mouse pads

[WhiteAngel]

hey everyone, I haven't been in here in a while...I have a question I'm hoping to get answered...

I was wondering if there are special mouse pads that are better to use for drawing than other mouse pads?....there's so many different types out there....I was looking at the gaming mouse pads and wonder if they are any good for drawing with your mouse?....what kind of surface do you use to draw on???

ok looking forward to your replies... :santa

[Kathleen]

Most mice don't require a mouse pad anymore. I don't regularly use one, so focus for me is keeping a clean area (both clean surface and clutter free) so that as I move around and navigate, my hand and mouse don't run into things on the desk.

I do have a Wacom tablet, so if I am working on something more precision oriented, I am likely to use that.

[Lorne]

A Wacom tablet is definitely the best tool for actual drawing, although I think a mouse is still preferable for other things like arranging images in a layout. Luckily Windows lets you have both hooked up at the same time and switch from one to the other whenever you want. :)

As far as mouse pads go:

As an avid gamer I've tried several different kinds of surfaces (and several different kinds of mice) and I've found that the surface can make a BIG difference to the responsiveness and accuracy of a mouse.

Kathleen's right: keeping the surface clean is important, and some surfaces are easier to keep clean than others. I've used some (expensive!) mousing surfaces with special patterns optimized for the sensors in optical mice, only to find that their performance degraded over time as the surface became polished from use. I also found that while those surfaces worked amazingly well when clean, they were very sensitive to dust and cathair.

Nowadays I've settled on cloth pads, because they're easier to clean and they make the mouse less sensitive to cathair and dust. On a hard surface, things like fine cathair or dust can easily get "trapped" under the sensor as soon as the mouse moves over them. On a cloth pad, the hair and dust is more likely to stick to the pad than the mouse. You still need to clean the pad every now and then, but the overall experience is a lot better.

The only downside to cloth pads is that they tend to offer more resistance than a hard surface does, although I actually find the small bit of increased resistance increases my accuracy with the mouse. If you have an older mouse with hard feet, replacing them with slippery teflon feet can make a big difference. (Some people actually wipe their mouse feet with a sponge saturated in liquid teflon in order to get the smoothest glide possible.)

If you want to try a cloth pad, I recommend the "Steelseries Qck" series of cloth pads. They come in various sizes, and they're even machine washable although I haven't had to wash mine yet.

After years of using expensive hard surfaces I wasn't sure how I'd like the cloth ones, but I've found them far superior just because of their ability to help keep the mouse sensor clean. (We have a cat with very fine hair.) In fact I bought a whole bunch of Steelseries Qck pads in varying sizes just to have extras as backups.

[ninawood1213]

I am using this 3 USB Hub PC keyboard mouse pad (http://www.uxsight.com/product/45494/computer-numeric-keyboard-mouse-pad-mat-with-usb-hub.html) provides my mouse with a smooth surface ensuring greater accuracy, control, and faster response. And easy to use. Also the GS mouse pad in my opinion is Ok. Its not the mouse pads fault but it slides around on my desk. The only reason is, is because my desk is solid wood and has a very very slick finish to it. i had to take double sided tape and stick the pad to my desk. Overall its a bit noisy when running a mouse on the pad wich drives me nuts. so i might not keep the gs.:tup: