Electronic Ink on Every Smart Surface

E Ink is the creator of electrophoretic, or, electronic ink — the optical component of a film used in Electronic Paper Displays (EPD). Although futuristic-sounding, electronic ink is actually a straightforward fusion of chemistry, physics and electronics. It's so much like paper, it utilizes the same pigments used in the printing industry today.

Once the electronic ink microcapsules have been created, the ink is laminated onto a sheet of plastic film that can be cut into different shapes and sizes. These cut parts are then affixed to layer of circuitry that can create an electric field across the microcapsule. It is this electric field that causes the ink to move within the microcapsules and switch from white to black. For E Ink's Segmented displays (SURF), the circuitry is in the shape of the segments that make up the display. For E Ink's Active Matrix displays, the circuitry is a thin film transistor (TFT) array of dots or pixels that allows for very high resolution images and text.