E-ink, or electronic paper, is a reflective display technology in which tiny capsules hold charged black and white particles. An electric field moves the particles to form text or images that look like ink on paper.
Why it matters
E-ink is bistable: the image stays on screen without power and the display uses energy only when the page changes. This gives e-readers battery life measured in weeks. Because it reflects ambient light instead of emitting light, it is comfortable in bright sunlight, and models with a front light allow reading in the dark.
The trade-offs are speed and colour. Refreshing is slow compared to an LCD or OLED, and may flash or leave faint ghosting from earlier images. Colour e-ink exists but is typically less vivid and refreshes more slowly than ordinary screens. Because of this, it suits books, signage, and shelf labels, and is poorly suited to video.
Example
An electronic shelf label in a shop shows a price and can run for years on a small battery, changing only when the price is updated. An e-reader turns a page in a fraction of a second, with an occasional full refresh to clear ghosting.
Common mistakes
- Expecting smooth scrolling or video.
- Reading in the dark without a front light.
- Confusing e-ink with a low-power LCD.
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