iPad Pro Using iPP for taking notes at work

[BigDO]

I just got a 12.9” iPP, keyboard and pencil to try and switch my trusty paper notebook to digital.

Everything I see on YouTube etc relates to student use. While not much different, I’d like to hear experiences from professionals using it as part of their daily workflow, good and/or bad.

Is there a way to conver the handwritten notes to type using the iOS Notes app?

Thanks!

 

[sracer]

Here's a link to a thread where I describe how I use an iPad + Pencil to replace my work-related project notebooks.

 

[BigDO]

Here's a link to a thread where I describe how I use an iPad + Pencil to replace my work-related project notebooks.

Thanks. How do you find the actual note-taking experience?

 

[sracer]

Thanks. How do you find the actual note-taking experience?

Taking notes on a the bare glass is not enjoyable... too slippery. I applied a matte screen protector that not only eliminates fingerprint smudges and glare, but provides a slight resistance for the Pencil to write on. It feels closer to writing on paper than without it. (though not exactly like writing on paper)

There's a screen protector called, "PaperLike" that is supposed to do the same thing but it is more expensive and I haven't seen it to be significantly better than a basic matte protector.

Using GoodNotes 4 on my iPad has been a great experience in replacing my paper project notebooks. I like that I can search my handwritten notes for text... very cool. I can have project-specific notebooks and then export them to PDF to share with others.

There's a macOS version of GoodNotes 4 that I use to access my notes on my MBA and iMac, and can even add to those notes and have them sync to my iPad.

I have a special "meeting notes" template page that I make a copy and use when attending meetings to jot down things like attendees, agenda, notes, follow-ups, etc.

I like being able to easily make my own custom notebooks with hyperlinks simply by creating them in Keynote and exporting them to PDF. I've got things highly customized to fit to how I work... rather than being forced to conform to other organizers/notebooks pre-defined designs.

 

[neutrino23]

I used PaperLike for a while. It worked ok. I gave it up for two issues. One is that it degraded the screen image too much for my taste. Second, after a while it gets clogged with skin oil and becomes slippery so you have to wash it frequently.

I’m sure Apple is aware of this and is searching for a solution. I can’t wait to see it.

I use Concepts for my note taking. I add a lot of sketches to my notes so this works for me.

Nebo is maybe the best for handwriting to text conversion. MathPad, same company, is awesome for converting scribbles to equations.

For fun, I work out crosswords in the pdf version of my newspaper using PDF Expert and the Apple Pencil. After a year or so this has dramatically improved the clarity of my printing. I’ve found that if I slow down slightly and pay attention to what I’m doing I write more clearly.

Other tips. If you zoom in a little and write a little larger your writing will be clearer. Some programs allow you to apply some smoothing to your lines. This can help as well.

Writing on glass is not great. But if you get value from the result you’ll find ways to make it work.

 

[AutomaticApple]

I just got a 12.9” iPP, keyboard and pencil to try and switch my trusty paper notebook to digital.

Everything I see on YouTube etc relates to student use. While not much different, I’d like to hear experiences from professionals using it as part of their daily workflow, good and/or bad.

Is there a way to conver the handwritten notes to type using the iOS Notes app?

Thanks!

What’s your job?

 

[chfilm]

I’m a director and use it all the time to annotate screenplays or jot down ideas. Loving it!! Just have to say that the 11” is much nicer for note taking than the big one. (I have both)

 

[maflynn]

I use notibility, which allows me to type notes and use the stylus. I opt for the keyboard when I want or need nicely typed information and then the stylus while in meetings where I quickly jot down thoughts and ideas.

I also tried OneNote and that never really grabbed me. My boss uses a Surface Go with OneNote and I can see that being useful since it integrates with outlook and other MS products. For my needs, I feel so far the iPad is fitting my needs.

I've also tried Nebo which converts your handwriting into typed text. I'm not sold on this yet but that's an option and may offer the best of both worlds.

 

[Khedron]

I use notibility, which allows me to type notes and use the stylus. I opt for the keyboard when I want or need nicely typed information and then the stylus while in meetings where I quickly jot down thoughts and ideas.

I also tried OneNote and that never really grabbed me. My boss uses a Surface Go with OneNote and I can see that being useful since it integrates with outlook and other MS products. For my needs, I feel so far the iPad is fitting my needs.

I've also tried Nebo which converts your handwriting into typed text. I'm not sold on this yet but that's an option and may offer the best of both worlds.

Notability can also turn your handwritten notes into text. Use the select tool on the text then tap and choose the option.

 

[CalMin]

I've tried Notability, Goodnotes and Noteshelf. Each has their own pros and cons, so I don't think there is any way around buying them and trying them all to see which fits you best.

I never really got along with Notability, but there are many who swear by it. My personal favorite is GoodNotes 5 for the way it handles PDF files that I bring in, as well as general organization. However, I now tend to use Noteshelf 2 for one killer feature - Evernote synchronization. Being able to sync over to Evernote means I can access my notes from a Windows PC (yes - I use one of them for work...) as well as my Mac and iOS devices. It also means that I am never without my notes if I forget to take my iPad somewhere.

This guy here: https://www.paperlessmovement.com/ has a useful YouTube channel with thorough reviews. I don't agree with a lot of his opinions about the apps, but his reviews covered all the important features of each app to help me select the one that worked for me.

Good luck - once you go paperless it will be hard to switch back to pen/paper.

 

[RevTEG]

Ton of great information in this site... https://www.paperlessmovement.com/ I’m not connected to the site or creator in any way except using it for information.

I use my 12.9 for note taking and marking of PDF’s. Several of the top rated note programs allow handwriting to be converted to type text.