If your Wacom Pen isn’t properly calibrated, then you’ve likely noticed a series of issues between it and its connected device, such as significant lag in response time and registration inaccuracy to name a few. It’s also possible that you can’t use your Wacom Pen at all if it’s never been calibrated before. The easiest way to resolve this issue would be to calibrate/re-calibrate your Wacom Pen but what can you do if you’re experiencing issues with this process as well?

The most likely reasons why your Wacom Pen won’t calibrate properly are:

1. The calibration process was performed improperly
2. System settings need to be altered
3. Your Wacom Pen or connected device’s software is outdated

In rare cases, you might be attempting to calibrate a damaged Wacom Pen, or the stylus is not compatible with the device you’re using.

In this article, we will walk you through the calibration process for a Wacom Pen to eliminate this possibility as the root cause of your problems. We have also listed a series of troubleshooting options in the event that your calibration/recalibration fails.

How to Recalibrate Your Wacom Pen

Performing the calibration process properly will almost always resolve any calibration issues you might be experiencing with your Wacom Pen.

Typically, you can calibrate your Wacom Pen by entering your system’s settings, selecting your Wacom tool, and then selecting the “calibration” option. Your Wacom Pen should complete its calibration process within several seconds.

This process varies slightly depending on the connected device and Wacom tablet model, which might be a source of confusion. Therefore, to help, we’ve provided a step-by-step guide on how to calibrate your Wacom Pen for both Windows and Mac devices below.

For the sake of this guide, we are assuming you have already setup your Wacom tablet and pen to your Windows or Mac device. If this is not the case, you’ll want to follow the steps provided by Wacom here before proceeding to the guide.

Calibrating a Cintiq Wacom Pen on a Windows Device

Follow the steps listed below if you are attempting to calibrate or recalibrate your Cintiq Wacom Pen on a Windows device.

1. Connect your Wacom tablet and pen to your Windows device
2. Open the “Start” menu
3. Open the “Control Panel”
4. Type “Wacom Tablet Properties” into the search bar
5. Selected your intended pen from the “Tool” list
6. Click the “Calibrate” tab
7. Select the “Cintiq” menu on your monitor
8. Press the “Calibrate” button

1. Click “Ok” when calibration is complete

Calibrating a Cintiq Wacom Pen on a Mac Device

Follow the steps listed below if you are attempting to calibrate or recalibrate your Cintiq Wacom Pen on a Mac device.

1. Connect your Wacom tablet and pen to your Mac device
2. Select the Apple icon
3. Open the “System Preferences” menu
4. Select the “Cintiq” menu on your monitor
5. Click the “Calibrate” button
6. Click the center of the cross hair that appears with your stylus
7. Click the center of the second crosshair that appears in the lower right corner
8. Click “Ok” when calibration is complete

Troubleshooting Options If Calibration/Recalibration Fails

The calibration process listed above for Windows and Mac devices should work for most Wacom pen and tablet models as long as you select the proper menu and tool options.

However, if you find that this calibration process has failed, something might be awry with your system settings or software.

After a failed calibration or recalibration attempt for any Wacom Pen, try these troubleshooting options:

1. Make sure your Wacom Pen is held perpendicular during the calibration process
2. Make sure software for both your tablet and connected device are up to date
3. Restart your Wacom tablet and pen as well as your connected Windows or Mac computer
4. Check your Mapping settings found under Wacom Tablet Properties to ensure Force Proportion is enabled
5. Perform a full reinstallation of your Wacom driver by going to your Backup Settings found in the Wacom Desktop Center

If you find that your Wacom Pen still refuses to calibrate properly, you might want to check your pen and other tools for signs of damage that might be preventing this process from completing successfully.

You’ll also want to confirm that your Wacom Pen is compatible with your Wacom tablet and that your Wacom tablet is compatible with your connected device.

Final Thoughts

Following the calibration steps listed above will almost always resolve and calibration issues you might be experiencing with your Wacom Pen and, if not, the solutions listed in our troubleshooting section should do the trick. If you’ve come this far and still can’t calibrate your Wacom Pen, we recommend reaching out to Wacom about this issue using the link here.