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Taking notes with drawing tablets

First, familiarize yourself with the types of drawing tablets: Types of drawing tablets

Then review the buying guide for details: Drawing tablet buying guide

Overview

Taking notes is a common use case for drawing tablets.

You will usually get the most natural note-taking experience with Pen-enabled mobile device recommendations or Note-taking recommendations. These devices have screens, are portable, and do not require a computer. That makes them very convenient for taking notes.

Some people also enjoy taking notes with pen tablets or pen displays. These devices are not standalone.

General considerations

Besides tracking pen position, there are two pen features worth discussing.

  • Pen pressure — somewhat useful for note-taking, because it makes notes look more natural.

  • Pen tilt — not very important for note-taking. Many note-taking apps ignore it entirely.

Using pen tablets (screenless tablets)

Some people do very well taking notes with a pen tablet. I am not one of them. The main difficulty is that you cannot see what you are writing directly. You have to look at your computer screen instead. Some people find this difficult. Others adapt very well.

Considerations:

  • Size. Small pen tablets don't offer much space for writing and it can feel cramped. A medium pen tablet is better, but then it takes up a bit more space.

  • Wireless. You might prefer a pen tablet that supports wireless. It can be irritating to keep the tablet physically connected at all times.

Recommended pen tablets

If you do want to use a pen tablet for note-taking, these devices work well and do not cost too much. You can often find them for less on eBay.

Other options: Recommendations

Using a pen display (screen tablet)

Because pen displays have a screen, they usually feel more natural for note-taking than pen tablets. The main drawback is that they require a connection to a computer.

Considerations:

  • Size - a 13" or smaller pen display should work fine. In fact 13" may even be a bit large for this purpose.

  • Wireless. A pen display will always have at least one wire that needs to be connected to the computer.

  • Power. A pen display will draw a significant amount of power from your laptop. This can reduce battery life substantially.

  • Complex connection. Ideally, you would use a single cable to connect a pen display to a computer. That is not always possible. You may need a more complex cabling setup, often with a 3-in-1 cable. More here: Connecting a pen display with USB-C

  • Pointer lag. Pen displays have more pointer lag. This can be difficult when taking notes, especially if you write quickly. More here: Lag

  • Dropping the tablet. If you are note taking in a location where you might drop your pen display, in many cases you will either experience a cracked screen or simply break the tablet entirely.

Applications for taking notes

See the note-taking section here: Taking notes with drawing tablets

Resources

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