New Cintiq 21! but first day, got a scratch!

Hi

I don’t have long nails or wear a watch on my right hand, so I know it has to be from the plastic nibs on the pen. Anyone own a Cintiq 21ux and has scratches on it? On Wacom’s site, they say their surfaces are “scratch resisitant”… go figure. I also did some researching online and it seems that the newer models are made out of acrylic, but the older ones were made out of glass and that Wacom can replace the acrylic screen for a glass one for a hefty price. :imp: it also seems to be a massive issue, judging from the complaints of Cintiq users I have found online. Id rather buy a protective film to put on it, but so far, all the ones I have seen online use an adhesive that adheres it to the screen and id rather have one that uses static cling or some other method of adhesion. Can anyone recommend a really good protective film that they currently use on their Cintiq? Does it impair with drawing? Thanks guys.


ps- also I heard someone on another forum recommend felt nibs instead of the plastic ones. What do you guys think? Other than that concern, I am in LOOOOOOVE with my new Cintiq.

cjs-
The cintiq comes with a very durable and hard to notice protective film already on it. I did not believe this until a designer that works with me pulled the corner of mine off, then proceeded to pull the film on his tablet completely off. You should look and see if you can pull this film off of yours. You may have got lucky and only scratched that surface…

c2c

wow, thanks. I will have to try that out when I get home and try peeling the corner to see if it does come off on mine. i keep googling and finding more disturbing stuff! Especially on the Wacom EU site (there doesn’t seem to be a Wacom US forum, which is strange…) and they also are having complaints about it! Custom Inset Area for 2nd Display - Wacom Forum - Wacom Europe GmbH

very weird. but thanks for the suggestion. I will post an update as soon as i try your suggestion. If that protective layer does peel off then I have nothing to worry about. As long as the “real” display underneath is scratch-free. :slight_smile:

They should never have replaced the glass screen. Cheap skates Wacom charging a premium.

I just read somewhere that placing either a sheet of thin paper or a clear sheet of acetate will help prevent scratches and would be cheaper. I will have to try the acetate and see how that works with the pen nib and see if it impedes drawing. I think the older models we have in our labs now have glass screens ( i used our Wacoms before deciding to buy my own… I hated competing for Wacoms with my classmates! As they say, if you can’t join em’, beat em’!!! lol ). My understanding is that ours are 5 years old and they don’t have any scratches on them!

Just wanted to post an update. I bought a sheet of clear acetate, cut it to size and taped it to the edges of the display and it seems to work fine. I don’t know if I will be able to prevent more scratches with this sheet of plastic on it, but so far, the stylus works fine and glides just as well on the surface. :smiley:

How did you make out taking the “stock” protective film off the cintiq? I have a corner peeled but need more input on how it made out for you?

thanks

I don’t know as I never tried to take the “protective film” off. In fact, I tried and I don’t think I have the model that has an actual film on it. I kept picking at it with my fingernail and it doesn’t seem to have one. Maybe its only on certain models? Well, good luck to you. I just keep using mine with that clear sheet of acetate and it works wonderfully.

thanks. I peeled up the corner and now I am more afraid to use it… Where did you find a sheet of acetate that big?

thanks for the reply

I went to an art supply store here in town. They supplied them in single clear sheets. Can you just tape down that corner so that it doesn’t continue to peel?

I could but I think i will peel it off and look for a sheet of acetate that is big enough

thanks

Mine is scratched too. Weird thing is that it seems that the stylus itself picks up dirt and scratches the surface. So far, it doesn’t bother me too much, although sometimes the pen skips on the scratches.

I was going to say - I don’t think there is any way for the plastic nib itself to scratch the screen. My 21UX is a newer one without the glass and no matter how hard I push it won’t scratch the screen.

But if your nib had something stuck on it (or if you were wearing a shirt with a metal button on the sleeve or a wrist watch that could drag) then I can see it getting scratched. Mines about 2 1/2 years old with no scratches to speak of.

That’s very interesting. When I first posted about this months ago, I had a slight scratch but now I am not sure if it was defective or if I had caused it without noticing. The scratch is so minor and slight, but I was afraid I had caused it with the nib, so hence why I put on a protective acetate barrier. I just feel that after spending 2 grand, I didn’t want anymore scratches! Surprisingly, the plastic sheet doesn’t seem to interfere with quality of my drawing/rendering.

Well here’s the scoop on my end, I peeled off the thick vinyl like sheild and it left alot of adhesive behind. So being in the sign industry, I took industrial strength alcohol and alot of elbow grease and removed the adhesive. Took about an hour to clean up, looks good as new no scratches now and works great. So in conclusion Wacom must made a mistake on the protective sheild (which looked like clear vinyl laminate) or that was not supposed to come off either way I think I made a good decision and removed it. I can’t see that process being super expensive as Wacom claims it is all it seems to be is a clear laminate film applied to the glass lcd screen. Weird

I ordered a no adhesive protective sheild just in case. The main screen seems to be fine I was rubbing and pouring alcohol all over it and it never scracthed or fogged up.

I’m happy now lol

Mike