Using digital paper - Making handwritten information digitally accessible

Preparing digital paper
Digital paper works in combination with a digital pen in the digitizing of handwritten information. All types of ordinary paper can be easily converted into digital paper. All that is needed is the application of an Anoto dot pattern. Printing this dot pattern on the paper makes it possible for the digital pen’s built-in camera to detect pen strokes and record handwriting that can then be stored and sent digitally.

The pattern, applied to the paper layout using a design tool, is printed on the selected paper together with the layout. Read more about print on paper here.

The pattern indicates position
Every small area of the pattern has a unique combination of dots with different positions. When the user writes on the digital paper, the digital pen captures information about what the user writes and where, by registering the pattern close to the pen tip. The information is saved in the pen. 

Almost invisible to the naked eye, the Anoto pattern consists of numerous intelligent small black dots that can be read by a digital pen. The pattern indicates the exact position of the digital pen as it moves across the digital paper. What’s more, the pattern on each paper has a unique identity, so each page can be kept separate from another.

Digital paper becomes on-site reference
Digital pen and paper technology allows information to be simultaneously recorded in both written and electronic form. Once the digital paper has fulfilled its role in digitizing handwritten text, it becomes a conventional paper copy, but the difference is that it can be left at the job site for reference, if required. Using Anoto technology also eliminates the possibility of losing important written information in the time lag between writing a form on site and manually inputting the data on a system back in the office.