All eyes are on the new Surface Pro following its announcement today, but Microsoft has also revealed plans to give a big boost to inking with the Surface Pen in its Office apps. The overall purpose, Microsoft says (opens in new tab), is to make inking in Office more personal with new inks, and more fluid with the new Surface Pen.
Some of the biggest changes include full support for the new Surface Pen's capabilities and low-latency inking. Office apps will automatically work with the new Pen, which supports 4,096 pressure points. The Pen's tilt functionality can also be used to gradually adjust ink thickness and texture with your tilt. The new Surface Pen capabilities should automatically work for Office 365 subscribers on the new Surface Pro.
On the more personal side of things, Microsoft is adding some new pencil texture and ink effects that should spice up your work. Word, Excel, and PowerPoint will all get access to new ink effects like rainbow, galaxy, lava, ocean, gold, silver and more. Microsoft is also introducing a "digital pencil case," which acts as a gallery for your favorite pens, pencils, and highlighters. What's more, that gallery will roam between apps and devices.
The new texture and ink effects will hit Office Insiders in June, while the new pen gallery will land in June as well for Office 365 customers.
Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the Editor in Chief for Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. Got a hot tip? Send it to daniel.thorp-lancaster@futurenet.com.
