Get a digital pen for your Chromebook!
A touchscreen Chromebook is even better when you add in a digital pen.
Teaching during the COVID pandemic made this abundantly clear to me…some things are just easier to do with a pen.
A touch screen with a Chromebook pen makes it much easier to draw, diagram, show steps, and quickly jot down notes.
Only a handful of Chromebooks come with an included digital pen, but that doesn’t mean you can’t purchase a digital pen.
Unfortunately, finding the right digital pen for your Chromebook has not been an easy task.
I know because I have purchased and tested a half-dozen digital pens with my Chromebook.
Some were terrible…and others don’t work at all.
Let me fill you in on what you need to know and help you get a digital stylus that will work with your Chromebook
Which Chromebook pen do I need?
I wish I had a simple answer for you, unfortunately the digital pen market is a bit confusing.
There are three types of digital pens. Let me help you determine which pen your Chromebook can use.
Capacitive Stylus (passive)
A capacitive stylus will work with any touchscreen device, but the results aren’t very inspiring.
A passive stylus works just like your finger. They are also the cheapest digital stylus because they don’t require sophisticated electronics or batteries.
You’ve probably used a capacitive stylus before…they’re the ones with the big rubber tip at the end.
Capacitive pens are cheap, but they can’t measure pressure or sensitivity and don’t offer special settings for brush strokes, saved colors, etc.
You can get them for free (just visit your favorite vendor at an edtech conference), or find them on Amazon for just a few dollars.
If you are a teacher and you wan’t to write on mark student assignments, you won’t be very pleased with this type of Chromebook pen.
Let’s take a look at a second option.
EMR Stylus (by Wacom)
EMR is a very sophisticated touchscreen protocol developed by Wacom, the company that makes various digital pens, drawing pads, and touch screens.
EMR pens are AWESOME! You will love them!
Before you go out an order an EMR pen, you must make sure that your chromebook has an EMR digitizer (a special type of touchscreen).
A number of Chromebooks include EMR digitizers (screens) including popular classroom devices from Acer, HP, Lenovo, and CTL.
Check to see if your device is on this list of supported EMR Chromebooks.
The downside to the EMR technology higher device cost. You won’t find a $200 Chromebook with an EMR digitizer. These tend to be higher priced devices.
What stylus should you get for your EMR Chromebook?
I recommend the Noris Digital Stylus. It looks just like a pencil and can be purchased for around $25.
If you don’t have an EMR stylus, don’t worry…there’s another option for you!
Active Stylus
An active stylus contains internal electronics that communicate with your device. This allows your pen to communicate pressure, angle, and user preferences, providing a custom user experience.
The Pixelbook pen and Apple Pencil are both examples of active styluses. Both of these pens work very well (and are obscenely expensive).
An active stylus will work with most touchscreen Chromebooks, but the results vary widely because there is no agreed upon standard for these pens.
I purchased a handful of active pens and got wildly different results.
Some of the pens I bought were hot garbage…I couldn’t even draw a straight line.
Others were decent (this one was okay)…not as accurate as an Apple Pencil, but workable.
If all of these details are starting to overwhelm and confuse you, you aren’t alone!
Don’t quit on me yet….I have one more option to tell you about!
USI: the solution to the confusion!
Because there is no standard for how laptops and digital pens talk to one another, performance can vary widely.
This is the problem that the Universal Stylus Initiative (USI) set out to solve.
USI is a group of companies (Google, Lenovo, Bic, Dell Wacom, and more) who are working together to develop a set of rules that govern how digital pens and devices work together (kind of like how USB makes it easy to plug stuff in to your computer).
Want to learn more about USI? Listen to this podcast episode featuring Peter Meuller, chair of the USI committee.
Google is a major supporter of USI and is requiring that pen-enabled Chromebooks come standard with USI support.
USI will make it easy for Chromebook manufacturers to include pen support and make it easy for pen manufacturers to ensure that their writing tools work effectively on a wide range of devices.
USI is a win for schools who will no longer need to worry about device compatibility. Standardization will also drive down the cost of the pens making them much more affordable.
Get a USI pen for your Chromebook!
While USI has been under development for several years, USI pens have only recently become available for purchase.
Finding a USI pen has not been easy, but I was able to order this pen from the Lenovo. website.
While the Lenovo stylus was a bit on the pricey side ($39), it vastly outperforms all of the other pens that I have tested.
To test the accuracy of a digital pen I slowly draw a straight line to look for jitter – jagged imperfections in the line. A good pen will have little or no jitter.
My new USI pen works on my Lenovo Duet and the HP x360.
In fact, all but one of the Chromebooks launched in 2020 include USI pen support, a trend I expect will continue.
