What You Need To Know About
Handwriting Recognition

NOTE: Two Videos at the bottom of the page.

One of the most common questions I hear is how a tablet works with handwriting recognition. There is no simple answer to this question. You may find the answer you are looking for in the following information.

Handwriting recognition is a function of your tablet, the software you are using and how well you write. If your software will recognize characters then you have to provide it with input that it can understand – put another way – your writing needs to be legible!

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Windows XP

XP has a handwriting module included and it works well. Handwriting Recognition is turned on through the Language Bar which can be very annoying to find in your system.

To install handwriting recognition with Microsoft Office XP follow these steps:

1. Open Add or Remove Programs in Control Panel.
2. Click Change or Remove Programs, click Microsoft Office XP, and then click Change.
3. Click Add or Remove Features, and then click Next.
4. Under Features to install, double-click Office Shared Features.
5. Double-click Alternative User Input, click the box next to Handwriting, and then click Run from My Computer.
6. Click Update.

Now that you have it installed you have five ways you can use your Wacom Tablet with XP:

It is a neat feature of XP and can be very useful if you have a need for handwriting or just want to experiment.

Windows Vista

Vista users have access to a variety of applications that seem to be made for use with a Graphire. When you use your Graphire on a system running Vista your experience includes powerful note taking, letter recognition, and fast navigation options that allow you to quickly and intuitively get the results you want.

The new Applications include:

These Apps look really cool and exciting if they arrive as advertised.

To access the handwriting aspect of Vista open the Search Panel and enter TIP (tablet input panel). This brings up the panel where you enter handwriting and an on-screen keyboard.

If you close the panel it will dock on the left side of your screen (default) and any time you click the panel it will pop back onto the screen. You can change the docking position the panel.

Using the Journal


Tablet Input Panel

MAC

When a Graphire or Intuos tablet is connected to your MAC, you will find an Icon labeled “INK” in your system preferences.

Ink Control Panel

When you click on the INK link a new screen comes up with all the settings to control handwriting on your MAC.

A nice feature of INK is that you can perform a lot of repetitive tasks using Gestures (which are similar to Graphiti in the Palm O/S).

One Note

This is a Microsoft package that is pre-loaded on Tablet PC’s (which use the same technology in their screen as the Graphire). One Note turns handwriting into text which is the whole point of a tablet PC, right?

You can download a trial version of One Note for your PC (laptop or desktop) but it will not recognize handwriting unless you have it installed on a tablet PC. The handwriting recognition feature is dedicated to tablet PC’s only.

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