E-Ink Displays for Commercial and Industrial Applications

The special screen solution: E-Ink display

With an e-ink display, you acquire a unique screen variant, also known as an electronic paper or e-paper display. Most people are familiar with this technology from e-book readers, which guarantee a high level of reading comfort and minimal power consumption.

Thanks to these advantages, e-ink displays are used in many other areas. For example, they can be found on measuring devices, industrial equipment and signage systems.

E-paper screens differ enormously from LCD monitors and other technologies. Whether black and white or e-ink display color: short energy pulses are sufficient to generate the respective image with letters or graphics. The image then remains visible and requires only a minimal power supply.

How the e-paper display works

An E Ink display is a passive display that does not require a backlight. Instead, this technology uses the principle of electrophoresis to display content.

The technology behind E Ink

Tiny microcapsules are located in a viscous polymer layer. These contain electrically charged particles that are moved by electric fields.

Display in black and white and color

The microcapsules contain black and white particles. In a color display, either additional colored particles are added or an upstream color filter is used to generate colors.

Electronic paper: clear advantages, but slow image changes

E-Ink displays are energy-saving and easy on the eyes. Unlike conventional screens, they work without backlighting and display content permanently without consuming energy. However, there are limitations when it comes to refreshing the image.

Advantages of E-Ink displays

• Easy on the eyes: no flickering, no blue light - ideal for prolonged viewing.
• High legibility: texts remain clearly recognizable from almost any angle.
• Non-reflective: Easy to read even in direct sunlight.
• Energy-efficient: Power consumption is minimal, as energy is only required when changing images.

Limitations of E-Ink displays

• Slow image update: animations or videos are hardly possible.
• Limited color display: While black and white displays are very rich in contrast, color variants often only offer a reduced color palette.

Ideal for a wide range of applications: Examples of E-Ink displays

Due to these advantages, companies use e-paper technology in numerous areas of application. For example, a large e-ink display provides valuable services as an information board, provided the content rarely changes. Electronic paper can also be found in passenger displays at train stations and on trains. E-paper displays are also used for signage in conference rooms or lecture halls. Using software and connection technology such as Bluetooth, those responsible can enter information on current room usage.

Electronic price tags are another way of using e-paper. The added value is obvious: this eliminates the need to manually replace price tags and therefore increases operational efficiency.

These displays are also used on many commercially used devices and systems. The modules display measured values or the current operating status, for example, and you can also operate the respective component with an E-Ink Display Touch.

Large selection: How to choose the right e-ink display

Would you like to order a high-quality e-paper display from brand manufacturers such as Waveshare here in the store? Then choose from a wide range of products. First define the basic framework data:

• What size do you need?
• Would you like an E-Ink display with color or grayscale?
• Do you need an E-Ink Touch display or is a screen enough?
• How do you want to control the E-Ink display? Via SPI/I²C, HDMI, USB or driver board?

It is worth paying attention to the detailed technical specifications of the controller. For example, check whether it is an E Ink Display for Arduino. Many displays are equally compatible with Arduino, Raspberry Pi and the like.

In the second step, pay attention to further technical details such as resolution, power supply and duration of the refresh time. You can find this information on the individual product pages.