Windows Ink puts the pen front and center to solve for pen-and-paper tasks

During Build 2016, Microsoft introduced Windows Ink, a new way to bring the focus back to the pen, putting it front and center. Windows Ink will be made available with the Anniversary Update to Windows 10 that will be coming this summer. This will help solve the constant need for pen-and-paper, and bring the power of the computer and its deep platform integration. 3M sells around 50 billion Sticky Notes a year, and Microsoft now will use handwriting recognition to smartly integrate your notes with Cortana and more.

With the sketchpad, you can now draw on a white surface, use a virtual ruler and much more. On Maps, you can draw dots for points of interest, connect the dots for directions and it will sync across your Windows devices. In Word, Windows Ink will allow you to remove words and paragraphs by simply crossing them out, and dragging across the words will highlight, while Powerpoint gains a ruler to snap objects along any axis that you draw the line of. Partners like Adobe are adding support so you'll be able to use a stencils in Illustrator to get perfect lines, and it all works with minimal latency.

Windows Ink will be available later this summer with the release of the Anniversary Update for Windows 10.

Jared DiPane

Jared started off writing about mobile phones back when BlackBerry ruled the market, and Windows Mobile was kinda cool. Now, with a family, mortgage and other responsibilities he has no choice but to look for the best deals, and he's here to share them with you.