Which Computer Mouse Do Graphic Artists Use?

To a graphic artist, the tools of the trade are the computer and its components, so selecting a computer mouse is key. Just as a watercolor artist may have different preferences as far as what paint brush he uses, so too may graphic designers have different preferences for which computer mouse they decide to use.

What type of mouse to use while doing graphic design work is partly a matter of taste, but most graphic designers use one of two types of computer mouse:

• Many graphic designers choose a high-end trackball mouse, which is very sensitive, usually has customizable buttons, and is known to be easier on the wrist than a laser mouse.
• Even more graphic designers choose not to use a mouse at all, and turn to a graphics tablet for their illustration work.

Graphic artists may also elect to switch back and forth between these two options depending on the type of design work they are doing.

Quality Trackball Mouse

A trackball mouse operates via a small ball placed inside a socket inside the mouse; sensors surrounding the ball track its motion as the mouse is moved and cause the cursor to move accordingly.

A trackball mouse, is the oldest type of mouse on the market. It's also, to this day, the most accurate.

There are a great many other types of computer mice on the market these days, but those who do any type of graphically-based computer work will likely tell you that the trackball is still the best tool for the type of work they're doing, which requires very detailed control and precision movements.

A trackball mouse is one of the most used methods used by graphic artists because:

• While a laser mouse is faster than a trackball, it loses a small amount of precision in order to achieve that speed, and graphic designers would much rather have precision than speed.
• CAD engineers use trackball mouses for highly-detailed computer drawings, as do video game designers (and many actual video game controllers).
• Trackball mice are also easier to control than laser mice or other types of pointing devices, meaning they are less stressful on the wrist. This reduces repetitive stress injuries, to which graphic artists are extremely prone because of the hours they spend at their computers.

Graphics Tablet

The other alternative used by most graphic artists is a graphics tablet.

• About the size and shape of a laptop, a graphics tablet consists of an electronic computerized drawing surface with an attached stylus; the effect is similar to drawing with a paper and pen, only you're essentially drawing on a computer screen.
• This lets graphic artists have a great deal more natural control than they may have with a traditional mouse.

However, while the trackball mouse and the graphics tablet are the two most common options for a graphic artist, the device any given artist uses really comes down to a matter of comfort and preference.