Digital+Ink+Applications

Before digging too deep into the Smart Notebook we are going to look at how you write on the board and how to use certain common applications such as the Microsoft Office suite to better interact with the Smart Notebook.

Using the Pens
As stated earlier when you lift a pen from the pen tray it activates whatever color section of the tray it came from. The color of the pen or pen substitute is irrelevant. As we will see later you can change the color and style of the pen so that it doesn't even have to match the color of the section.

To write with the pen press it to the board giving just as much pressure as you would your finger. Once you move it the colored line will follow it over the board. This is automatic whenever you lift a pen. If you are in the Smart Notebook software you can write and erase like you would on a piece of paper. If you are working on your computer desktop or inside another program, with the exception of certain Ink Aware applications, then an overlay is placed on the screen.

Floating Tools


On the left hand side of the screen may see a small rectangle with two triangles in it. This is the tab that activates the Floating Tools Toolbar. The Floating Tools Toolbar is a shortcut to access different tools within the Smart Notebook software with ease while working in different applications. There are 10 different tools on the tool bar. Starting from the top
 * **Pointer** - Changes whatever cursor you have to the mouse pointer
 * **Black Pen** - Defaults to the black pen but if you click on it you a tab will pop up giving you access to the pen's settings. Here you can change the color,style or transparency of the pen.
 * **Red Pen** - Same as above but defaults to red.
 * **Highlighter** - Highlights text on page. Also comes with settings tab.
 * **Eraser** - Erases any pen or highlighter used in the Ink Aware Layer.
 * **Mouse Right Click** - Can be used to right click any space on the desktop
 * **Notebook** - Short cut opens Smart Notebook
 * **Keyboard** - Opens the Smart Keyboard
 * **Undo** - Brings back the last Ink Aware drawing you just erased.
 * **Customize** **Settings** - The last icon brings up a menu of icons that can be added to the floating tools tool bar in addition to the ones already there.

The Floating Tools Toolbar can be dragged anywhere on the screen but can only disappear on the right or left hand sides of the screen not on the top or bottom. If you do not want the Floating Tools Toolbar on the screen right click on the Notebook icon in the lower right hand corner and choose Hide Floating Tools. To reactivate choose Show Floating Tools.

Digital Ink
Whenever you write the Digital Ink does not merge with what is on the screen but is instead placed in a layer over the screen. To keep the image as you see it you need to capture it. When you start writing within the Digital Ink layer a gray border appears over the screen showing the border of Digital Ink overlay. In the upper right hand corner there are three icons embedded into the border. Starting from the left:
 * Clears all writing within the overlay without closing the overlay.
 * Captures the entire screen.
 * Closes the Digital Ink Layer without capturing anything.

If you closed by accident you can recall what you just erased. In the lower left an icon will pop up: Click on it to restore the Digital Ink layer, then capture it if necessary. This icon only appears for about 15 seconds. Once its gone you can still use the undo Icon on the Floating Tools Toolbar to restore lost ink.

Capture
To see what you've captured open the Smart Notebook and either choose paste from the drop down Edit menu or right click on the notebook page and paste it in like that. The capture appears like a picture. You can manipulate the picture as you would any picture using the provided tools.

Advanced Capture Tools
In the lower left clicking on the Notebook you will find a link to the Screen Capture Toolbar under the sub-menu Other Smart Tools The toolbar has four different capture modes. From L to R As with the other capture form you can paste your capture into the Smart Notebook software.
 * **Square** - Gives you a cross-hairs that can be stretched out to a square of any size. The capture is what is in the square
 * **Window** - Captures the open window that you are using on your screen.
 * **Entire Screen** - Captures everything on your screen.
 * **Freehand** - Allows you to capture in any shape you draw on the board.

If Smart Notebook is already open then anything you capture will automatically drop right into its own page in Notebook. Prev: The Board & Pen Tray Next: Ink Aware Applications