions. I found that since I am not really an artist but wanted a tablet for tracing photos to create vectors and using it to draw occasionally, as well as for photoshop that I prefer to use the small 4" X 5" tablets. When I draw I usually leave my hand planted on the page, so the small tablets I prefer. Also if you intend on using the pen instead of the mouse for everything it can become very tiring using a larger tablet as you have to move your arm around a larger area to get to where you want on the screen, as the tablet is a direct representation of your screen, so if you touch the top left of the tablet with the pen your cursor jumps to the top left of the screen and so on, where as if you lifted up a mouse and placed it down somewhere else the cursor would just stay in the same place.
Also I find that I like to use the mouse for everyday tasks mainly because of the scroll wheel on them is so easy to use, but the control you get from using a pen instead of a mouse to draw with and touch up photos is no comparison. It took a few hours to get used to using the pen but it is really worth it I find. The hardest thing to get used to was that with the pen you dont actually touch the tablet to move the cursor, you just glide the pen about a 1/4 inch above it then when you want to make a mark or draw you touch the tablet and drag it in the direction. Also to double click you tap the pen twice on the icon. One of the coolest feature of a tablet is that they are pressure sensitive so if you press lightly it will leave a thin light line, and the harder you press the thicker and darker the line becomes just like a real pencil. Now the best advice I can give you is to buy a wacom tablet as they seem to have the best reputation for quality. As well wacom tablets come with a pen as well as a wireless mouse, so you have the best of both worlds in one package. The wacoms come in two types the graphire3 line which is a consumer model available in two sizes 4" x 5" as well as 6" x 8" and the intous3 line which is the professional line used for those that will use it on a daily basis, these come in the same two sizes as the graphire as well as a 9" X 12" and also include some other features such as programable hot keys right on the tablet that you can use for shortcuts. It all comes down to what you want and your budget. Like I said before I purchased the graphire3 in the 4" X 5" model and I love it, it is perfect for me, and my occasional use, I actually was going to buy the 6" X 9" model but everywhere I went they were out of stock and on back order, then I came across the 4" X 5" model at best buy and they were on sale for $85 cdn compared to the regular price of $149 so I just couldnt pass it up and figured it would be a good idea to buy the smaller less expensive one first in case I did not end up liking it in the future. That being said I am glad I got the small one now as I explained it is the perfect fit for me. Hope this helps.
