Digital Pen & Paper : how does it work?

The Digital Pen & Paper's introduction is a step forward unique in electronic communications: in fact it combines the PC's digital world and the traditional world of paper and pen.

The interpretation and transmission of handwritten text and images is based on the Anoto technology (Anoto Functionality): a special digital pen and a paper printed with a pattern invisible to the eye. Advanced image processing and a complex infrastructure allow anything written with the pen on the paper to be transformed to digital media.

DIGITAL PEN: in addition to normal ink, the digital pen also contains a digital camera with a special optical reader, an advanced image processing system and a communication unit which makes possible the retrieval and storage of data during writing.

PATTERN: the paper (simple plain paper) is equipped, on the surface layer, with a peculiar dot pattern, invisible to the eye, that is either pre-printed or printed with a laser printer. This special paper conveys with precision to the pen all the handwritten information.
The writing is interpreted and digitalised by registering the pen's movement across the paper, and also the pressure.

DATA TRANSFER: a processor inside the pen elaborates and memorizes what is written, in conformity with the original.
By placing the pen in its rechargeable holder the data is transferred from the pen to the computer and then, via internet, to the central server, where they are turned in digital format and then they can be easily organized, shared and recorded.

HANDWRITING RECOGNITION: effective recognition and conversion of handwritten text to digital documents enables big savings for the users when forms enabling Anoto functionality are to be stored in enterprises' computer systems.