To perform its many operations, your smartpen requires Livescribe Dot Paper.
This paper is standard paper with printed microdots on its surface. These dots are nearly invisible to the human eye. However, the smartpen can easily see these dots and uses them to know which page you are writing on and the exact location on that page. The smartpen can even see these dots through the ink you write on your pages.
The dot pattern identifies the specific page and locations on the page of the notes you write. Your smartpen uses the dot pattern in a way similar to a geographical positioning system (GPS). But, instead of identifying locations on land, it finds locations on paper and stores your writing as digital ink using those locations. Using this patented dot-positioning system (DPS), the smartpen precisely tracks its own movement on paper. As a result, anything you write – words, numbers or drawings – can be stored, recognized, and intelligently responded to by the smartpen.
The area of the entire Anoto dot pattern is huge, and represents a piece of paper the combined size of Europe and Asia. Livescribe Dot Paper is based on a portion of this dot pattern.