E Ink Unveils New Spectra 6 Color Panel for Information Screens

E Ink has unveiled the Spectra 6 color panel. This panel can display more contrast and presumably more colors than its predecessors. The e-paper is intended for information screens and not for e-readers.

The Spectra 6 will be made available in multiple sizes, with up to 200 pixels per inch. The screen has a contrast ratio of 30:1. According to E Ink, there are six color particles used in each microcapsule. However, the company does not report exactly how many colors the Spectra 6 can produce. The Gallery 3 display that E Ink announced last year had a four-particle ink system capable of displaying 50,000 colors. Company promises that the result is comparable to that of the most advanced color printers.

With the panels, the company does not focus on e-readers and other consumer products, but on information screens for restaurants, shops and public transport, for example. Here they have to replace printed posters and as a result they will be better for the environment, says E Ink. The panels would use little energy, although the exact energy consumption is not mentioned.

The panels are probably not suitable for e-readers because the refresh rate is too low. The manufacturer has not said anything about the refresh rate of the product, but the similar E Ink Gallery Plus panels had a speed of about 2 seconds. The company wants to release the Spectra 6 panels next year.