Flatscreen panels are replacing printed posters in restaurants, waiting rooms and store display windows — which makes sense. Unlike paper, a digital display can be controlled remotely, cycle through different variations on art and copy, and be updated in real time with minimal effort. However, digital displays have downsides, too: they draw significant power, and they require a sturdy mounting surface within reach of a nearby outlet.
E Ink, the Boston-based company powering e-readers and other paper-like display surfaces, is partnering with the Japan-based electronics manufacturer Sharp to create new electronic posters built on E Ink technology. The posters, which will come in 25.3” and 13.3” full-color models, can be powered by solar cells or batteries, as they only draw power when being updated. (Updates can be done via an app, a USB flash drive or through proprietary software.)
Sharp also launched a 43-inch, monochrome E Ink display in the Japanese market earlier this year.
The companies claim 100,000 electronic paper displays can save 500,000 tons of CO2, compared to LCD signs, over the course of 5 years. Compared to printed, disposable posters, the companies estimate that number to go up to 21 million tons of CO2. And because E Ink displays do not rely on emitting light, they also have the added benefit of being legible in sunlight — and of not contributing to light pollution.
