Everything about the light pen; From beginner to professional options
If you hear or see things related to the light pen and its use from here and there, but you don't have a detailed knowledge of it, we suggest in this article Stay with us; In addition to providing a brief and useful definition of the optical pen, we will also tell you its use and role in daily life, so that if you consider it suitable for your work, you can buy it with a better and more accurate understanding.
Light pen may still be unknown to many people. The reason for this is that many users these days use touch or automatic interaction to interact with a screen or paper. If they are also designers, they buy tablets or phones that support the pen; For example, Apple iPads, Samsung tablets or Microsoft Surfaces. But if there is a product for all the needs of users in this field, then what exactly is the use of a light pen? Why should we get a light pen at all and how can we use it in a way that improves our work process? In this article, we will answer these questions.
Table of contents- What is a light pen?
- Types of light pen and their differences from each other
- Use of the pen Light
- What is the difference between a light pen and a mouse?
- Advantages and disadvantages of a light pen
- A guide to buying a suitable light pen
- The best light pens Bazaar
What is a light pen?
Light pen has a simple definition; As its name suggests, it is a computer input device whose sensitivity to light makes it possible to apply various changes to data such as text. This device is mainly used to highlight the text, or edit data on the computer screen or monitor, and it is very accurate. The initial form of these pens was with a CRT monitor that allowed users to change or highlight information.
Actually, with these definitions, we feel like we are describing a product similar to a mouse, but in reality it is not. Although there are similarities between these two devices, the light pen is scanned by the electron beam of the cathode ray and by detecting the changes in the brightness of the pixels around a desired point, it sends the occurrence of this event to the computer. CRT monitors are also designed to scan the pixels of the entire screen once; As a result of this issue, the computer can detect the expected time to scan different points of the screen and therefore the position of the pen by the beam.
Types of optical pens and their differences
Wired pen
This type of pen uses a wired interface, but the user experience is easier with a touch pad and mouse, and on the other hand, the cumbersomeness of the pen wire has made users very don't want to show it.
Battery pen
In order to be more practical, light pens have entered the market with batteries. The battery helps these products to work for a long time without needing to be charged. With batteries, light pens have become more efficient and more popular. The field of activity is able to draw three-dimensional shapes. Because when drawing three-dimensional shapes, designers must specify exactly where the light source should be placed so that they can clearly observe the different three-dimensional shapes of the effect of light on the surrounding area.
LED light pen>
LED light pen is a type of rechargeable pen that produces bright colors when you press it on the screen.
Light pen with display and without display
A light pen with a display is much easier compared to a sample without a display. In these types of pens, you can also see the movement of your hand and the screen. As a result, you will have more control over what you do. These types of pens have a large size and are more suitable for indoor and stationary work because they are a bit hard to move.
Unlike the above model, pens without a display come with a pad and are connected to the computer. As a result, you cannot look at the monitor screen and monitor your hand movement at the same time. Of course, the advantage of these types of pens is that they are small and portable, but compared to the examples with a display, they generally have more limitations.>
These days, light pen is used in various industries. According to the explanations given above, you have probably guessed in which industries these types of pens are used the most: graphic design. Although the use of the pen is not limited to this sector, in graphic design, due to the high precision of the optical pen, it is possible to make the most of its potential. That win.
Many times we see that someone needs our digital signature. Among the things we can do to send our signature digitally to someone is to sign in the Paint application or take a photo of our signature on a sheet of paper and scan it. But the optical pen is a shortcut for all these tasks. As easy as writing on paper with a pen, the light pen allows you to quickly sign on the page and send it digitally to the target audience or organization.
In addition, the light pen can It was used in the classroom instead of chalk and boards. In this way, instead of writing on the whiteboard or blackboard, the teacher enters the information using these pens on the students' screens. Doctors also use a light pen to digitally record the prescription, and one of the main uses of the light pen these days is in this department. These types of pens can be used in industries such as architecture, distance education, electronic signature registration, etc.
What is the difference between a light pen and a mouse?
The mouse is significantly more popular and widespread than the optical pen in all It has computer-related fields because it is much easier to work with and comprehensive; That is, it is suitable for doing everything from games to editing and editing.
The pen is similar to the mouse in that it is used to select a part of the screen or draw on it. The pen has a light cell inside that is highly sensitive to light and has high accuracy. For example, they can press it firmly on the screen to increase the thickness of the line that is drawn, which we do not see because of the difference in mouse performance, because the mouse draws similar lines unless you manually select an option to draw a thicker line. .
On the other hand, holding a light pen in hand makes the user feel that he is holding a pen, and as a result, it is more ergonomic and easier to do a series of tasks. But in general, in performing various tasks, the mouse performs better and is a more attractive option. The optical pen shows its superiority more in the field of design compared to the mouse.
Advantages and disadvantages of the optical pen
Advantages
A very precise tool for selecting a part of the page
using a pen Nouri, you click exactly where you want on the page. light pens allow users to interact with the screen in the most accurate way possible, and as a result, they are an extremely accurate and practical tool.
