What’s in a Name? The History Behind E Ink

E Ink by E Ink

Did you know that E Ink is the inventor and proprietor of electrophoretic ink, often called electronic ink? That can make it a bit confusing when determining how to refer to the technology – so we’ve put together the below guidelines to help.

E Ink is a registered trademark of E Ink Corporation – the ONLY way to write it is “E Ink.”

The only way to refer to E Ink's electronic ink technology is: "electrophoretic ink.”

E Ink: the Companies

The corporate name E Ink encompasses what was once two entities: E Ink Corporation and Prime View International. E Ink Corporation was spun out of the MIT Media Lab in 1997 to commercialize electronic ink and Electronic Paper Display (EPD) technology. Prime View International (PVI) was established in 1992 as the first Thin Film Transistor (TFT) Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) company in Taiwan, focusing on high quality small-to-medium-sized TFT LCDs. In 2009, Prime View acquired E Ink Corporation and the newly combined company was branded as E Ink.

E Ink is the originator, pioneer and commercial leader in digital paper technology. Our heritage is a combination of two components:

• Historical: PVI’s roots are in the history of paper making, as a pioneer of privately owned paper manufacturers in Taiwan.
• Revolutionary: As the company who developed and commercialized the first successfully manufactured electrophoretic ink, we introduced the world to sustainable display technology.

E Ink: the Technology

Electrophoretic ink is the foundation of the technology: the electronically-charged particles are the foundational technology that enables form factors like ePaper, digital paper, EPDs, eBooks, electronic shelf labels (ESLs), eNotes and even colored digital paper displays like Prism and Advanced Color ePaper (ACeP).

E Ink: the World View

As an organization, E Ink is rooted in creating sustainable, low-power technology. As the world around us grows increasingly connected, the basic human need to access and share information will also increase; as a result, the need for displays will persist. E Ink exists to be the conduit between our connected world and the information we need.

If you’d like to learn more about E Ink, our branding and our associated nomenclature, check out the full post here.