A BitPaper superfan and professional online tutoring coach Matt Thompson over at Smart Online Tutoring Academy has created an incredible course on how to get the most out of BitPaper.
Through a series of high quality explainer videos and quizzes, this course explains all of BitPaper's features and how to use them to create high quality teaching content and deliver engaging, interactive and high calibre online classes.
We fully support and endorse this Continuing Professional Development initiative, and those who complete the course will become certified BitPaper Users.
Sign up below and become a BitPaper Boss!
System Requirements
- Computer.
Generally we recommend at least an i5 processor (ideally a QuadCore i5 processor) and at least 8GB (ideally 16GB) of RAM.
If you are a PC user, we recommend any mid-range or above device.
If are a Mac User, we recommend a Macbook Pro or iMac.
For tablets, a Surface Pro 7 i5 works well with [[appName]] and is a good all round Windows-based device that's portable and reasonably priced with in-built writing capability.iPad Pros are a good alternative but iOS has feature limitations, i.e you can't screenshare.
- Operating System.
[[appName]] only supports the most up to date operating systems; Windows / MacOS / iOS. [[appName]] may work on older systems or other operating systems but we do not provide support for them.
- Web browser.
[[appName]] is optimised for Google Chrome. [[appName]] only works the latest version of Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox.
- Internet Connection.
Stable, high speed internet is essential for optimal use of [[appName]]. The better your internet connection, the better [[appName]] will work and the more effective your online tutoring will be. If you have access to fast broadband in your area, then it's worth the extra cost to subscribe to this service to avoid potential connection issues when collaborating online with [[appName]], especially when making video calls and uploading documents.
The recommended minimum speed is 20Mbps download speed and 5Mbps upload speed. - A Writing Instrument
You can use a graphics tablet, a pen-based tablet (iPad Pro, Microsoft Surface), a touch screen computer, or a stylus and a normal tablet. We recommend a graphics tablet as a cheap and robust solution. Wacom or Huions are the most popular and cost $20 - $60.
- A web camera and audio headset
These are recommended if you wish to use [[appName]]'s audio/video calls.
Whitelisting and Firewalls
If you're behind a firewall, you need to whitelist the following domains:
- *.bitpaper.io
- *.s3.amazonaws.com
- *.tokbox.com
- *.herokuapp.com
If you don't want to whitelist all domains under *.s3.amazonaws.com you can only specifically whitelist: https://bitpaper.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/*
Getting Started
You can launch [[appName]] by visiting [[appUrl]].
You can log into [[appName]] using Email/password, Google SSO or Facebook SSO. To have access to [[appName]]'s advanced features such as creating papers and starting video calls you will need to sign up and choose a paid plan.
Please Note: Different login methods create different accounts in [[appName]]. Each account has it's own subscription plan and Papers.
Please ensure you always login using the same method, either email/password or Google SSO or Facebook SSO.
Choosing a Plan
[[appName]] has a number of payment plans which can be found here.
Plans with calls allow you to create Papers and audio/video calls.
Plans without calls only allow creating Papers, so [[appName]] could be used with other video-conferencing software.
My Account
The "My Account" page gives you the following abilities:
- View current subscription plan.
- View remaining papers and call hours.
- Changing your subscription plan.
- Editing your default payment method.
- Changing your personal details.
- Deleting your account.
My Papers
Here you can save, view, rename and organise your Papers
You can also assign tags to Papers to easily group them into categories.
You can then use the search function to find any Paper or group of Papers that have been tagged with specific tags.
Collaborating - Invite Users To Your Paper
Once you have created a Paper, you can simply share the URL (web address) with as many people as you want to join the Paper.
You can then have video calls, upload documents and images, write and create content together in real-time.
When there's more than 1 user in a Paper, the collaborate menu button in the bottom left will turn green and will indicate the number of users on the Bitpaper. I.e in the example below, 5 users are connected to the Bitpaper.
Collaborate Menu
Clicking the collaborate menu button (above) or pressing hotkey N on your keyboard, opens up the collaboration settings menu.
Here you can lock a paper, enable class mode, edit cursor settings or see a list of users currently connected to the bitpaper.
Locking a Paper
You can lock any paper that you own to stop other people interacting with it or editing it.