Right now there are only a few USI pens on the market.
As more pens become available, the price will go down as well. Eventually, I think you will be able to purchase USI pens for a few dollars.
Is USI good for Chromebook Classrooms?
USI promises to make it easier for companies like HP, Lenovo, and Dell to work with the companies that design digital pens.
USI is a platform on which companies can develop inexpensive pens for classroom use or highly accurate pens used for digital art and animation.
Over the next 6-12 months I expect to see a number of new USI pens hit the market at various price points.
Ultimately, USI will provide simple and affordable pen support for touch screen Chromebooks which will allow students and teachers to draw, diagram and jot down notes with ease.
Thanks for this info. Any idea when you will be able to use a stylus on Google Docs? I am using with Jamboard and Kami, but it would be much more helpful on Docs–especially for grading. You can grade on an iPad but no a PC–crazy to me.
I completely agree.
I really hope Google adds touch support for all of the Google Drive products. Seems crazy that they don’t already have it!
Good article, thanks. Annoying that they make it so confusing. Will give one of your suggestions a try.
Do you know if a AES pen will work with an EMR laptop
No, AES and EMR require different sensors embedded in the screen.
I have a different computer with a styles and i want to connect it to this computer but idk how to connect it is there a way or do i have to get a new styles for my computer or can i use the one i have?
-Thank you for your time
You shouldn’t need to connect your stylus to your computer. If it is compatible, it will just work.
how do i know what system my computer has? i.e. AES or EMR
It’s not always easy to find out. You usually have to really dig through the technical specs for your device model number.
Can I use USI pen on all chromebook? If not, can I use USI pen on ASUS C433?
I **think** that a USI pen will work with the Asus c433. I couldn’t find a spec page that specifically lists it, but all touchscreen Chromebooks shipped in 2020/21 forward should include USI support standard.
I’ve been using a XP-Pen Deco Fun ( https://www.xp-pen.com/product/905.html ) for the past year with my lenovo chrombook, It’s much better than using my touchpad.
I’m a teacher and am interested in getting many pens for my third-grade students. Problem is … $$ Is there an inexpensive solution? We have Dell touchscreen Chromebooks in our classroom. Thanks.
Not…yet.
USI pens have a lot of potential. I hope that the cost will come down as these pens become more common. For this year, unfortunately, I don’t think you are going to find a pen for less than $30.
Could you help me. My chromebook is the hp x360 11 g3 ee but it doesn’t work with the EMR pen even though it is on the list?
This is the same Chromebook that my kids use. EMR and USI pens will NOT work with this Chromebook.
You will need to purchase an active stylus.
“In fact, all but one of the Chromebooks launched in 2020 include USI pen support, a trend I expect will continue. ”
I really hope so – because ACER tech support are a bit confused. They say no stylus will work, but the OS seems to have stylus support. I have an ACER Spin 713 2-W. I’d love to use one and am happy [enough] at the price… Would you know for sure if it’s worth trying one from Amazon UK? Cheers
There is a LOT of confusion about touch-screen Chromebooks. It is very challenging to figure out what type of screen you have on your Chromebook. I’m not surprised to hear that Acer support is confused.
I’m pretty sure that the Acer Spin will support a USI stylus. Buy it from Amazon for easy return if it doesn’t work!
Just purchased an HP X360 Chromebook 14a-ca0030wm. Best I can tell from your page I’m out of luck with EMR and they don’t have an active stylus. Any idea whether a USI pen would work with this mode and if so any recommendations on one? Thanks!
Right. HP doesn’t use EMR screens, so those pens won’t work.
I’m not sure if this device is USI compatible. It was made right around the time that USI support became required.
Buy a USI pen from Amazon and see if it works! If not, send it back!
An active stylus will definitely work. These are generic; you can grab them from Amazon for $15-20. They aren’t as good as the USI pens, so try that first!
My kids have acer chrome book spin 11. Both of the pens that came with it broke the tips off. Have tried many other pens and can’t get any to work. What pen will work for these?
Is the new 2021 acer spin 713-3w-5102 usi compatible?
Yes
Hi i have an chromebook x360 12b-ca0001nf and i was wondering which stylus should I buy!!!
tanks you.
You will need an active stylus. I do not believe this model is compatible with USI pens.
Any idea if a dell 3100 2-in-one will support USI or EMR pens?
It will definitely work with a EMR pen.
If it was built after 2020, it should work with USI as well.
Hi John
Wondering if there are any updates on a digital pencil/pen please. I am looking for one that will work effectiviely with touchscreen chromebooks post 2020
Nothing major. There are new and improved USI pens. If you have a newer Chromebook, that’s the way to go!