E Ink

About E Ink

In 1997, a team from the MIT Media Lab, including Joseph Jacobson, Barrett Comiskey, and JD Albert, along with co-founders Jerome Rubin and Russ Wilcox, established a company called E Ink Corporation. Their goal was to develop a technology that mimicked the appearance of ordinary ink on paper but could be updated electronically. This electronic paper was designed to be easy on the eyes and consume very little power, primarily using energy only when the image on the screen changed. The technology works by using microcapsules containing charged white and black particles that move to the surface to create text and images. The company’s technology found its ideal application in e-readers. The first e-reader using an E Ink display launched in 2004, and the market grew significantly with the release of devices like the Amazon Kindle and Sony Reader. These products showcased the benefits of a lightweight, low-power display that could be read in direct sunlight. A pivotal moment for the company came in 2009 when it was acquired by its Taiwanese partner, Prime View International (PVI), a major manufacturer of display modules. The deal, initially valued at $215 million, created a vertically integrated company dedicated to electronic paper. Following the acquisition, PVI renamed itself E Ink Holdings Inc., solidifying its focus on this unique display technology.