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E-Paper Technology

How Low-Power E-Paper Displays Enhance IoT Applications

Learn how ultra-low power e-paper technology works to
open new display options for IoT applications

EPD Library Suite (PDLS)
Fast Update/Refresh

How E-Paper Works

Working Principle

E-paper (also called ePaper) is an electronic display technology that mimics the appearance of paper. Using the same inks as the traditional printing industry, e-paper displays (EPDs) have tiny capsules (or cups) filled with charged ink particles.
When the proper charge is applied, an EPD creates highly detailed images with the contrast ratio and readability of printed material.

Introduction to e-paper technology

White Paper: a Guide to E-Paper Technology and Its Growing Range of Applications

Made famous by the Amazon Kindle, e-paper is an electronic display technology which mimics the appearance of paper. As a bistable display technology, e-paper can be extremely low power, allowing it to be used in devices without the power budget of a traditional LCD display.

Once the text and images of an EPD have been rendered, no power is needed to maintain the display. In fact, e-paper is so low power that harvested energy can be used to make updates, enabling the use of RFID or NFC devices with batteryless EPDs. For more insight into how e-paper works, download our white paper.

Download white paper

IoT and Industrial Applications Look Smarter With E-Paper Displays

You can add thin, light, highly-readable e-paper displays to extremely power-constrained devices to enhance many IoT applications including logistics, discrete manufacturing and retail. 

Try these approaches today with our development kit, which contains an onboard driving circuit to help you easily develop EPD applications.

Get an EPD Development Kit
  • Low and ultra-low power consumption
  • NFC/RFID energy-harvesting capability
  • High readability – even outdoors
  • Thin and lightweight form factor
  • Bistable display retains image without power

Designing E-Paper Displays for IoT Applications

Wirelessly connected electronic shelf labels enable remote, centralised management and dynamic pricing strategies in retail environments.

E-paper provides at-a-glance visibility of RFID/NFC tag data for use in logistics and manufacturing applications.

EPDs can enhance the functionality of numerous battery-powered IoT devices, including utility meters, cold-chain temperature data loggers, and environmental sensors.

Download white paper

E-Paper Is Far Less Power-Hungry Than a Reflective TFT-LCD Screen

Screen
Refresh
Sleep
Day
Year
Technology
Current
Duration
Energy
Energy
Energy
Current
Duration
mA
s
mAh
mAh
mAs
mA
s
EPD 2.66" BW Fast Refresh
2.459
0.610
1.500
0.001
92
0.026
9.3
TFT 2.4" with backlight
9.470
0.100
0.947
9.477
818.813
227
83.019

EPD only consumes power when screen is refreshed. Contrary to TFT displays where backlighting is required and represents a major power consumer.

The whitepaper above will explain how we measure the power consumption of both displays.

The 2.4″ TFT would require 138 CR2450 coin-cell batteries, while the 2.66″ EPD would consume just 1.6% of the same battery over the same period.

Frequently Asked Questions

An e-paper display uses millions of tiny microcapsules filled with white and black particles suspended in a clear fluid. When an electric field is applied, the charged particles migrate to the surface — black particles rise for dark areas, white particles for light areas — forming a visible image. Once the image is set, no power is needed to maintain it, making e-paper extremely energy efficient.
E-paper is a bistable display technology, meaning it retains its image even when power is completely removed. Power is only consumed during a screen refresh (image update). This makes it ideal for battery-powered devices where content changes infrequently, such as electronic shelf labels, smart badges, and IoT sensors.
Yes. Unlike LCD or OLED screens that emit light, e-paper reflects ambient light — just like printed paper. This means readability actually improves in bright sunlight, with no glare or washout. It is one of the key reasons e-paper is preferred for outdoor signage, retail shelf labels, and wearables.
Black-and-white e-paper displays typically take 2 to 3 seconds for a full-screen refresh. Three-color and four-color displays require 15 to 20 seconds due to the additional complexity of driving multiple pigment layers. Partial update modes can significantly reduce visible refresh time for small content changes.
E-paper displays can run for months or even years on a single coin cell battery in low-update applications. A typical 2.9-inch e-paper display updating once per hour can last over 5 years on a CR2032 battery. Some ultra-low-power designs have demonstrated battery life exceeding 10 years.
E-paper reflects ambient light and requires no backlight, resulting in extremely low power consumption and excellent outdoor readability. LCD panels require a constant backlight and consume power even when displaying a static image. E-paper is preferred for low-power, high-readability applications; LCD is better suited for video, high refresh rates, and full-colour content.