The innovative display technology, which consumes almost no power and is easy to read even in full sunlight, is already widely used. With the ability to display colors and digital signage-relevant screen sizes, e-ink (e-paper) is once again on everyone’s lips. Arguments such as virtually no energy consumption and paper-like contrast are making people prick up their ears. But how much potential is there really in e-paper displays? We try to shed some light on the subject.
E-ink, also known as “electronic ink” or “e-paper”, is a display technology that was developed to imitate paper as faithfully as possible. In contrast to conventional displays, e-ink displays do not require constant energy to display content. They only consume power when the content changes, which makes them extremely energy-efficient. In addition, classic e-paper displays have no backlighting, which means they can actually be used like a book or newspaper. They are clearly superior to other screen technologies, especially in bright sunlight.
Origins and breakthrough:
The roots of e-ink technology go back to the 1970s. The technological foundations for today’s applications were laid in the 1980s and 1990s. However, the commercial breakthrough did not come until 2003 with the first eBook readers such as the Amazon Kindle, which relied on e-ink displays. Nowadays, we mainly encounter e-ink displays in everyday life in the form of electronic price tags in retail stores.
This is how it works:
The appearance of e-paper displays is changed by briefly applying an electrical voltage. The charged color pigments are realigned according to the target image and then remain stable for several weeks – without a new signal. This means that the displays do not consume any energy in display mode. As the technology is geared towards the long-term alignment of the color pigments, it is not possible to display moving content, as the display needs several seconds to show new colored content.
Advantages compared to conventional displays:
- Easy to read: E-Ink displays have a better contrast ratio than conventional displays, as they do not light up themselves but reflect the ambient light. This makes them very easy on the eyes and similar to reading printed paper.
- Energy efficiency: The technology only consumes energy when changing the image, not when displaying it. This means that energy consumption is significantly lower compared to conventional displays.
- Visibility in sunlight: E-Ink displays are easy to read even in direct sunlight as they reflect the ambient light. In contrast to many conventional displays, which are difficult to read in sunlight, E-Ink displays definitely score points here.
Potential of E-Ink in the digital signage sector?
In addition to the electronic price tags already mentioned in the retail sector, which display dynamic prices and product information, e-ink could be used in the future for a wide variety of applications where the content does not constantly change. Good examples of this are floor overviews, digital bulletin boards, doctors’ or other staff boards, advertising boards or meeting room displays. With further development and, above all, the possibility of multicolored displays, e-ink is becoming an exciting alternative to printed posters.
We were allowed to take part in the ISE to see the current state of the technology for ourselves and will definitely continue to follow developments with great interest.
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