Wacom Co., Ltd. (株式会社ワコムKabushiki-gaisha Wakomu?) (
English pronunciation: /ˈwɑːkɒm/ or
/ˈwækɒm/) (
TYO:
6727) is a worldwide company that produces
graphics tablets and related products, headquartered in
Otone,
Saitama,
Japan. The American headquarters are located in
Vancouver, Washington, and those for
EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in
Krefeld,
Germany.
Wacom is a loose transliteration of
Japanese:
Wa for "harmony" or "circle", and
Komu for "computer". It is one of the largest graphics tablet producers, and is very popular with artists, graphic designers, architects, and cartoonists, who commonly cite it as an industry standard. Wacom tablets are notable for their use of a
patented cordless, battery-free, and pressure-sensitive
stylus or
digital pen. As the sampling of the x and y coordinates appear simultaneous and at a high, predictable frequency, Wacom tablets are successfully used for recording of the pen in
handwriting movement analysis. In addition to manufacturing and selling tablets as separate products, Wacom also supplies the graphical input technology used in most
Tablet PCs, which it calls "Penabled Technology".
