Overview
Students with an HP 360 touchscreen laptop can use the included stylus to write, draw, and annotate in many applications. One free option is Microsoft OneNote, which offers powerful inking features.
Getting Started with Inking
- Open the Draw tab.
- Select a pen, pencil, or highlighter.
- Use the drop-down arrow to choose a color.
- Adjust thickness using the + or – buttons.
Microsoft's customizable pen tools are available across OneNote, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Erasing Ink
Select Eraser and choose:
- Small, Medium, or Large Eraser to erase portions of ink.
- Stroke Eraser to remove an entire stroke with one tap.
Tip: Use Ctrl+Z or Undo to restore accidental deletions.
Converting Handwriting to Text
- Select Draw > Lasso Select.
- Circle the handwritten text.
- Click Ink to Text.
Note: This feature may take 24–48 hours to become available after setup.
Drawing Shapes
- Select Draw > Shapes to insert lines, arrows, and shapes.
- Use Ink to Shape to automatically convert hand-drawn shapes into clean, precise shapes.
Selecting and Editing Ink
Use Lasso Select to group and move multiple ink strokes as a single object.
Pan and Zoom
To navigate your page:
- Pinch or stretch with two fingers to zoom.
- Swipe up/down to scroll.
- Swipe left/right to pan.
Select a pen again when you're ready to continue drawing.
Using Pens in Other Office Apps
When signed in with the same Microsoft account, your custom pen settings sync across Office apps.
- Word, Excel, PowerPoint: Review > Start Inking
- Visio: Draw > Start Inking
For a quick Microsoft tutorial on selecting and customizing pens in OneNote, watch the video here: Click here