Pencil Cards (iPad)
On iPad, Pencil mode turns topics into index cards you write on with Apple Pencil. Your handwriting stays on the card, and the text is recognised so the map can still be searched and exported.
Turn On Pencil Mode
Tap the Pencil button at the bottom right of the map, choose More ▸ Map ▸ Pencil Mode, or press ⌥⌘N with a keyboard. Pencil mode needs an editable map and the iPad's full width. Each map remembers whether it was on. The Pencil Notes template starts a map with it on.
Write On Cards
- Tap a topic with Apple Pencil to open its card; tap empty space on the map to make a new topic and open its card.
- Write with the Pen, Red Pen or Highlighter, and fix mistakes with the Eraser or Lasso, Undo and Redo, or Clear.
- Next (or a squeeze on Apple Pencil Pro) moves to the next card; Done closes it.
- On the Index Card paper, everything above the red line is the topic's title. On the other papers, the first line of writing is.
Paper
Paper & Pencil chooses the paper for the map: Index Card, Lined, Dotted, Graph or Blank. Write with Finger lets you write without Apple Pencil.
Recognition
Handwriting is recognised on the iPad itself; nothing is sent anywhere. The recognised text is used for search, the outline and text exports, and each card keeps its topic's style.
On Your Other Devices
The cards and their ink are saved inside the map. The Mac and iPhone show the cards and their writing but can't edit them. Picture exports (PDF and PNG) draw the ink; text exports use the recognised text.