Thoughts on Inking

James Kendrick started a meme and Ink Blogging impresario Mark “Sumocat” Sumimoto picked up about Inking and the differences between digtal Inking and Inking with pen and paper. There’s should be no secret what I prefer, and I won’t re-list the excellent and oft-repeated points in favor of digital Inking both jk and Sumocat bring up. Go read their posts.

What I will say (and I’m sure I’ve said it before) at times there can be something wonderfully serene and tranquil about taking notes with a digital pen, As a writer and inveterate note taker, that is very important to me. Sure I take notes in hectic meetings and rehearsals and a Tablet PC with OneNote 2007 serves me very well there. But there are times that I need to be alone with my thoughts as I’m pondering through things. In those times I can not ever imagine taking notes on a piece of paper again. The best way I can describe it is to say simply, that Inking in those instances is nothing short of sublime and it gives me the security and serenity to know that those notes are with me as I move about my life with Tablet PC in hand. It has become more than a preference for me. It has become a visceral reaction and an emotional one as well. The “how” I do it, is important as “what” I’m doing.

This is one of the reasons that I rant frequently about the move away from Inking on Ultra-Mobile PCs. I know from the responses to those threads, I’m not the only one who feels this way. Sumocat is correct. These points bear repeating, until small mobile device OEMs get it and understand how they need to keep the Inkers in mind for future devices. Once you have experienced Inking on a Tablet PC, you’ll never want to go back pen and paper again.