Plug in your pen tablet and draw in the browser.

Connect your tablet and run a pressure test.

A pen tablet such as a Wacom Intuos, XP-Pen Deco or Huion Inspiroy, or a pen display such as a Cintiq or Kamvas, works with DrawingPad through your browser: no plug-in and no extra software beyond the tablet’s own driver.

If pressure is not working.

Browsers receive pen pressure from the operating system. When the driver sends plain mouse input instead, DrawingPad gets no pressure and every line is the same width.

• Windows: turn on Windows Ink in the tablet’s driver. Wacom has a Use Windows Ink checkbox under Mapping in Wacom Tablet Properties; XP-Pen and Huion drivers have a Windows Ink switch in their pen settings. Restart the browser afterwards.
• macOS: make sure the driver is installed and allowed in Privacy & Security. Safari, Chrome, Edge and Firefox all pass pen pressure to web pages.
• Linux: many tablets work with the drivers built into the system. Pressure support varies by browser and desktop session, so try another browser if one shows none.
• Check the brush: in the brush library, open Brush settings and make sure Pressure → Size is above zero. Brushes such as Technical Pen are designed for an even line.

Map the tablet to one screen.

With several monitors, a tablet often spans all of them, which stretches every movement sideways. In the driver’s mapping settings, map the tablet to the monitor you draw on, and turn on the option that keeps proportions (Wacom calls it Force proportions). A circle drawn on the tablet then comes out round on screen.

For a pen display, map the pen to the display itself so the line appears exactly under the tip. If it is slightly off, run the calibration in the driver. More room helps too: put the browser in full screen, or install DrawingPad from its app menu when your browser offers Install DrawingPad.

Put shortcuts on the pen and the tablet keys.

DrawingPad ignores the pen’s side buttons by default, so you can assign them in your tablet driver to keystrokes. The eraser end of a pen erases automatically, whatever tool is selected. Useful keystrokes for side buttons and express keys:

Holding a key while you drag is what makes panning and rotating comfortable: set a side button to send a held Space, and the pen moves the canvas instead of painting. The complete list is under Keyboard shortcuts… in the app menu, or press ?.

Tune how the pen feels.

Pressure curve

In Settings → Pressure curve, Soft gives full, dark strokes with a light hand, Firm needs more pressure to reach the full size, and Linear sits in between. Your driver may have its own pressure feel; adjust one of the two, not both at once, so you know what changed.

Stabilization

For long, clean lines in inking and lettering, raise Stabilization in Brush settings. Lower it for quick sketching, where you want the line to follow every small movement.

See the brush before you touch down

Tablets report a hovering pen. With Settings → Brush cursor outline on, a circle under the pen shows the brush size before the stroke begins.