What tools a digital artist need?
Some graphic designers use a graphic tablet, such as WACOM. Some designers will work with double or dual monitors. A multiple monitor setup increases the display area of a system and can be an easy way of improving computer usage.
Some artists use a graphic design monitor in which you can draw directly on your monitor into the software with an electronic ink or graphic pen. A good video or graphic card is essential for big creative arts projects. A video card, video adapter, graphics-accelerator card, display adapter or graphics card is an expansion card that generate and output images to a display.
A new graphic designer or professional digital artist need:
1. A powerful PC or MAC computer, any new one woul be fine. Make sure you have at least 2 GB computer RAM and 200 GB of hard drive machine.
2. A good LCD widescreen monitor 22" to 27" . What you should be looking for doing graphic design is good brightness, contrast ratio, viewable angle, optimum resolution, and dot pitch.
3. A flatbed scanner, documents or images are placed face-down beneath the cover, the higher the resolution the better. In computing, an image scanner is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image.
4. A printer - color, photo or BW. It is better be a laser printer, and it should be a PostScript printer. Given a single typeface definition, a PostScript printer can therefore produce a multitude of fonts. In contrast, many non-PostScript printers. PostScript printers give the best results.
5. An internal-external DVD-RW drives. Even though CD-RWs are great, there are also plenty of reasons why you might want to invest in a DVD-RW drive: authoring Video DVDs, backing up your data, etc.
Those are the basics. From there you can go further such as calibrated monitors, color measuring devices for ICC profiles, film scanners, large-format printers, plotters, graphics tablets, and all sorts of creative arts equipment and accessories. Don't be afraid to throw out the keyboard and mouse that shipped with your computer in the trash and buy the better ones.
The minimum graphic design equipment and supplies required for starting out?
- blank CDs
- backup drive
- fax machine or fax software
- 600dpi laser printer
- medium grade inkjet printer
- medium grade scanner; upgrade to a better one later
- light box; the portable size is fine for starters
- dedicated phone line answering machine or voicemail
- clear ruler
- paper cutter
- calculator
- some office supplies
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