PenTips vs Paperlike. Which is Better?

one of the things i'm not fond of when using apple pencil is the feeling of plastic pencil against a glass screen it's so unlike what i'm used to with a pencil on paper with that sensation of dragging along the surface and getting that textured feedback that is so satisfying and so needed as an artist that gives you that connection with the medium you're using ever since i've got my first ipad pro i've been using the paperlike screen protector which has given me that much needed friction from the textured surface in one of my previous videos i asked whether you can get your ipad to feel like paper and i concluded that until you can get some textured nibs on the end of your apple pencil the paperlike screen protector will be the best option to get that natural feel on your ipad however i recently got an alternative product to paperlike called pen tips which are little silicone caps that sit on the end of your apple pencil and offer a good deal of friction and soft touch in this video i thought i would look at the pros and cons of both products and see which one works best to get that authentic experience of a pencil on paper at the moment i'm very fortunate to have two ipads so one has a screen protector on and one doesn't so i can demonstrate the differences and what it looks like to use them both together so pen tips are little silicon nibs that fit on the end of your first and second generation apple pencils they come in a range of colors and you get five of the same color in a pack of around 19 or 15 pounds pen tips claim that using them will one reduce wear on your apple pencil two improve control and three allow you to write quietly i've been using them off and on for about a year now so i have a good feel for whether these claims come through in reality and the other pros and cons of using them you do get more control when using a pen tip on an ipad without a screen protector the matte coating gives a good deal of friction and the soft touch on the screen the pen tip gives the feeling and feedback that you can experience when using a traditional pencil on paper and it is useful to have the option of more resistance on the screen where you need to have more control with the pen tip on you are able to work in silence it's good not to hear the sound of hard plastic against the glass and it could be useful if you're working in an office or room with others but when i'm drawing my sketchbook you do get a satisfying noise from the pencil moving across the paper and you don't quite get that with the pencil tip firstly protection for the screen if you prefer not to use a screen protector using pen tips will certainly protect your ipad screen from scratches that can occur from using the apple pencil also i haven't noticed the pen tips leaving coloured marks on the surfaces of the screen secondly protection for the apple pencil tip itself adding an extra layer by using the pen tip will protect the apple pencil tip from wear so long as you replace the pen tips when they get worn out some people have commented that their apple pencil tips wear down easily this is all dependent on how hard you use your apple pencil on your ipad before i move on to the cons of the pen tips i wanted to say something about the precision the company claim there is no loss of accuracy when using their pen tips because it is the apple pencil tip itself that gives the user accuracy my experience is there's maybe a very slight loss of accuracy but it's not really noticeable i think of it as the difference between using a sharp pencil or a blunt pencil on paper you can easily remove the tip if you feel like you need more precision for a certain part of your work also i haven't found there to be any noticeable difference in pressure sensitivity when using the pen tips the main disadvantage of the pen tips that i can see is that they are pretty easy to lose if you're taking them on and off they can easily get lost in the bag or on a busy desk this is one of the reasons why they come in a pack of five i've had the pack for around a year and now down to my last two a little concerning is the company's acknowledgement the pen tips will wear through how quickly this will happen will depend on how frequently you use them and the pressure that you apply the website indicates that a pack of five should last between five to twelve months but mine are still going strong after a year so whilst i haven't personally experienced this do keep an eye on the tips and replace them when you see signs of wear moving on now to the paperlike screen protector this was developed for professionals and artists who want the precision of paper in a paperless environment as i mentioned at the beginning i've been using the screen protector for a while in terms of cost you get two paper like screen protectors for 39.99 i like the fact that paperlike is always on my ipad i invested a lot of money in buying my ipad so i want to protect this investment having paper like on means i don't have to go scrambling for a pen tip every time i just want to pick it up and use it the friction that you get from using the apple pencil on the paper like screen protector is very similar to paper and pen i do not experience any lag when using the pencil and it is just as responsive both the pen tips and the paper like offer a very similar experience but i'd say the pen tips have slightly more frictional drag than the screen protector personally i just like the fact that paperlike is always on the screen the whole time from some of your questions i know there is a concern that using the screen protector diminishes the quality of the screen whilst it's true there is a very slight difference in the screen it gives a matte effect and for example you can see lighter some lighter patches in places i'm happy it's to accept this as it doesn't change the responsiveness to the apple pencil however if you also wanted to use your ipad to watch movies or use an app that requires absolute precision then you may be better off with the pen tips over time you may notice that your screen protector gets scratched from the continued use of the apple pencil however for me this does not detract from my work and if anything it's a positive because i know that the screen itself is not being scratched the paper like screen protectors come in a pack of two so you can always replace it which is of course a lot easier than replacing the screen one of the comments on my previous video said they had experienced a lifting off of the screen protector after a couple of months i've yet to experience this over the past four years of owning and using them they do 100 day refund policy if you find that it's not performing as well as you think it should but making sure your screen is clean and clear of dust is sometimes the issue for screen protectors to lift off having a screen protector on obviously increases the friction the apple pencil is exposed to with some users being concerned that this will have a negative effect on the lifespan of the apple pencil tip i personally haven't experienced this in any event i consider it a worthy trade-off given the texture it adds if this is something you're concerned about you could always use a pen tip in conjunction with a paper-like screen protector which leads us nicely onto using both together pen tips with the paper like if your work or project requires maximum control and friction you could always use the screen protector and the pen tips together i found that it's probably an overkill for most of my work and there is no real need to purchase both products so in conclusion if you want to get the authentic feel of pencil and paper should you choose paperlike or the pen tips i really don't think you need to pay out for both both these options give you added friction and control but for me the peace of mind of having the screen protector permanently on the ipad outweighs any slight loss of quality in the screen the ease with which the pen tips can be lost means that i would waste time looking for them or ordering more so i prefer the more permanent solution of the paper like i hope you found this comparison video useful let me know in the comments below which if any you're going to get or you've already used i've put links for both products in the description below they're both affiliate links which just help support this channel if you decide to purchase either of them thanks for watching and i'll see you in the next video [Music]

Channel: Ian Barnard

Views: 939,238

Keywords: hand-lettering, typography, lettering, calligraphy, letters, procreate, ipad, ipad-pro, apple-ipad, paperlike, pentips, pen tips apple pencil, apple-pencil, art, artist

Id: OfXr99ipPRU

Length: 8min 26sec (506 seconds)

Published: Fri Oct 29 2021