Discover the Future of Display Tech

Paper-Like Display Technology: Key Points

• Electronic paper displays mimic the appearance of ink on paper and reflect ambient light like paper.

• They are comfortable to read and provide a wider viewing angle than most light-emitting displays.

• Electronic displays can hold static text and images indefinitely without electricity.

• Applications of electronic visual displays include electronic shelf labels, digital signage, bus station time tables, electronic billboards, smartphone displays, and e-readers.

• The first electronic paper, called Gyricon, consisted of polyethylene spheres between 75 and 106 micrometers across.

• Electrophoretic displays are considered prime examples of electronic paper because of their paper-like appearance and low power consumption.

• Electrophoretic displays are used in e-readers such as Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, Sony Reader, Kobo eReader, and iRex iLiad.

• Electrowetting displays provide high-brightness, high-contrast switchable elements, and a unique path towards high-brightness full-color displays.

• Electrofluidic displays use an aqueous pigment dispersion inside a tiny reservoir to provide greater than 85% white state reflectance for electronic paper.

• Plasmonic electronic displays use plasmonic nanostructures with conductive polymers and can present broad range colors, high polarization-independent reflection, strong contrast, fast response time, and ultralow power consumption.

• Electronic ink can be applied to flexible or rigid materials, and the base requires a thin, flexible material tough enough to withstand considerable wear, such as extremely thin plastic.

• Electronic ink can be printed on any surface, including walls, billboards, product labels, and T-shirts.Applications of Electronic Paper: From E-Readers to Smart Cards

• Spectrum SVRD001 wristwatch by Seiko with a flexible electrophoretic display, followed by a second generation with an active matrix display

• Pebble smartwatch with a low-power memory LCD manufactured by Sharp

• Fossil's Hybrid HR, a hybrid smartwatch integrating an always-on electronic ink display with physical hands and dial

• Sony's Librié, the first e-book reader with an electronic paper E Ink display

• Amazon's Kindle, an e-book reader with an e-paper display, with several generations and design changes

• Barnes & Noble Nook, an e-reader with a replaceable battery and a separate touch-screen color LCD below the main electronic paper reading screen

• Sony and reMarkable's e-books tailored for writing with a smart stylus

• Onyx's Boox Max Lumi, the first frontlit 13.3 inch electronic paper Android tablet

• Bigme's Bigme B1 Pro, the first 10.3 inch color electronic paper Android tablet that supports 4g cellular data

• Electronic paper applied to newspapers, smart cards, status displays, mobile phones, electronic shelf labels, public transport timetables, digital signage, computer monitors, and laptops

• E-paper electronic tags with wireless interfaces like NFC or UHF, used as employees' ID cards, production labels, and shipping labels

• Proposed applications of electronic paper include clothes, digital photo frames, information boards, keyboards, and the reMarkable writer tablet for reading and taking notes.