An active stylus includes an electrode and a controller. The controller is configured to 1) generate a report including stylus information represented by a plurality of bits including a first subset of bits and a second subset of bits, 2) encode the first set of bits differently than the second set of bits to reduce a size of the report, and 3) excite the electrode with a carrier signal to form an electrostatic communication channel, the carrier signal being modulated to transmit the report via the electrostatic communication channel.