CAN I USE A WACOM TABLET TO 'DRAW' IN WORD AND PAGES?

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Level 1

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CAN I USE A WACOM TABLET TO 'DRAW' IN WORD AND PAGES?

+_first, sorry if this is in the wrong section...was not sure where to put it!_+

so, i know on windows when using word, you can go under 'review' and then 'ink'. this can be used for using the pens in tablets, and also for a wacom tablet.

is this possible on a mac? i want to buy a wacom bamboo tablet, but only if i can draw in documents!

Thanks 🙂

iMac 21" 3.2GHz, Core i3. iPhone 4, 32 GB; iPad WiFi, 64 GB; iPod Touch 3rd G, Mac OS X (10.6.4)

Posted on Dec 24, 2010 9:52 AM

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Answer 1

rkaufmann87

Level 10

148,494 points

Dec 24, 2010 10:59 AM in response to JCK1020

Hi,

I think the way to find out is to ping Wacom and ask. Be specific though, let them know model of iMac, OS X version and what version of MS Office you intend to use.

Roger

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Answer 2

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Dec 24, 2010 4:42 PM in response to JCK1020

It depends entirely on the program; Mac OS has "Ink" which will be automatically activated when you install the Wacom software (I have a Bamboo myself) and should show up in your menu bar as a pen. Some apps will recognize it, others wont. And, besides asking Wacom, you might want to check with MS - I do not run Windows, so I have no idea if it'll work with it or not.

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Answer 3

JCK1020 Author

Level 1

0 points

Dec 29, 2010 11:58 AM in response to babowa

sorry for the tardy response!

Barbara, do you have Word 2011 or Pages 09?

If so, would you possibly be able to check to see what I am talking about? if not, then i totally understand! thanks 🙂

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Answer 4

etresoft

Level 9

56,656 points

Dec 29, 2010 12:33 PM in response to JCK1020

It is possible on a Mac, but only if the application supports it. No version of Microsoft Office for the Mac supports its. In fact, any ink annotations you make in Windows will not be visible at all on the Mac version of Office.

Any Mac program that supports drawing will support drawing with a tablet.

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Answer 5

babowa

Level 9

78,568 points

Dec 29, 2010 12:45 PM in response to JCK1020

I don't have Word 2011 (or any other Windows app), but I do have Pages and just tried it - and here is what I got:

Open blank doc in Pages, turn on "allow to write in any app" in Ink Preferences, got a "scratch pad" and scribbled a couple of letters, scratch disappeared and the letters showed up as "typed" in blank document. Scribbled circles did not, only letters - so, it appears it recognizes it for writing, but not drawing.

I then used the Ink pad to draw a smiley face and, according to the Ink Help, you can "send" it into the active application, but Pages would not recognize my drawing, which - in a way - does not really surprise me because Pages is a word processing app, not a graphics/drawing app.

I then tried the same thing in the old AppleWorks (with a blank drawing doc open) - drew a smiley face, hit send, and it showed up as a smiley face!

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Answer 6

etresoft

Level 9

56,656 points

Dec 29, 2010 1:44 PM in response to babowa

MacOS X "Ink" is not the same as "Ink" in Office for Windows. The Office Ink just adds drawn annotations to a document. The MacOS X Ink converts handwritten characters to text.

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