Active pen
Electronic input device for direct on-screen writing and drawing.
An active pen, sometimes called an active stylus, is an input device with built-in electronics that lets people write directly on the screen of a smartphone, tablet, or ultrabook. For a long time, N-trig and Wacom have been the main players in this market, but newer companies like Atmel and Synaptics now also produce active pen designs. Compared to a basic stylus, an active pen is usually bigger and offers more capabilities, such as pressure sensitivity, programmable buttons, onboard memory, the ability to transmit writing data, and electronic erasers.
The key difference between an active pen and a passive stylus is that the passive version lacks electronics, so it cannot offer features like touch sensitivity or input buttons. Active pens work with most modern operating systems, including Android and Windows. Some models, like the Wacom Pro Pen 2 and Huion PW500/PW507, can detect up to 8,192 levels of pressure and recognize tilt with accuracy. This tilt feature helps create more natural-looking strokes for pens, brushes, and erasers in apps that support it.
People typically use active pens for note-taking, drawing or painting on screen, annotating documents, and for precise tasks like selecting objects or scrolling. When paired with handwriting recognition software, the pen’s handwritten input can be turned into digital text, saved in a document, and edited in a text or drawing app.
The electronics inside an active pen send wireless signals to a digitizer, which relays them to a dedicated controller. This provides data on the pen’s location, pressure, and other functions. Additional features made possible by these electronics include palm rejection, which stops unintended touch inputs, and hover mode, which lets the computer track the pen’s position when it’s held near but not touching the screen. Most active pens also have one or more function buttons—like an eraser or right-click—that can replace a mouse or keyboard.
There are different technology groups for these pens. Active pens, such as N-trig’s DuoSense Pen, contain electronics that send signals to a device’s built-in digitizer and controller, relaying location, pressure, and button presses. Position-based digital pens detect the tip’s location during writing; some are found on Wacom graphics tablets and on tablets using Wacom’s Penabled technology. Capacitive pens, which are multitouch compatible
- type
- Input device
- also_known_as
- Active stylus
- key_manufacturers
- N-trig, Wacom, Atmel, Synaptics, Huion
- supported_operating_systems
- Android, Microsoft Windows
- key_features
- Touch sensitivity, input buttons, memory, data transmission, electronic eraser, palm rejection, hover, tilt recognition
- pressure_sensitivity_example
- 8,192 levels (Wacom Pro Pen 2, Huion PW500/PW507)
Lore & Background
An active pen contains internal electronics that generate wireless signals picked up by a digitizer and transmitted to a dedicated controller, providing data on pen location, pressure, and other functionalities. This distinguishes it from a passive stylus, which lacks electronics and thus lacks features such as touch sensitivity and input buttons. Active pens support most modern operating systems, including Google's Android and Microsoft Windows. Active pens carried out by manufacturers such as Wacom Pro Pen 2 and Huion PW500/PW507 can support 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity and tilt recognition with accuracy. The tilt feature helps create natural-looking pen, brush, and eraser strokes in applications that support tilt sensitivity.
Reader's Guide
Active pens are typically used for note taking, on-screen drawing/painting, electronic document annotation, accurate object selection, and scrolling. When used with handwriting recognition software, handwritten input can be converted to digital text, stored in a digital document, and edited in a text or drawing application. Additional features enabled by the active pen's electronics include palm rejection to prevent unintended touch inputs, and hover, which allows the computer to track the pen's location when held near but not touching the screen. Most active pens feature one or more function buttons (e.g., eraser and right-click) that can be used in place of a mouse or keyboard. The technology is grouped into active pens (e.g., N-trig's DuoSense Pen), position-based digital pens (e.g., Wacom's Penabled technology), and capacitive multitouch-compatible pens. The active pen marketplace has long been dominated by N-trig and Wacom, with newer firms Atmel and Synaptics also offering designs.
Did You Know?
- An active pen is generally larger and has more features than a passive stylus.
- Active pens support palm rejection to prevent unintended touch inputs.
- The Wacom Pro Pen 2 and Huion PW500/PW507 support 8,192 levels of pressure sensitivity.
- Active pens can be used for handwriting recognition to convert handwritten input to digital text.
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