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Beginners' Questions Left-Handed Help Required to Configure Stylus to Work With Inkscape
  1. #1
    Ayvee Ayvee @Ayvee

    Hi

    I'm left-handed. I recently purchased a graphics display pad which I configured for left-handed use. The painting and drawing software programs I've been using so far have worked fine but I've been having problems with Inkscape. The drawing doesn't appear at the stylus tip. It's thrown out behind my left hand, thereby making it impossible for me to see what I'm drawing.

    Can anyone please tell me if there's a way for me to configure the settings in Inkscape so my stylus works properly? I haven't been able to find any help in the user manual.

    I really hope you can help because it's never easy being left-handed. I really like Inkscape and would like to be able to use it with my stylus 🙂

  2. #2
    Tyler Durden Tyler Durden @TylerDurden
    🙏

    Maybe you have seen this?
    https://inkscape.org/forums/questions/problem-with-pen-from-10moon-drawing-tablet-1060-plus/

  3. #3
    ronburk ronburk @ronburk

    Details like exactly what graphics monitor, exactly what version of Inkscape, exactly what operating system and version, etc. might call someone forth to answer. Things can differ wildly across those parameters. For example, configuring my tablet under Windows 10 was unrecognizably different than configuring it under Windows 7.

    > which I configured for left-handed use.

    details on what exactly those steps were might be useful too.

    Sounds like you might be saying the cursor is appearing offset from where your stylus tip touches the screen, is that right?

  4. #4
    Ayvee Ayvee @Ayvee

    Thanks @ronburk  I appreciate your response. If you look at the link Tyler provided above it appears someone else had exactly the same problem as me. Her drawing was thrown out (offset) to the left by 5 cm. This is what's happening to me but because I'm left handed the drawing appears behind my left hand so I can't see what I'm doing.  It only happens in Inkscape. I have about five other drawing/painting programs that work fine with the stylus. I didn't want to be specific with hardware because this is a genuine troubleshooting enquiry and I didn't want to be seen to be advertising a particular product. I've been doing graphic art for years but only just purchased my first graphic display pad. I have an i7 laptop running Windows 10. I had trouble configuring the pad for left handed use in extend mode because when I flipped it so I could use the pad's controls with my right hand, my laptop screen also flipped upside down. Fortunately I know a bit about computers so I was able to correct it. I'm loathe to fiddle around with Windows 10 settings just to use Inkscape when my other programs work fine with the stylus. I already have Windows 10 scaling settings at 100%, which was a suggested fix, but I can try and play around with this setting to see if I can improve the offset. The only other thing I can think of is that the pad's drivers may be causing the issue because, since installing them, the onscreen keyboard appears on my login screen. After doing some research this is a known issue with the drivers overriding Windows 10 settings, even if the the keyboard is turned off. I guess I will have to live with it.  If I can't find a fix for the stylus issue in the Inkscape Forum I will try the forum on the manufacturer's website.

  5. #5
    ronburk ronburk @ronburk

    > It only happens in Inkscape.

    That makes it logical to assume Inkscape needs a fix. Unfortunately, since there are users who don't have the problem, it's likely that figuring out precisely what needs fixing will require drilling down to find exactly what is different about the O/S, device, device driver, and/or device UI that distinguishes the cases that have no problem from those that do. Users sensibly want to just get on with their work and not go mucking about with their system config on fishing expeditions, and Inkscape developers may not even own the same operating system, let alone the same device as the one that needs understanding. It all conspires to make Inkscape device support less encompassing than everybody would like to see. Tough problem.

    For my own edification, the other post you refer to is a about a graphics pad (assuming Google returns the correct image for the model number). Am I correct in inferring that you have a graphics *display* (i.e., a device that actually displays a Windows screen on the device itself, that you apply the stylus directly to)?

  6. #6
    Ayvee Ayvee @Ayvee

    @ronburk   Yes. There are two types of pad. One without a display and one with a display screen. The display pad is like a tablet. You connect it to your laptop or PC and change the display settings to extend mode in Windows to duplicate your desktop on the screen.  You use the the stylus to draw directly onto the screen. The person who reported the same problem that I have is using a pad from a different manufacturer. There is one other not ideal solution I can think of if I want to use the stylus with Inkscape and that is to turn the pad lengthwise so I basically have to draw sideways with the drawing appearing over the top of my left hand.

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