Finger vs. Stylus

• A stylus will provide you with a more pen-like experience, but it is also an additional component to carry around and potentially lose. If you plan to do a lot of handwriting on your iPad, try out different stylus types to find one that's most comfortable for you. Use only styluses designed for the iPad; it has a capacitive touchscreen, so styluses designed for resistive touchscreens will not work and may scratch the glass. If you want to write with your finger, experiment with several hand positions to find one that is the most comfortable for you. Instead of using an index fingertip, you may find that resting your hand as if holding a pen and using the side of your finger to write works best.
  
  

App Features

• Apple's App Store features a wide variety of apps that can accept handwriting input. Some offer different virtual paper backgrounds; others have input panels so you can write large strokes comfortably and then shrink your handwriting down to manageable size; still other apps will convert your handwriting into text. Some apps combine these features together for a versatile handwriting experience. You can find apps that let you handwrite and type, others that support writing only, and still others with additional features such as sound recording, photo import and PDF annotation.
  
  

Choosing an App

• Most handwriting apps are relatively inexpensive, and many are free. When choosing an app, consider how much you are willing to pay for the features you want. Expect to pay more for handwriting-to-text conversion than for a simple drawing app. Features are not always commensurate with price, however, so read the app descriptions in the app store carefully and note the user reviews. To find basic handwriting apps, enter "Draw" or "Handwriting" into the App Store search box. For more full-featured apps, try "Note taking" as your search term. If you are looking for handwriting-to-text conversion, PhatPad and WritePad are the longest-standing apps for that purpose. If an app you're interested in has a free "Lite" version, it's a good idea to try that before purchasing the full app.
  
  

Considerations

• One feature that helps when handwriting on the iPad is a wrist guard, also called palm protection and a variety of other names. The feature comes with many handwriting apps and helps the iPad differentiate between your intended handwriting input and the side of your hand as it rests on the screen in a comfortable writing position. Some guards use a panel that you drag onto the screen and position as you like it. Others use automated sensing to decide which marks to leave on the screen. Apps without this option may leave you with unwanted lines and marks from your hand that interfere with your handwriting input. Also look at the output formats for each app. If you plan to share your handwritten notes with others, choose an app that can export PDF versions of your notebooks so others can read them on any device.