Great application in the field of artistic design>
Compared to a mouse, light pens are much more suitable for doing art and design work. It is much easier to draw lines whose thickness, smoothness and smoothness we determine ourselves by the amount of pressure on the screen than if we try to do the same thing with the mouse. In this case, all our drawings will be natural and very attractive. Of course, compared to a graphic tablet, the pen is definitely less useful and less accurate for drawing.
It occupies little space
Light pen is also for those It is also suitable for those who have very little space on the computer desk. They don't need a mouse pad and if you get a clip you can attach them to the monitor so they take up virtually no space.
Disadvantages
Hard to hold
The need for monitors It is special
In order to be able to use light pens, a special monitor is needed. Most light pens work with monitors that are made with cathode ray tube technology. Because the pen must first detect the electron beams used in the monitor in order to determine the position of the elements on the screen. It goes without saying that such monitors are very hard to find, and as a result, many people prefer graphic tablets and touch screens. They are designed for a series of specific tasks and are not suitable for general users with different types of activities. For example, mice are much more useful than light pens because they can be used in many other activities along with keyboards. did Especially since they don't cause physical pain in the body and both of them can be purchased at a very low cost. img src="https://safirsoft.com/picsbody/2212/17962-6.jpg">
If you are sure that the light pen is exactly what you need, now you should proceed to the following:
Price: Price is the most important factor because the more money you pay, the better you get a pen with more features. Of course, you should see what factors your work needs and look for the same factors in the desired font. Definitely, buying an expensive pen that more than half of its capabilities are beyond your needs will not be a logical thing.
Sensitivity to pressure and angle: The next thing is related to the pen itself. Pressure sensitivity is the first thing that you should pay attention to in reviews and technical specifications of a product in order to understand how it behaves compared to different pressures in order to make the most correct choice. Also, the sensitivity of the pen to the angle is very important, because with the change of its angle, the color tone and thickness also change.
Delay time: The delay time is very important as in mice. Yes, it should be taken into consideration when buying a light pen. The delay time actually represents the speed of the pen to the pad, the lower it is, the closer the experience to the real pen and paper.
Explanation: If the resolution of a pen is high, The shapes you draw are smooth and closer to the real world. But if this value is low, the images will be pixelated and staggered and not attractive.
Shortcut key: If it is important to you that when doing something Do a series of other tasks without going through different steps, so having a customizable shortcut key on the pen is one of the things you should pay attention to.
Dimensions of the active surface: Be sure to pay attention. The active surface area of a font should be proportional to the surface area of your screen. Otherwise, either the pointer speed will be too slow (smaller display area) or too fast (larger display area).
What is the goal? The most important question that should be asked Keep in mind that why are you planning to buy a light pen and can this product meet your needs? If you are a teacher or a doctor, you should care more about clarity and angle and pressure sensitivity are not so important. But if you are a professional designer, it is recommended to use a pen that has all the factors below.
The best optical pens in the market
1. Huyun light pen model RTE-100
This light pen is a very small device that has features such as the new generation PW400 pen, 300 response rate, touch bar for zoom and zoom out, touch key and very high build quality. benefits. This pen does not scratch the screen when drawn and its low weight makes it very easy to work with.
Huion light pen model RTE-100
2% 1,070,000 1,048,600 Tomans view and buy2. Huion H950P graphic tablet with optical pen
The H950P tablet is one of the newest Huion brand tablets. The build quality of this tablet is very high, so that it has both high strength and low weight, so that it is not difficult to move it. The battery-free light pen of this tablet also has 8192 levels of pressure, which with the response rate of RPS 233 and LPI resolution of 5080 creates good conditions for the work of artists.
Huion H950P graphic tablet with optical pen
12% 2,500,000 2,199,000 Tomans view and buy3. Provan PDT6001 graphic tablet with light pen
Provan PDT6001 light pen is one of the high-quality and popular products in the market, which shows acceptable performance thanks to its various features. The dimensions of the screen 193 x 143 mm allow you to have enough space to work. The eight shortcut keys placed on the touch screen and of course the two physical keys considered on the pen help a lot in making this product more practical. The appropriate weight of 324.3 grams of this product has made it easy to move it.
Provan PDT6001 graphic tablet with optical pen
2,300,000 Tomans view and buy4. Deco 01 V2 XP-Pen optical pen
Deco 01 V2 optical pen is a product of XP.Pen company, which connects to the computer through USB interface and helps you draw various graphic designs. he does. There are two keys on the Deco 01 V2 pen, one of which changes the pen from writing mode to eraser. The other key works like the right mouse click. on the tablet This product has 8 programmable keys that make it very easy to use.
Pen Nori XP-Pen model Deco 01 V2
2,300,000 Tomans view and buy5. Hoyeon PW517 optical pen
If you are looking to buy a single pen, Hoyeon PW517 optical pen can be an attractive option. This pen is very professional and as a result it has a relatively high price. But you can get Huyeon PW310 light pen by paying half of its cost, which also has good features. Their difference is that the more expensive model is heavier and has better build quality. There are also two keys installed on it, but there is no key in the cheap model. Huion model PW517 2,700,000 Tomans view and buy