You will see a little padlock icon on the collaborate menu button in the bottom left of the screen and a toggle inside the collaborate settings menu that allows you to lock your paper.
When you lock the paper, other people will still follow your view and be able to see everything you do, but they will not be able to write, change boards, undo, delete, etc.
Locking a paper also stops people from editing it while you are offline.
Only the Paper owner can lock/unlock a Paper.
When you lock a paper, all other people who visit it will see an orange banner at the top saying that the paper is locked.
It will animate if they try to interact with the paper.
Class Mode
When working with multiple users at once, having several cursors on the screen at the same time can be distracting.
Enable this setting to hide all other users' cursors for each other. I.e. only your cursor will show to all other users. They can still see their own cursor, but not each each others.
This setting helps facilitate classes on bitpaper and is only available to the paper creator.
Cursor Settings
In cursor settings you can change the display name on your cursor (delete it to hide your name), change your cursor colour, toggle whether or not you see other users' cursors on your screen, and toggle whether or not you see other users' names on their cursors.
User List
A list of all users currently viewing a bitpaper.
More accurately, this is a list of all the browser tabs viewing a bitpaper. These may correspond to individual users or different devices.
For instance, if you have a non logged-in secondary browser tab on your device viewing a bitpaper it will be registered as a 'Guest'.
For logged-in users the list will display their name as set in their account settings.
Shared View Indicator
When there is more than one user on a Bitpaper, if you have the largest screen, you will see a faint grey box and the words 'Shared View'.
This is the commonly viewable area of the Bitpaper whiteboard for all users and is dependent on each user's screen size and browser size. I.e. a user with a very large monitor and a maximised browser will see a much larger whiteboard area than a user on a mobile phone. In this example, the 'Shared View' area will be the size of the mobile phone screen.
In general, content should be placed inside this area so that all users can see it without having to adjust their view.
Anything placed on the whiteboard outside of this box cannot be seen on all users' screens simultaneously, unless they use the panning tool 5 to move their view.
Users with smaller viewable areas can increase them by using a device with a larger screen or maximising their browser window.
There is no way to remove the 'Shared View' indicator.
Menu
Every feature of [[appName]] can be accessed in-app by pressing the bottom left button or pressing M. The menu allows you to access all of [[appName]]'s features, access your 'My Papers' area, view this manual, contact Support, report a Bug and logout.
Audio/Video and Screenshare
Once you have shared the URL and someone has joined your Paper, you will hear a 'ding-dong' to let you know they have arrived.
Then simply click the call button 
on the bottom right hand side to toggle the communications panel which will allows you to start audio/video calls, screenshare and/or use the chat.
Your collaborator will be invited to join the call via a popup and you will here a chime as soon as the join the call.
Once on a video call, you can reposition the video windows by dragging and dropping them onto the whiteboard. You can also maximize a specific video window, or toggle Theatre Mode for a full screen view of all video windows.
The 3rd icon on your video window will share your desktop screen.
This allows other parties to view applications outside of [[appName]] such as Microsoft Excel or other web pages that you would like them to see on your computer.
Screensharing doesn't work on iOS devices (iPads and iPhones).
You can also mute your audio, toggle your camera on/off or pin a specific video window to the top of the video window list.
When you're done, both you and all the call participants should hang up the video call to end it.
Chat
You can click the green chat box inside the Communications Panel to communicate via chat messaging.
You will hear a whoosh sound and/or see a black circle notification on the Communications Panel toggle button that indicates whether you have unread chat messages.
Inside you can mute these notifications by pressing the speaker button on the top of the chat list.
You can also clear the chat history using the bin button on the top of the chat list.
Hotkeys & Shortcuts
[[appName]] is designed to be used with hotkeys for speed. Z to undo, X to redo, numbers 1 - 9 to change the tools, < and > to change pages, Ctrl/Cmd + C to copy and Ctrl/Cmd + V to paste are the most important. A full list can be found by pressing K at any time.
Writing & Creating Content
Using the bottom menu (or the corresponding hotkeys) you can choose to write 1, change pen colour and thickness 2, erase 3, select items 4, pan the page 5, draw shapes 6, add text 7 or use the highlighter 8.
Quick Colour Palette
With the pen tool selected 1, if you right-click (on PC), or secondary-click (two finger click on Mac), or use the right/secondary click on your pen, you will activate a customisable pen settings menu. On mobile devices, you will see a settings wheel in the top left of Bitpaper instead.
