13 Replies Latest reply: Nov 9, 2014 5:42 PM by Andiroo42

Ink pen works inconsistently

Stephen Barrante Oct 24, 2014 2:04 PM

Just got an iPad Air 2 and Ink & Slide, and have been playing around with the various Creative Cloud drawing apps...

I've spent some time making sure that I was using the tools correctly, but have noticed, even with the most careful of application (keeping my palm off the iPad, fingers, etc...) that the Ink behaves rather inconsistently. Sometimes it just flat out stops drawing all together. First, is there a limit to the length of the line you can draw, e.g. if you are using the marker to fill in a shape, it suddenly just stops drawing any marker fill.

I'm trying to use it like a real pen, sketching in, sometimes going back and forth over lines, working my paint / color from the markers into my sketch, and just starting to get frustrated that the pen "runs out of ink". In some cases I lift the pen to start drawing again, and nothing happens, I have to tap down a few times, or press harder (ODD for a virtual pen)... I was almost half inclined to shake the pen in my hand to get the "ink" down to the tip. LOL.

Any thoughts, recommendations?

Pen is being used fully charged, and similar behavior is experienced on Line, Sketch and Draw.

1. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

BikerJared Oct 24, 2014 2:45 PM (in response to Stephen Barrante)
I'm seeing what sounds like same thing. I got my iPad Air 2 this morning and my Ink & Slide earlier this week.

I've done some research and here are my findings so far:
My friends iPad Air with iOS 7 works fine
The limited functionality that this has on my iPad 3rd Gen works fine
I've shut off Multi-touch gestures and palm rejection and still have the same behavior
I've charged Ink completely with no improvement
Using my finger doesn't exhibit the problem
I've seen problems with Line, Sketch and Penultimate. Line and Penultimate work fine on older iPads with Ink.
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2. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Stephen Barrante Oct 24, 2014 3:17 PM (in response to BikerJared)
My friends iPad Air with iOS 7 works fine

- Yea, I'm running 8.1 on an Air 2. So I don't have any experience with that.

The limited functionality that this has on my iPad 3rd Gen works fine
I've shut off Multi-touch gestures and palm rejection and still have the same behavior

- Tried that as well. No difference.

I've charged Ink completely with no improvement
Using my finger doesn't exhibit the problem
I've seen problems with Line, Sketch and Penultimate. Line and Penultimate work fine on older iPads with Ink.

Thanks for chiming in – I imagine we are not alone.
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3. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

BikerJared Oct 24, 2014 3:21 PM (in response to Stephen Barrante)

I've created a video demonstrating the problem. Let me know if this is what you're seeing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mq-PzXi-1ZY
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4. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Stephen Barrante Oct 24, 2014 3:31 PM (in response to BikerJared)

Yup! That's exactly it.

In some cases, but it may be contributed to a different issue, it stutters or the focal point jumps. This might be when I've tried to rest my hand on the screen. The "palm rejection" isn't quite ready for primetime yet. But when I then lift my hand up and sketch again, I run into the issue we are both describing.

Where we net out is an unpleasant drawing experience.
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5. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

robbwacso Oct 29, 2014 11:32 AM (in response to Stephen Barrante)

there does seem to be a problem related to the iPad air 2...the iPad air 1 works great, (i have both)...i'm assuming adobe knows about this?...it sounds like adonit (the makers of the ink pen) is aware of the issue, but the issue isn't with the pen itself (this happens with any pen and even your finger) it's the new screen on the iPad air 2. hopefully there is a fix for this. i would love if adobe would comment on this issue.
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6. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

BikerJared Oct 29, 2014 1:00 PM (in response to robbwacso)

I contacted Adonit's support and they're aware. They're working on a fix. Supposedly, someone named Chase commented somewhere on the forum about it. As far as Adobe, goes, I'm not sure if people in their support org are aware of this problem or not. I honestly expected this thread to explode after the iPad Air 2 launch, but it hasn't. I'm guessing there aren't tons of people with Ink + an Air 2.

FWIW, I have a Jot Classic that I've been using and its far my reliable than the Ink pen. My finger, although there are problems, is also a lot more reliable than the pen.
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7. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Stephen Barrante Oct 29, 2014 1:07 PM (in response to Stephen Barrante)

If it's a hardware issue, Adobe is going to have a bit of a mess on their hands. I picked this up at the Adobe Max conference and they couldn't keep the pens on the shelves they were selling out so fast. That would be a lot of units to have to warranty.

I may put in a call into Adobe myself to get on the radar – and see where we net out. It's really a bummer, I had hoped to start using it on some upcoming projects, sketching out ideas, etc... and it's as annoying as using a dried up sharpie.
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8. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Florian Valence Oct 30, 2014 4:36 AM (in response to Stephen Barrante)

Hello,

I experience the same problem.

The Adonit team seems to be aware of it and workingon it : Problem with jot touch Pixelpoint and iPad air 2
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9. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Stephen Barrante Nov 4, 2014 9:33 AM (in response to Stephen Barrante)

Thanks for that link. Would be great if @Adobe could chime in and let us know if they are also aware of the issue and if updates to the drawing applications are in the works.
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10. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Soehngenetic Nov 6, 2014 2:16 AM (in response to Stephen Barrante)

Hi,

same problem over here: iPad Air 2 64gb WiFi with Ink & Slide. "Upgraded" my old iPad 1 just for the one reason to be able to use Ink & Slide and the new mobile apps.
I hope this gets sorted out really soon and also would appreciate a statement from Adobe!
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11. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Andiroo42 Nov 7, 2014 9:14 PM (in response to Stephen Barrante)

It looks like all stylI are having this issue with dropped lines and slow gestures being wavy because of the iPad Air 2's new screen manufacturing process. All styli manufacturers will need to fix their SDK's. Adonit apparently fixed the JotTouch issues (maybe same code for Ink) just today by the looks of their GitHub log. I hope Adobe will commit the changes soon, but they just released an update for draw and line without the corrections.

JotTouchSDK/Change_Log.md at master · Adonit/JotTouchSDK · GitHub
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12. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Stephen Barrante Nov 9, 2014 8:23 AM (in response to Andiroo42)

Are these going to just be updates on the app side, or, will there be a firmware update for the pen as well?
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13. Re: Ink pen works inconsistently

Andiroo42 Nov 9, 2014 5:42 PM (in response to Stephen Barrante)

Not sure about that one Stephen, I'm not that familiar with the tech. I've pieced this info together from what I could find from various sources. It seems its just an iPad issue.
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