Digital Signage Pulse interviewed Timothy O’Malley, AVP US RBU of E Ink.
Q: E Ink is best known for powering the displays in eReaders such as the Kindle, but its applications go well beyond that. Can you explain how the technology works and where else we’re seeing it used?
A: E Ink stands as the originator, pioneer, and commercial leader in ePaper—or electronic paper—technology. While widely known for its eReader displays, E Ink’s technology can be seen in applications across retail, transportation, healthcare, education, digital-out-of-home (DOOH) and more.
E Ink’s display technology operates on the principle of bistability. E Ink’s electronic ink system consists of millions of microcontainers, each containing tiny charged “ink” particles in a liquid. Originally, these particles were primarily black and white, while today, many ePaper Displays (EPDs) have multiple color particles in each microcontainer.
Applying a charge across the microcontainer causes the particles to move and separate, enabling the display to present an image. When power is removed, thus removing external charge across the microcontainer, the particles remain fixed in their location – the essence of bistability: E Ink displays maintain the image without any power consumption.
This bistability enables E Ink technology versatility and application to many different use cases, like DOOH. Another defining design element of E Ink’s displays lies in their non-emissive nature. They rely on ambient light for visibility rather than emitting light, like traditional LCD screens.
This approach mimics the experience of reading on paper, which reduces eye strain while also enabling readability in bright or dim conditions. In fact, Harvard School of Public Health released a study that found ePaper can be 3x healthier for your eyes than traditional light-emitting displays like LCDs or LEDs.
Q: As a company that started out with eReaders, what’s E Ink’s history in the digital-out-of-home (DOOH) space?
A: First gaining recognition for revolutionizing eReaders, E Ink has also built a presence in the digital-out-of-home (DOOH) space. Typical displays used in DOOH require a constant power source. Therefore, types of deployments and their locations hinge on the connectivity and infrastructure to power them. Conversely, E Ink offers the flexibility to deploy anywhere because EPDs do not need constant power.
E Ink also functions in extreme weather conditions – encompassing hot or cold, rain or snow, sunshine or darkness.
In the last couple of years, one of the company’s significant milestones include our advancements of full-color and larger form factors. As the company has advanced color performance and sped up refresh rates, we have also gone bigger.
In 2025, we showcased 75” displays across our color product line-up, including Spectra, Kaleido, and our newest platform Marquee, which offers even more versatility for the DOOH market and alternatives to conventional screens.
Q: What makes E Ink’s ePaper an eco-friendlier option for DOOH compared to LCD or LED billboards?
A: ePaper displays present a low-power alternative to conventional signage. Unlike printed posters that require printing, shipping, and then are discarded after each use, ePaper can help reduce CO2 emissions by up to 21 million tons.
One key factor supporting ePaper’s extremely low carbon footprint is that the display reflects ambient light instead of emitting its own, meaning it doesn’t have to compete with sunlight or bright indoor lighting to remain visible. Once an image has been set, the display holds it without requiring continuous power.
One can evaluate the tangible impact by examining the carbon emissions between a 32-inch LCD screen and an ePaper screen. E Ink found that operating 100,000 ePaper signs for 20 hours a day, with four updates per hour over five years, could reduce CO2 emissions by 500,000 tons compared to LCD signage. Not only that, when compared to traditional printed posters, ePaper could cut emissions by about 4 million tons.
For brands and advertisers looking to maximize impact, reduce costs, and align with growing demand for environmentally friendly solutions, ePaper presents a compelling option. It combines strong energy efficiency, outdoor readability, and design flexibility with a paper-like viewing experience. In addition, it offers the convenience of updating content digitally, reducing manual intervention and installation costs for deployments.
Q: Aside from energy savings, can you share additional benefits from ePaper, especially in cities like NYC that are saturated with traditional LCD and LED signage?
A: ePaper offers several additional benefits, especially in cities like New York, where traditional LCD and LED signage can be overwhelming. A major concern in these cities is light pollution. For that reason, we are seeing governments worldwide introduce regulations to protect the city’s ambiance by reducing light pollution and limit energy consumption from digital signage.
In some cases, such regulation includes restrictions on operating hours, leaving typical displays blank squares. Because ePaper is non-emissive, it does not contribute to light pollution in the same way as LCD or LED displays.
Due to the fact that ePaper have bistability, the displays maintain their images without drawing any power.
All this means that E Ink’s screens help create a more pleasant, less overstimulating urban environment.
Q: What are some examples of large-scale E Ink installations around the world?
A: A notable example of a large-scale E Ink installation comes from the MBTA’s recent deployment of 76 solar-powered ePaper signs along the Green Line’s B, C, and E branches, part of a $3.4 million contract in partnership with E Ink and Mercury Innovation. These signs display real-time bus and train arrival information and are especially valuable at locations that lack access to electricity, or the fiber network required for traditional digital displays.
The signs use ePaper displays that remain readable even in bright sunlight and operate on solar power. This makes them resilient enough to function throughout Boston’s winters with minimal energy use. Installations have expanded to dozens of bus stops in cities including Boston, Everett, Chelsea, Lynn, Belmont, and Watertown.
By late 2025, the MBTA plans to have around 200 signs installed, with 40 more expected to go up over the summer.
E Ink installations around the world also showcase the technology’s creative potential in architecture and design. One standout example is the Taipei Dome’s “Light Dynamic Wave”, completed in October 2024. Spanning 202 meters, this installation uses minimalist black-and-white ePaper panels arranged in geometric patterns to evoke the fast-paced changes of a sports match. Enhanced with synchronized sound, it creates a dynamic and immersive environment for visitors.
Another major installation is “DAZZLE” at the San Diego Airport in California. With 2,000 individual E Ink tiles covering the exterior of the Rental Car Center, the installation represents the world’s largest ePaper media façade. DAZZLE features custom animations inspired by the dazzle camouflage technique from World War I, designed to disguise and distort the outlines of ships.
These projects demonstrate the innovative and large-scale applications of E Ink technology in public spaces.
Q: Looking ahead, how do you envision the future of sustainable digital signage, and what role do you see E Ink playing in that transformation?
A: The past several years have shown an accelerating pace of innovation for E Ink displays. We have addressed the most sought feature – full-color – and now we’ve turned our attention to size. From a size perspective, E Ink started small, with devices that fit in the palm of your hand. But the greatest sustainability impact emerges with large-scale signage.
The challenge with bigger signage comes from the way typical difficulties—durability, resolution, refresh rate—are magnified.
We’ve now reached 75 inches, and that’s only the beginning. We see a future where ePaper displays become a competitive option for many kinds of projects, and screens are chosen based on specific project needs. We see multiple display technologies supporting the range of needs. LCDs, LEDs and ePaper like E Ink will complement each other – whether that’s advertising in big cities like New York City or keeping transit riders informed of the bus schedule in the suburbs of Boston.
Beyond its energy-efficient ePaper technology, E Ink demonstrates a deep commitment to sustainable practices across its business operations. The company has set ambitious goals: achieving Net Zero emissions by 2040 and reaching RE100 by 2030, meaning it will source 100% of its energy from renewable sources.
As of December 2023, E Ink’s global operations and sales sites have already reached RE35, meaning 35% of their energy comes from renewables. Several locations, including factories and offices in Billerica, Fremont, and South Hadley (United States), as well as sales offices in Tokyo (Japan) and Seoul (South Korea), have already achieved the RE100 milestone by operating entirely on renewable energy.