Digital Poster – Color E-Book Reader.
Many people are familiar with e-paper technology from the e-book reader. Like printed paper, its display reflects the available ambient light, with electrically charged particles creating the image. A backlight is not necessary. The new Samsung Color e-paper also works according to this principle. However, colored particles are used here. An electric field arranges them within tiny capsules in such a way that the desired image is created. The Samsung Color Imaging Algorithm prepares the motifs specifically for the E-Ink Spectra 6 technology and optimizes contours and color gradations for paper-like representation. The result: The display looks like a high-quality print and remains easy to read from different angles even in bright ambient light. Targeted lighting even improves the effect. Clear typography and strong contrasts are thus even more effective.
Stay visible, without a constant power supply.
The energy requirement is also one of the most important differences between e-paper and classic digital signage displays. While these require a permanent power supply, the Samsung Color E-Paper works with a replaceable battery. Thanks to this independent power supply, it can be flexibly set up or hung indoors. The special thing about the e-paper is that if the display remains unchanged, the device requires almost no energy. This is because electricity is mainly consumed by image updates and data transmission, for example via the integrated WLAN module. How long a battery charge actually lasts depends largely on how often the motif changes. If you only update a price information or a menu card – whether in portrait or landscape format – once a day, you can make better use of the power of the technology than someone who changes the messages on the e-paper every minute. What's more, with a depth of 17.9 millimeters and a weight of up to 2.4 kilograms including the battery, the Samsung Color E-Paper is easy to transport and place in places where cabling would otherwise be time-consuming. However, when choosing a location, the heat generation must be taken into account. Direct sunlight, for example behind a shop window, can heat up the device strongly and make the place unsuitable.
Made for still images.
The technologies also differ in the selection of content. While classic LCD or LED displays present videos and other moving images, an e-paper device is designed for static or occasionally updated motifs. It reacts differently than a classic screen: the motif takes around 20 seconds to set up. After that, the motif is permanently stable like a printed image. This means that the Samsung Color e-paper can be used on many surfaces on which printed posters hang today or offers are written by hand. In brick-and-mortar retail, for example, it is suitable for promotional posters or price lists, and in restaurants and cafés for menu cards or daily specials. And companies can use it to display up-to-date room information or guide visitors through the building.
Control content centrally, display it in many locations.
However, e-papers are particularly useful when printouts have to be exchanged regularly at many locations, such as in retail or restaurant chains. For the digitized poster spaces, the recurring printing and delivery costs are then eliminated. There is also no need to manually distribute and exchange the posters. How companies upload the content to an e-paper device depends primarily on how many devices they operate at which locations. If only a few e-paper devices are in use, the Samsung e-paper app for Android and iOS can be used. It transmits images to the devices via Wi-Fi. For many devices or several stores, Samsung Visual eXperience Transformation (VXT) is ideal for central administration. With the cloud-based content management system (CMS), which can be licensed separately, the marketing team, for example, creates and manages the content and determines which device shows which motif and when. Templates and a visual editing interface make design easier – without any specialist technical knowledge. This means that a campaign can start at the same time in all stores without employees having to operate the displays on site. Different offers per location are also possible. This saves time and resources. However, how high the savings are in the end depends on the previous printing and distribution costs as well as the frequency of switching. For the overall bill, the purchase of the devices and, if necessary, license costs must also be taken into account.
