If you’ve ever swiped through a Kindle, or any other e-reader, you’re already familiar with electronic paper, or e-paper, at least on a consumer level. For Pro AV, however, there are a few more things to know beyond how to download the next Stephen King novel, if you wish to gain sales while informing clients about the pros and cons of this technology, and how it fits into their communications and sustainability goals.
For Till Gotterbarm, VP of business development at AUO Display Plus, a Taiwanese commercial and industrial display company that acquired Avocor in 2024, e-paper offers AV integrators yet another opportunity to help customers deliver their messaging. “We’re really addressing a market where the AV integrator can extend their value to large, global corporations and even SMBs,” Gotterbarm said. “Now you can provide something very new.”
Screen Comparisons
E-paper is basically a digital version of paper-paper. Timothy O’Malley, assistant VP for the U.S. Regional Business Unit at E Ink, explained that the combination of electronic ink film with patterned electronics results in e-paper displays (also known as electrophoretic displays or EPDs) that don’t require much power and can be positioned in places unsuitable for traditional video screens.
Christopher Kwon, director of product marketing, smart signage, at Samsung Electronics America, noted that one of e-paper’s primary elements is its bistability, meaning that people can view its content even when the device is not drawing power. “This property allows e-paper displays to maintain an image for long periods with extremely low energy use, making them an energy-efficient signage option,” he said.
While LCD and LED displays require constant power, e-paper does not. “Once an image is set on the display, it stays in place without drawing any power until it next changes,” O’Malley explained. Devices can be battery and even solar powered, which decreases the need for wiring and increases energy savings. (Wired connection is possible too, via PoE or USB-C, for example.)
Not only does this make e-paper more energy efficient, it also results in cooler devices, since they don’t produce the heat of traditional video displays. They’re also easier to view in direct sunlight. “E-paper reflects ambient light the same way as ink on paper," O’Malley noted, "which makes it comfortable to view in bright or dim environments without straining the eyes or consuming large amounts of energy.”
Another difference between video displays and e-paper is how the two technologies use light. According to Kwon, LCD and LED screens need a constant backlight to generate images. On the other hand, the charged ink particles in e-paper reflect ambient light. "This approach reduces glare and maintains excellent visibility even in bright conditions," Kwon added, arguing that like paper, e-paper delivers its best viewing experience in bright spaces.
This combination of low power consumption, portability, and remote updating makes e-paper well-suited for areas without a permanent power source.”
Christopher Kwon, Samsung
Kwon added that lightweight, ultra-thin displays, such as Samsung’s Color E-Paper, are a good option for spaces where smart signage is better than traditional paper, especially if the messaging needs to be updated regularly. Like video-driven digital signage, e-paper can be updated remotely—in Samsung’s case, through its VXT management platform or its E-Paper mobile app.
E-paper also has an advantage in environments with few or no power sources, little to no wiring, and limited mounting options. “This combination of low power consumption, portability, and remote updating makes e-paper well-suited for areas without a permanent power source,” Kwon said, adding that features such as network standby off mode and sleep mode serve to increase energy efficiency even more.
Current Use Cases
Aside from energy savings, e-paper enables organizations to maximize their technology usage, argued Victoria Fox, global head of communications at Philips Professional Display Solutions (PPDS). Plus, e-paper can help organizations work toward their sustainability goals associated with technology acquisition and inventory management. “The fact that it is so portable—and it can be moved around from location to location rather than it being stuck on a wall or on a mount that has to stay in one place—means that people can make much better use of it,” Fox added.
Bart Wouters, international product manager of professional displays at PPDS, said that right now, e-paper is best suited for displaying static images. While there are e-paper technologies that can run video, he said they are "very limited in the amount of color that the product is capable of showing." As a result, it is less than ideal for signage applications involving advertising and branding, since most brands have very specific requirements related to the color accuracy of their logos and the reproduction of other marketing materials.
“We don’t really see it as a replacement for LCD,” Wouters admitted. Instead, e-paper is an additional option for certain use cases.
That’s not to say that manufacturers aren’t striving to improve the color quality of their e-paper offerings. Late this summer, for example, Sharp launched its EP-CA22 28.6-inch diagonal Advanced Color ePaper display with a 180-degree viewing angle. Based on the A2 poster print size, the model delivers more vivid colors and high contrast, according to Sharp. Kevin Christopherson, Sharp's director of display product marketing, noted that the new model, which features SoC technology and doesn’t require power when showing static imagery, offers a sustainable display choice to customers while also providing AV integrators with a solution that’s easy to install.
Because e-paper displays are low power and perform well in high ambient light conditions, like their old-fashioned counterpart, they make for good reading in both commercial and educational purposes. O’Malley noted that they are used for Digital Out of Home (DOOH) advertising, wayfinding, and electronic shelf labels in big box stores.
Transit is another growing use case. For example, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) is currently piloting solar-powered E Ink displays to provide real-time scheduling information to passengers. Plus, Papercast, which has deployed e-paper solutions in dozens of countries, recently installed E Ink displays at bus stops in downtown Los Angeles for LA Metro to help keep passengers informed about arrivals and departures.
Kwon points to dining as another prime e-paper use case. He relayed that an event catering company recently swapped out its chalkboard menu with a 32-inch Samsung Color E-Paper display, managed through the manufacturer’s VXT platform and Samsung E-Paper mobile app. “The lightweight, ultra-thin design makes it easy for staff to transport and set up at different venues, eliminating the need to manually update the menu, and reducing setup time,” he explained.
Meanwhile, Restaurant Nenuphar, a fine dining and events establishment outside of Ghent, Belgium, replaced its paper signage with Philips Tableaux e-paper displays. Now the business can easily update content to coincide with the time of day, current customers, or even weather conditions.
Gotterbarm emphasized that e-paper provides AV integrators another way to assist customers with their communications needs. “It’s a good thing for integrators," he added, "because they can add value if they take the time to understand it."
E-Paper Deployment Considerations
E-paper products aren’t like traditional video screens, which requires AV designers and integrators to adopt a slightly different mindset. Bart Wouters from PPDS offered a few key points to consider before embarking on a rollout.
• The more ambient light, the better e-paper works. “It’s like a piece of paper; if you open your newspaper in a dark room, you will not be able to see it,” Wouters explained. "Don’t put it in a corner that’s very dark with no lighting—that’s not the best location for it.”
• One display can serve multiple locations. E-paper’s portability makes it a good option for creating movable point-of-sale advertisements or educational displays. “This is a clear advantage of e-paper technology: Because it doesn’t need power to show an image, it is portable,” Wouters said.
• There are still limitations associated with color accuracy. If the client has strict requirements for the pantones featured in their brand’s logo, e-paper is probably not the best choice … at least not right now.
