The computer age is a blessing to the human race. We are at a time when the world is trying its best to do away with paperwork. The tremendous technological advancements in writing aids have made life and work easier for writers. In this post, we shall be taking a deep look at writing tablet. These include types, features and uses.
Table of Contents
What Is A Writing Tablet?
A writing tablet is an electronic device that enables its users to write or draw images on its surface with a pen’s aid. The pen is called a stylus. The writing tablet is computer hardware, which you can see, feel, touch, and carry about. It is just about the size and form of an iPad.
Before The Advent Of The Writing Tablet
First, it was the traditional writing slate and chalk. After which paper and pen came in existence. Now a technology has replaced the paper and pen. And that technology is the writing tablet. It’s a powerful tool in the hands of writers and students.
Types Of The Writing Tablet
There are two kinds of writing tablets. These are the Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) writing tablet and the blackboard writing tablet. Both types have the same function; only that one has an advantage over the other.
The blackboard writing tablet has an attachment to the screen. These attachments are different kinds of the template. Without these templates at the back, the writing space of the blackboard writing tablet is transparent. They are different kinds: the plain template, and on the flip side, it has the polka dot template.
Another is like an office paper and a calendar. With the template that looks like a calendar, you can plan your activities daily, weekly, or monthly. After which, you can snap and save on your phone as the tablet does not have an inbuilt or external memory feature. These also applies to the other templates.
Be sure always to have any of these templates behind your screen; else, your screen would become transparent. You may not be able to see what you are writing on the screen. Or you can fix any other document on the flip side of the tablet.
The LCD writing tablet does not have this feature, and it is the advantage the blackboard writing tablet has over it.
The features of a writing tablet
A writing area:
This is where the user can do all the writing and drawing. It can also allow for multi-users at a time.
Delete/erase button: When the board is full, a user can erase write-ups with one tap on the erase button, and everything wipes off automatically.
Stylus:
The writing tablet comes with its unique writing instrument called a stylus. It is very light. You can replace it when it is worn out. You will find this in a pen-like docket when you unbox it from the pack. It sticks to the tablet as it is magnetic and cannot go missing easily.
Battery slot:
A writing tablet has a slot for the battery. It uses a button cell battery. It is not a chargeable device. The battery charge is only consumed when you use the delete option and not when you write. You do not have to change the battery often as the battery can last for two years.
Lock button:
You can find this at the bottom of the flip side of the tablet. The feature locks the erase button. It prevents anything written on the screen from being erased. Until you unlock the screen from behind, the erase feature will not respond.
Magnet:
The writing tablet has a magnet on the flip side. With this feature, you can fix it on a metal surface for work. However, this feature varies from one product to another. Some brands have the magnet already fixed to it, while others do not. The good thing is that such a user can still purchase the magnet and attach it to the tablet for use.
Templates:
Writing tablets come with templates. However, this applies to the blackboard kind of writing template.
The design and size of a writing tablet
Writing tablets come in sleek designs. They come in different colors. Your choice would depend on your taste. They come in different sizes, like 8.5 inches, 10 inches, and 13.5 inches. As for the sizes, the price of each varies from the other.
How Does It Work?
When you unbox the writing tablet from the pack, it reveals the gadget with writing space. You can pull out the stylus from its place and begin to write or draw on the space. It is effortless to use. It feels like writing or drawing on a paper or note pad.
What Are The Uses For A Writing Tablet?
You can use the writing tablet anywhere and at any time of the day. Also, adults and kids can use it. You can use it in the following instances.
Office:
Workers can use a writing tablet to take instructions. Architects and engineers can use it to scribble rough sketches and drawings.
Home:
You can employ a writing tablet at home to ensure that you do not miss out on anything. You can use it to make your grocery shopping list. You can use it to plan your to-do list.
You can also use it to leave your family a message at home. Mothers can stick it to the refrigerator and leave instructions on it for the kids for things like what to have for lunch when they get back from school, chores to do, and errands to run for mum and dad after school.
School:
Teachers can use a writing tablet to draft their lesson outline as a guide when teaching in the classroom. It is a useful tool for school children, with kindergarten and nursery school children in particular.
They can use it to practice writing the English alphabet and numbers and practice their school rough work. The blackboard type of writing tablet is best for this purpose.
You can insert the children’s school worksheet behind the writing space and allow the children to trace their letters or numbers without having to mess the original worksheet. They can now write on the original works sheet after practicing to perfection on the tablet.
Advanced school children can use it to practice calculations. Since it prevents paper wastage, students and adults can use it for jotting.
Children can use it for fun and play, like drawing, tracing, and painting. With this, children can learn how to draw learn how to write different letter fonts. The result would be that they have acquired skills with ease.
The Pros Of A Writing Tablet
- It is easy to use.
- It produces clear writing.
- The battery is long-lasting.
- It is very light and thin.
- It is very portable, easy to carry about.
- It saves cost, as one would have the relief from buying papers frequently.
- Eco-friendly. It eliminates the use of papers that would cause waste in the environment and save trees. The estimate is that tablet saves up to 100,000 papers and saves five big trees’ felling.
- It does not need a power supply for one to be able to use it. You can always replace the battery and resume usage when there is no power supply.
- You can replace the stylus when you exhaust one, and like the writing tablet, it does not require charging.
- The erase lock button prevents accidental clean off of the content of the board. You can continue to write on the board to its fullest.
- With lesser use of paper, it makes the environment clean and not littered with them.
The Cons Of A Writing Tablet
- The surface of the writing tablet becomes rough and messier with continuous usage.
- The erase button cannot clear off some write-ups that are written with pressure.
- It does not have storage capacity. This is because it does not have inbuilt or external memory.
- It is not flexible. For instance, you cannot correct errors made when writing. If you want to correct any error, you would have to erase all the writing space content.
- It can easily break if one mistakenly sits or places a heavy material on it.
- Although writing tablets’ latest brands have an eraser at the top of the stylus, it takes more pressure and effort to clean off.
Conclusion
A writing tablet is a huge investment to any writer. Having this amazing tool will make your job easier as a writer or student. You can choose between the LCD and the blackboard writing tablet, whichever is of great advantage to you.
You may also decide to stick with your usual paper and pen. But remember that you can write on the go when the need arises. You can only do that with a writing tablet. The world is changing and writers must be ready to evolve too. So, obtain a nice writing tablet and start creating your amazing stories.
