Panning For Tech Gold!
A list of systems, equipment and apps for creatives.
Let’s talk tech! Whether you work digitally, traditionally or a mixture - like me - sometimes when you need to upgrade your equipment or you’re thinking of dipping your creative toe into something new, it is always helpful to hear recommendations that are good. If you’re spending a lot of money, you don’t want to get it wrong.
Computers vs. laptops vs. tablets.
Everyone has their way of working and what suits them best. Some like to have something permanent with a bigger screen - this is my preference, hence my love of iMac’s!
Others like to have something smaller they know they can take it with them everywhere they go and they like to have the options to go and work anywhere, this is where laptops and tablets really come to the fore.
It also depends on how you work. If you work solely digitally, tablets/iPads would be a great option for you and maybe the addition of a second larger screen would be helpful too. If you partly work in animation or video, then again, a bigger screen would also be a benefit.
Personally, I have a second Dell screen that is almost the same size as my 21.5” iMac screen and it is great to have emails/admin on one screen (usually on my Dell) so I can make the most of my retina 4K screen on my iMac for when I use Photoshop/InDesign/Lightroom to edit my work.
Windows vs. iOS
Again, everyone will have their preferences on what operating system they like to use. I have been using iOS since 2010 as when I did my Art Foundation at college, they were already using iMac’s and Mac Mini’s with Photoshop on.
Similarly, when I went to Uni (University College Falmouth, now known as Falmouth University) the tech suites were all iMac and iOS software. So I have ‘grown up’ using that software and have become very comfortable with it. I do also like the autonomy that all Mac software can give you, and I don’t think I will ever get tired of doing something on my iMac and then Airdropping it to my iPhone - yes, I know, I am one of those people (I can hear your eye rolls don’t worry).
I know Windows does something similar, but the seamlessness with iOS for me is something I have always enjoyed. Plus, I do find that using any part of the Adobe suite just works better on the iOS system.
With Windows, especially if you use Windows 11, Azure or any of their business tools, it has come on leap and bounds in recent years. Windows is still the most commonplace operation system, and has brilliant compatibility, and if it is something you’re most used to then go for it!
You can still get everything on it that you can with iOS including Adobe. Teams and One Drive are also great additions for cloud storage and working with colleagues that are integrated parts of Windows rather than additional things like Dropbox, Slack, Asana etc. There are so many programmes now for all the things, it can be a bit of a brain-boggle to sift through what might be useful and good, rather than yet another on-trend app or digital tool, when a pen and paper is more than fine. Talk about panning for tech gold!
Scanning and Printing
This is always going to be a bit of a minefield, and with regards to printing, I definitely don’t have all the answers, as I use a cheap HP wireless printer that just prints order slips, general correspondence and it does the job just fine.
I don’t have any experience in home office/studio printers that specialise in art prints for example, but if you have any great recommendations I do put them in the comments so others can find which ones are great, and which are best to avoid.
Scanners however, I can recommend my A4 scanner. It is a Canon Lide 400. It can scan up to 1600dpi which is more than you would ever need, make manual adjustments to colours and hues and scan in various file types: PDF, TIFF, JPEG, PNG etc.
The only downside of course is the size. A3 scanners are still expensive, however if you always work big they would be a great investment, and you can always look into buying refurbished or second hand. I know that Epsom do some great ones, but be prepared to spend £300+ for an A3.
Whilst I am chatting about scanners, Nanette, creator of ‘Secret Sketchbook’ here on Substack, wrote a great piece about buying a new one here and there are some great recommendations in the comments, so go and read those if you’re in the market for one, or you’re not sure what to choose.
Let me know what tech, apps or systems you work with and what you love about them - maybe we can revisit this in a few months time with some new recommendations, that would be fun!
Until next time,
Nice work table 🤗
Ooh this is very timely considering I was asking you about scanners the other day! I use a MacBook Pro laptop and an iPad and I like their portability as sometimes I WFH and sometimes I work in my studio. I have a printer / scanner - an Epson EcoTank-2860. It's great for printing worksheets for my in person workshops and postage labels and the ink has lasted for months and months. But I wouldn't use it for art prints etc as the quality isn't high enough. The scanner is quite basic though so I am planning to invest in a flatbed scanner soon.