can i use an active stylus with dell insipiron

The 5548 may be purchased with capacitive touch screens; this is different from a touch screen with a active digitizer.  Think of a digitizer as a radio receiver, and active stylus has a radio transceiver, and will send signals to the digitizer without actually touching the touch screen.  So you can hover an active stylus over a digitizer screen and the screen will detect the stylus and move the cursor accordingly even though you aren't actually touching the screen.

A capacitive touch screen detects a break of current when an object like your finger or a stylus presses down on the touch screen.  Unlike an active digitizer  direct contact must be made and you can’t hover the stylus over the screen.  A capacitive touch screen only detects where you are touching the screen, not how hard or at what angle you are touching like an Active digitizer screen will do.

You can use an active stylus on a capacitive touch screen but it won’t be any different than say, using your finger.

Unfortunately for graphics designing and pressure sensitive work the 5548 may not be the best buy. It’s in Dell's business line but the Latitude 13 7000 does have an active digitizer and might be more suitable for your needs.

TB

There just aren't that many 15" notebooks out there with true digitizers (capacitive touchscreens, yes -- digitizers, no).  You also won't find any in the $750 price bracket where the 5548 sits -- even smaller 13" notebooks with digitizers start in the $900-1000 range -- for a 15" notebook with a digitizer, expect the price floor to be around $1,200 for a base model.

I'm not sure if Dell has any in the Latitude line -- Lenovo does (the ThinkPad Yoga 15").

Anything under $1K for a 15" will be touch-screen only - not a true digitizer model.

thanks for your reply, but there is one more question...in the settings for the pen and touch calibration, when i selected to calibrate pen, and touch with my fingers, it says, 

you can see in the image, so what does it mean, does it support or not..because according to me it is expecting some other device, say an active stylus instead of my fingers.

Are you still getting the message, are you able to use the touch screen on the notebook at all with fingers or any stylus? 

You probably have already found this but if not, it is a document from Microsoft on calibrating touch in Windows (it mentions windows 8 but works well with Win 10 as well).

One thing to watch for when calibrating is that it list the correct display is listed, it should read for display: mobile PC display. 

If you continue to have problems instead of choosing to calibrate try the reset button and see if that helps. 

TB

Your system does not have a digitizer - therefore an active stylus WILL NOT work.

You can either use your finger or a simple pointing stylus (these usually have a large soft tip on them that can stand in for your finger.

What you're looking to do with drawing or writing requires a system with a true digitizing screen - your current system is not so equipped.

Hi Swampfire,

I understand now, when calibrating you chose pen input instead of touch input.  On this notebook please choose touch input only when calibrating. I am sorry that I wasn't clearer on my first post, the notebook only has a touch screen, it does not have a active digitizer which is required for an active stylus to work correctly.  An active stylus will not really work with this notebook.

TB

no no no, you didn't get the point. my windows touch is working great with my finger and i havnt tried the active stylus. i shown you the image only to show you that my touch screen wanting some other type of device instead of my fingers in pen calibration settings.

1.firstly, i selected to calibrate the pen.

then, it shows me to calibrate the pen input, when i touch to test with my fingers, it shows this message, but only in pen input not in the touch input

please, tell me that an active stylus will work on my device or not??? and which type of stylus is it demanding to calibrate???

i have used the stylus that u have mentioned, u can see in this pic but its not working properly its making gaps between lines drawn and also need too much pressure to work.

any more ideas ???

That is the problem with capacitive screens it simply isn't going to have the responsiveness of an active stylus.  I believe Windows will ask if you are using a pen or touch by default even though the system may not have a digitizer, as I said on this model you should choose touch when calibrating.

TB

ok, i believe what you are saying. but, even my system doesnt support an active stylus, if i use an 'dell active stylus (750-AAGN) ' so, what features it will provide to me??

A stylus will do exactly what your finger does on this model - allow you select items.  It will not be practical for drawing.   As you have been told, that feature requires a model having a digitizer, which this one does not.

Touchscreens allow you to select items as if your finger were a mouse click -- nothing more.