Using this menu, you can quickly change to one of 9 customisable colours and also adjust the pen thickness.
You can see the feature in action here .
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Straight Lines & Fixed-Proportion Shapes
If you hold down Shift and draw a line it will be straight. If you hold Shift when drawing a shape it will fix the proportions.
You can also toggle the ruler icon on top of the Pen button to activate this functionality.
Select Tool: Expand, rotate and move items
The Select Tool allows you to pick items which you can then:
- Expand - by dragging any of it's corners.
- Rotate - by dragging the top-right corner.
- Move - by dragging the item around.
- Change colour - by selecting another colour from the colour palette 2.
Holding down Shift will scale the item proportionally - or snap the rotation if rotating.
Clicking on an empty area and then dragging across the canvas will engage the box-selection, which allows you to select multiple items in one go.
Locking and making items unerasable
While using the select tool 4 to select items on Bitpaper you will see two buttons appear:
Make Unerasable - This allows you to place any item in the background so that it is not affected by the eraser. This is particularly useful for people writing on top of images or PDFs to solve problems. Pressing o on your keyboard is the shortcut for making items unerasable.
See this feature in action here.
Lock - This will fix the position and proportions of the item and it will not be selectable using drag-select.
This is useful for people placing multiple items on top of each other that need to move one and not the other using the select tool. Pressing l on your keyboard is the shortcut for locking items in place.
See this feature in action here.
Panning the view
Bitpaper's surface is infinite and you can pan the view by activating the Pan Tool 5 and dragging around the page.
You can also recenter the view to it's original position by clicking the small recenter button on the top right of the Pan Tool button.
Duplicating and deleting items
While an item is selected you can press Ctrl/cmd + C to copy, then Ctrl/cmd + V to paste - even across pages and across Papers. You can also press Backspace to delete it.
Text Editing
Double-clicking on a text item while the Select Tool is active allows editing the text.
Equation Editor
The equation editor is based on the most widely used maths typesetting language TeX.
It is very powerful for creating beautiful equations, but formidable for beginners. If you are not familiar with it, there are vast amounts of guides, cheatsheets and pre-made formulas online.
For example here is a cheatsheet of commands. Popular equation examples can be found here. Simply navigate to the formula you want and copy the latex code into the equation editor in Bitpaper.
You can also import any equation from Wikipedia. For instance, for standard deviation, navigate to the Wikipedia article here, go to the section with the equation and click "edit" to see the TeX code.
For this example, the equation is s = \sqrt{\frac{1}{N-1} \sum_{i=1}^N (x_i - \overline{x})^2}.
Then just copy and paste it into the equation editor and hit insert to render it in Bitpaper.
We have included some popular operators and symbols as buttons and a drop down list with some popular equation examples.
Note: There is no need to use delimiters such as $ in the equation editor. Spaces are created using \.
Pro Tip: Shift + Enter is the hotkey to insert the equation using hotkeys whilst the equation editor is open.
Adding Images
- Snip'n'Paste any image to your page using cmd + control + Shift + 4 (for Mac) or Shift + Windows key + S (for Windows - you need the Creators Update). This method allows you to quickly snap anything you want, such as an equation or picture and then paste it onto the page using Ctrl/cmd + V
- Drag and drop an image (.jpeg or .png) onto your page.
- You can also use the image upload button or press D.
Undo & Redo
Undo Z and Redo X are also very useful. You can also use these buttons on the bottom right. 
Adding New Pages
On the right side menu you can hit the down and up arrows to create new pages. You can also use the hotkeys < and >.
Using the toggle options you can also delete pages, insert new pages and duplicate pages.
Importing Images and Documents
You can import images (JPEG or PNG) and multi-page PDF's in [[appName]]. You can drag/drop files directly onto the whiteboard to import them, or simply toggle the Files Upload panel using the button on the left of the screen or pressing D.
Importing a multi-page PDF, gives you the option to expand all it's pages across [[appName]] pages.
Shapes Library
You can toggle the Shapes Library by clicking the button above the Shape Tool or pressing S.
This will give you access to hundreds of shapes to import onto the whiteboard, either hollow or filled by selecting the "Draw Filled Shapes" checkbox.
