David Savastano, Editor03.06.13
Flexible display technology continues to advance, bringing the possibilities of these displays ever closer to reality. At RETAILTECH JAPAN, which runs through Friday, a flexible, reflective digital signage module more than 40” in size, using organic thin-film transistors (OTFTs), is being showcased by TOPPAN Printing Co. and Plastic Logic. According to the companies, this is the first time such a display has been publicly shown.
The fact that TOPPAN Printing is actively working on this project is noteworthy, as the company is a huge force in printing, with 2011 net sales of more than 1,510 billion yen ($18.4 billion). TOPPAN Printing is active in a variety of businesses, including securities and cards, commercial printing, publications printing, packaging, high performance components, decor materials, displays and semiconductors. TOPPAN Printing has also been linked to a range of printed electronics (PE) projects.
The EPD module consists of 16 10.7” Plastic Logic monochrome flexible plastic displays, which have been tiled together, in a 4 x 4 configuration, to create a 42” diagonal display with an effective pixel pitch of 0.7 mm. This resolution is approximately six times higher than existing EPD signage, which makes it particularly suitable for applications with close viewing distances.
Rachel Lichten, head of marketing communications at Plastic Logic, noted that TOPPAN Printing and Plastic Logic have been collaborating on this particular project since July 2012. She said that Plastic Logic’s large-area, flexible plastic electrophoretic displays (EPD) have several advantages compared with standard glass-based large-area EPDs.
“These advantages include a considerably higher resolution (our 10.7” displays have a sub-pixel resolution of 150 ppi); a much lower finished display weight (the obvious benefit is a reduced cost of installation, since the displays can quite literally be hung on the wall like a poster); the potential to embed the display on and in curved surfaces; as well as the robustness of the plastic displays (they will not shatter, which is of particular consideration in earthquake-prone territories),” Lichten said.
“Moreover, Plastic Logic’s flexible EPDs can be read in any lighting conditions, including bright sunlight, making them ideal for outdoor signage (as well as indoors), and they are also inherently low power,” Lichten added. “Effectively, they can be run up to a week on an own power source, receiving information wirelessly. As such, they are particularly well suited for use as emergency information signage in the event of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or a hurricane, where power sources can often be cut off for longer periods of time.”
Lichten noted that Plastic Logic and TOPPAN Printing each bring key advantages to this venture. Plastic Logic has been developing flexible plastic EPD based on OTFTs since 2007, and has successfully industrialized technology for the production of OTFT-based flexible color and monochrome plastic displays of various sizes at its manufacturing facility in Dresden, Germany. TOPPAN Printing has been developing large-area EPD signage since 2004 and has extensive expertise in various applications.
“Plastic Logic brings a wealth of experience in the field of flexible EPD making it a partner of choice for the development of flexible display solutions of all sizes,” Lichten said. “TOPPAN Printing understands the requirements for and demands on such signage solutions, particularly in Japan, where the usage of such low-power signage has been proven in the wake of recent natural disasters.”
Lichten noted that there are commercial opportunities for this display, and added that the companies will work on market opportunities for modular, large-area flexible EPD signage, offering a range of sizes going forward.
“Both TOPPAN Printing and Plastic Logic are working on developing market opportunities for modular, large-area flexible EPD signage,” she concluded.
The EPD module consists of 16 10.7” Plastic Logic monochrome flexible plastic displays, which have been tiled together, in a 4 x 4 configuration, to create a 42” diagonal display with an effective pixel pitch of 0.7 mm. This resolution is approximately six times higher than existing EPD signage, which makes it particularly suitable for applications with close viewing distances.
Rachel Lichten, head of marketing communications at Plastic Logic, noted that TOPPAN Printing and Plastic Logic have been collaborating on this particular project since July 2012. She said that Plastic Logic’s large-area, flexible plastic electrophoretic displays (EPD) have several advantages compared with standard glass-based large-area EPDs.
“These advantages include a considerably higher resolution (our 10.7” displays have a sub-pixel resolution of 150 ppi); a much lower finished display weight (the obvious benefit is a reduced cost of installation, since the displays can quite literally be hung on the wall like a poster); the potential to embed the display on and in curved surfaces; as well as the robustness of the plastic displays (they will not shatter, which is of particular consideration in earthquake-prone territories),” Lichten said.
“Moreover, Plastic Logic’s flexible EPDs can be read in any lighting conditions, including bright sunlight, making them ideal for outdoor signage (as well as indoors), and they are also inherently low power,” Lichten added. “Effectively, they can be run up to a week on an own power source, receiving information wirelessly. As such, they are particularly well suited for use as emergency information signage in the event of a natural disaster, such as an earthquake or a hurricane, where power sources can often be cut off for longer periods of time.”
Lichten noted that Plastic Logic and TOPPAN Printing each bring key advantages to this venture. Plastic Logic has been developing flexible plastic EPD based on OTFTs since 2007, and has successfully industrialized technology for the production of OTFT-based flexible color and monochrome plastic displays of various sizes at its manufacturing facility in Dresden, Germany. TOPPAN Printing has been developing large-area EPD signage since 2004 and has extensive expertise in various applications.
“Plastic Logic brings a wealth of experience in the field of flexible EPD making it a partner of choice for the development of flexible display solutions of all sizes,” Lichten said. “TOPPAN Printing understands the requirements for and demands on such signage solutions, particularly in Japan, where the usage of such low-power signage has been proven in the wake of recent natural disasters.”
Lichten noted that there are commercial opportunities for this display, and added that the companies will work on market opportunities for modular, large-area flexible EPD signage, offering a range of sizes going forward.
“Both TOPPAN Printing and Plastic Logic are working on developing market opportunities for modular, large-area flexible EPD signage,” she concluded.