Help me choose my iPad Pro: 10.5" vs 12.9"?

The one thing to add to Michael’s super answer is, for printing, you may be better served to not mess with it from your iPad for anything beyond a simple ’oh this is what it looks like’ print. To have full paper size, selection, etc control you may need to get the finished file to your macbook then print from there.

I have an airprint printer and beyond ‘print this’ there’s not much control over what is printed. Meaning I can choose the number of pages butnot paper size. If there is an app that allows that control it is probably a printer specific app....so say you buy an epson printer and Epson has an app out there that gives you control over the printer.

With Airprint, all too often it treats things like photos and I may be trying to print out a full sized page and instead get a 5x7 photo size, and no option to override and say ‘no, do this’.

AIrprint, in my experience, is bare bones basic ‘print the page’

For screen protectors I use Zagg ones. I’ve always had good luck with it and while they are expensive they do have a lifetime guarantee. That said i rarely use styli so have no experience with how the protector affects the interface.

Another little tidbit I forgot to mention, if you want to use a iPad/iPad Pro as a visible graphics drawing tablet, like a Wacom Cintiq, where you can draw on your Mac from an iPad/iPad Pro and stylus to any drawing app on your Mac, another app to look at is Astropad/Astropad Pro.

Astropad turns any iPad into a powerful visual drawing graphics tablet to use either wirelessly via WiFi OR having your iPad connected by Lightning to USB cable.

Here's a YouTube video link to a hand lettering artist who does hand lettering and hand lettered logos/logotypes on an iPadPro.

His name is Will Patterson.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIp9sEZiv36cDG7cEnrVU7Q

This maybe of both some help and interest to you, also.

Good Luck to You!

As I stated, I am using a marker/illustration paper/board that is weighted at 80# stock which is a fairly thick card/cover-like stock.

I have used 90# and 100# illustration papers with my printer, but many times, I have to help it through the printer feeder to make sure the paper won't stop feeding through as it prints.

AND in all my cases, I can only print one full sheet at a time!

I can't load up my printer with say 10 or 20 sheets of heavy paper stock and expect it to auto feed properly through printer.

I end up having to “baby sit” the printer and print one copy at a time when using heavyweight paper.

Well,

Tall order of questions.

Probably why no one has decided to respond.

First,

An iPad, even and an iPad Pro, is NOT a full computer like your MacBook.

It is, basically, a larger iPhone that runs a larger version of iOS, which in itself is a more simplified OS, that has better quality, but still, somewhat, simplified apps.

iPads are simplified, mobile computing devices and not a full blown, full featured computer.

There is no real access to the iOS file system and limited multitasking.

Also, iPads do not interface with normal computer peripherals and cannot use regular hard drives/optical drives or any type of mice or trackpads.

It is a touch/stylus interface only.

Deciding on either the 10.5 or 12.9 inch screen iPad Pro is a matter of preference and finances.

I waited for years for larger iPads, so when the first 12.9 inch screen iPad Pro was introduced 2-1/2 years, ago, I purchased one as soon as it became available.

As far as screen protectors go, these CAN affect any stylus sensitivity and whether it does or not is, usually, a 50/50 chance that it will interfere with stylus sensitivity.

I am not a screen protector user.

Purchase a protective iPad case, instead and you won't have to worry about screen problems.

If you want a screen protector to help you with drawing, look into thin, matte ( dull coated ) screen protectors.

They are supposedly great for drawing on as they have a physical “tooth” to them.

The biggest drawback with matte screen protectors is that they tend to degrade the clarity and resolution of great screen that an iPad Pro provides.

The above statements out of the way, there are many more Apple Pencil compatible art apps beside Procreate.

Here's a list of the more popular sketching/drawing/painting apps that work with the Apple Pencil.

Adobe Sketch

Affinity Photo

ArtStudio Pro

ArtRage

AutoDesk SketchBook Pro

Clip Studio Paint

Color Pad

Colored Pencils

Water Color Pencil

Inkist

Inspire Pro

Linea

Procreate

Pixelmator

Painstorm Pro

Tayasui Sketches/Sketches Pro/Sketches School

Zen Brush 2

Adobe apps for iOS are problematic, at best.

There are NO full versions of Illustrator OR Photoshop for iOS.

Most of the vector style apps work differently than you are used to with full Adobe Illustrator.

There is

Illustrator Draw

Vectornator

Touch Draw

Indeeo Graphic

InkPad

Adobe has split Photoshop workflows into 4 or 5 different apps where you have play the import/export game between apps.

Adobe has been stating/claiming for years that they have been working on an all-in-one Photoshop version that comes closer to a single app, full Photoshop, but still have not delivered this breakthrough full Photoshop for iOS, to date.

The ONLY full Photoshop replacements I can wholly recommend for an iPad is

Affinity Photo

Pixelmator

Also, look at Procreate and Art Studio Pro as Photoshop replacements.

All four of these apps can import/export .psd files and some will include Photoshop layers and layer effects.

If you are actually referring to physical hardware printers, most consumer/pro-sumer printers may only print on heavyweight paper in the 70-100 pound weight.

I own an artists series semi-pro, six-color Epson printer that will print a sheet size of 13"x 19" and the heaviest illustration/marker board I can run through that printer reliably is about 80 pound stock which is is fairly heavyweight card stock.

That printer was in the $500-$700 range, too!

I have to print from my iPad through a special iOS printing app that wirelessly goes though to my Mac and then to my printer, as my printer is older as doesn't support Airprint.

Look at printers that support Airprint, if possible.

If you need to run heavier weight stock, you would need to invest in more professional level printer solution that is thousands of dollars ( again look for something that might be Airprint compatible ) or have your work professionally printed either through a local professional printer, through local good quality, quick print shops ( I have a few of these within a 30-45 minute radius ) or look at having things printed online through services like Cafe Press, Shutterbug OR other similar services.

There are even card service apps for iOS like Felt and other greeting card apps/services available on iOS.

Best thing you can do is go to an Apple Store and prepare to spend some serious time working with an iPad Pro and Apple Pencil to see if you can adapt the way you, currently, work and your workflows.

Good Luck to You!