What is E-Ink

E-INK Devices

Amazon really helped to make E-Ink popular with their Kindle Readers but  E-Ink is really taking off with the advent of devices that allow you to use a pen to scribe notes onto the electronic paper screen and store your notes, drawings, etc.

What is E-Ink?

E-Ink is a display technology that simulates the appearance of printed ink on paper. The screens are basically a black and white display that can be used as a straight reading device or can have added attributes to give you more workflow-oriented capabilities.

It wasn’t until 2207 that E-Ink really took off. Amazon presented a device called a Kindle that had an 800 x 600-pixel display capable of showing four grayscale levels. The contrast wasn’t great, but it allowed you to carry an entire library of books wherever you go.

This technology has come a long way and is extremely popular for reading digital documents including books. Many companies came out with their own variation of this device so that they could sell the books (DRM’d of course) to all of us voracious readers.

E-Ink vs. E-Paper

Before I continue, I must tell you the difference between E-Ink and E-Paper. The two may sound the same, but there are some differences you should consider.

E-Paper is any type of display that emulates the appearance of paper. Typically, E-Paper displays are reflective rather than emissive, which means they rely on external light sources rather than emitting their own

A wonderful explanation of how E-Ink works can be found What Is E-Ink? How It Works & Why Every Ebook Fan Needs It

The reason I started this article was to give you a preview of what E-Ink technology so that when I begin comparing some of the digital paper device I have recently worked with that you will have some sense of what technology I am talking about.