Backgrounds and Grids
[[appName]] allows you to change the background of a specific page.
Click the grid button on the left hand side of [[appName]] or press B. This will bring up the Background and Grid Menu where you can use a solid color or select a custom grid to apply to the current page, or apply to all pages.
Saving, Duplicating and exporting as PDF
Whilst the content on all Papers is autosaved in real-time so you can never lose it, you can bookmark your Paper in My Papers so you can easily find it later.
Using the Save Paper menu you can also create duplicates of a Paper. Duplicates have a new unique URL and changes to duplicates do not affect the original one.
To turn your Paper into a PDF, you can click the PDF button on the lower left menu 
or hit P on your keyboard.
Paper Archiving and De-archiving
Bitpaper produces vast quantities of user data and we need to ensure that frequently accessed papers load as fast as possible.
Papers that have not been accessed in the last month will be archived into storage. They will be automatically de-archived when you next open them.
This process only take a few seconds and you will see a new notification during it.
Use [[appName]] Like a Pro: Full Screen Mode and Hiding Toolbars
Once you have learnt the basic hotkeys, try hitting T then F (fullscreen) to turn your entire screen into [[appName]]!
Bitpaper API
You can now integrate Bitpaper into your own platforms, websites and Learning Management Systems.
By signing up to a new Enterprise/API plan from our Pricing Page you will get full access to our REST API.
Using the API you can programatically create Bitpapers, whitelabel them, and assign student and teacher permissions among other features.
The full API documentation can be found here.
Status Page
The Bitpaper status page is available in the footer of the website and also here: https://status.bitpaper.io .
If there is ever unexpected app downtime, or scheduled maintenance, we will post updates in real-time with information such as expected resolution times so that you can have better expectation management around any tech issues.
Contacting Us and Bug Reporter
Using the menu (press M) you can also contact us for general queries or report a bug if you're having technical issues.
The bug reporter captures specific information regarding your device which helps us identify potential issues.
To avoid technical problems, BitPaper must be run on the most updated versions of both your operating system and your browser.
- BitPaper supports only the latest version of these operating systems: Windows (10), MacOS (Catalina 13+), iOS (13+).
- BitPaper supports only the latest version of these browsers: Chrome (80+), Safari (13+) and Firefox (77+).
Please make sure you update both your browser and operating system prior to using BitPaper, and ensure that auto updates are turned on for both the browser and operating system. This will ensure optimal operating conditions for BitPaper and minimise bugs and issues.
The most common problems with BitPaper can be fixed by refreshing your browser.
If that fails restart your browser and then log out and log back in to Bitpaper. If that doesn't fix your issue, try restarting your computer.
Here's a list of common problems and their solutions:
Internet Problems
Over 90% of user reported issues are caused by slow or unstable internet.
- Get the best internet possible in your area. We recommend at least 20Mbps download speed and 5Mpbs upload speed. The faster the better.
- Make sure you have a high quality router.
Some people have great internet but a low quality router provided by the Internet Service Provider. Time for an upgrade. - Make sure you are near your router, or ideally hardwired in.
- Restart your internet/router/computer routinely.
- Check your wireless network hardware and connections if problems persist, or call your Internet Service Provider to flush your line from time to time to keep it in good health.
Login Problems
- Facebook / Google / Email / TutorCruncher login methods create different accounts with saved Papers, subscription plans and settings, even if they have the same underlying email address.
- You must always login using the same method below, as your papers and payment plan are linked to one of these methods.
- Email logins are case sensitive.
- If you need to reset your password, you can do so using forgot password when you select the email login method.
Audio / Video / Camera / Microphone Problems
Make sure you and your collaborators have a good and stable internet connection and are within, and stay within, Wi-Fi range.
The vast majority of Audio/Video issues are related to internet connection instability and sudden disconnections.
- Close all other apps that use your camera and microphone (Zoom, Skype, Hangouts etc).
- Update your browser.
- Restart your browser.
- Restart your computer.
- Check your browser's permission settings and make sure the right devices are selected. If BitPaper prompts you to allow access to your devices, make sure you click 'Allow'.
Allowing access of your camera, microphone and screen
Bitpaper needs access to your camera, microphone and screen in order to use audio/video calls.In order for Bitpaper to be able to use these devices you must:
- Set your operating system preferences to allow your browser to use these devices.
This mostly concerns MacOS. - Set your browser preferences to allow Bitpaper to use your device.
Allowing device access in your operating system
If you use MacOS:
- Go to System Preferences
- Click Security and Privacy
- Scroll to Camera
- Make sure the browser you use is ticked on
- Follow the exact same steps for Microphone and Screen Recording
Allowing device access on your browser
- Click here for a guide on camera and microphone settings on Chrome
- Click here for a guide on camera and microphone settings on Safari
If you have changed your settings, you must refresh the browser for them to take effect.
You may need to ask your collaborators to do the same steps as above if they are having issues.
Saving / Lost Paper Problems
It's best to save all your Papers so you can easily find them in your 'My Papers' area. To do this, go to the side menu (bottom left hand corner button) then click 'Save Paper' or press Shift+S on your keyboard.
- If you forget to save a Paper before closing BitPaper, you can still recover it by opening your browser history and searching for BitPaper to find the URL.
- If you can't find your saved Papers, check you're using the same login method.
- Facebook / Google / Email are different logins with different saved Papers and settings, even if they have the same underlying email address.
- You must always login using the same method below as your papers and payment plan are linked to one of these methods.
- Please try to logout either in-app or by visiting https://bitpaper.io and then sign-in again using the original method you signed up with.
- Note: BitPaper recommends using only one login to keep all your Papers in one place and to avoid this problem.
BitPaper Slow Loading Problems
Under optimal conditions, a blank/new Paper should load within 2-5 seconds depending on the power of your device. If it is taking significantly longer to load than this, there are a few things you can do to improve load speeds.
- In general, loading times are a function of your device Central Processing Unit (CPU) power and memory, your internet connection speed, and the size of the Paper.
- The recommended system requirements for BitPaper are an i5 processor and 8GB of RAM. The higher the power and quality of your device the better for optimal use of BitPaper.
- The more background applications and browser windows that you have open, the worse the performance of BitPaper will be.
- You should close all unnecessary background applications and processes, keep your computer clean, fast and malware free, and run as few browser tabs as possible when using BitPaper.
- Slow internet will affect the performance of BitPaper. The recommended internet speed is at least 20MBps download and 5MBps upload speed.
- Over time, a Paper (URL) can become very large because it remembers all actions you ever took and stores them all. It is recommended to create new Papers as often as possible rather than simply reuse one over and over again as over time it will increase in size and download slower when you first open it. If an old paper is taking a very long time to load, it is time to start a new one.
- Although BitPaper's surface is infinite, avoid creating giant single pages with large amounts of content on a single page within a BitPaper by using the Pan tool. This will affect load speeds. It's best to spread content over as many pages (tabs) as possible.
Pen/Writing Lag Problems
- Pen lag in general is caused by resource problems on your device, particularly if you have a low powered device (i3 processor, budget laptop etc). Close unnecessary apps, close unnecessary browser tabs and restart your device to give maximum power to BitPaper.
- If the problem persists, you may need to upgrade your device as it has low memory.
- Screen sharing either through BitPaper or an external program like Zoom is incredibly resource intensive and if you have low memory, your whole device will slow down including BitPaper. If you hear your device fans spinning very fast and/or being noisy you are pushing your CPU limits and you may need a more powerful device. A computer reformat/reinstall might help on older devices.
- Plugging in your device to a power source if using a tablet/laptop can help boost power, so can turning off power saving mode.
- Update your browser, especially if using Firefox as there are known issues with pen lag in this browser.
- Try to disable Windows Ink in Wacom Tablet Properties if you're using Microsoft Windows and a Wacom device.
Troubleshooting Wacom writing issues
If you're using a Wacom and your experiencing writing lag or writing not appearing, you might need to turn Windows Ink on or off (depending on your specific setup).
- Install the latest Wacom tablet drivers.
- Launch the Wacom Tablet Properties application.
- Select your Tablet.
- Under Tool, select your pen.
- Under Application, select All.
- Navigate to the Mapping tab.
- Check or uncheck "Use Windows Ink".
- Refresh the page.
Other Problems
If you can't find the solution to your problem in this list, you can email admin@bitpaper.io or submit a Bug Report using the side menu in BitPaper (bottom left hand corner button) for further assistance.