10 Interesting Facts About InkPoster: Too Many Posters on the Wall, Desert Dunes Inspiration and More

You might know InkPoster for the art it brings to your wall – but what about the stories behind it? Why did a company known for ePaper reading devices decide to create an art frame? What actually happens inside the screen when you choose a new picture? And what does a desert have to do with the shape of one of InkPoster’s models?

Here are some interesting facts about InkPoster, from the story behind its creation to the technology and thoughtful design details you might not know.

When the Vintage Posters Took Over the Walls

It started with vintage posters. At PocketBook’s headquarters in Switzerland, the collection kept getting bigger, while the available wall space did not. The obvious solution – use a traditional digital screen – didn’t quite fit the idea of living with art. But for a company already working with ePaper, there was another possibility: bring the paper-like experience of its devices into the world of art. That idea became InkPoster, a high-end art display designed to give artwork the attention it deserves, without feeling like just another screen on the wall.

Exciting Hidden Process We Call Ink-Printing

Here’s something you might not expect from a digital art display: every new picture is physically formed inside the screen. Millions of microscopic capsules filled with colored pigments move in a carefully coordinated choreography, shifting into position to build the image you’ve chosen. For roughly 10-20 seconds, the screen flickers subtly as this tiny printing performance takes place and the picture gradually comes together. We call this process ink-printing – a name we created to describe the way InkPoster physically forms each new image.

What InkPoster Has in Common with a Lithographic Print

Look at InkPoster from a normal viewing distance and the artwork reads as a smooth image. Get very close to the surface and you may notice tiny individual color spots that come together to create the picture. This has an unexpected connection with lithographic printing, where the image is built from countless small marks rather than one continuous layer of color. It’s a little like looking closely at a famous painting and suddenly noticing individual brushstrokes that disappear into the image from across the room.

Why Disappearing in the Dark Is a Good Thing

“Paper-like” can sound like the usual description of an ePaper display – until you turn off the lights. Unlike a TV, InkPoster doesn’t glow into a dark room, so the artwork simply disappears from view, just as a print or painting would. The picture remains there, waiting for the room to become light again. It’s a small detail, but an important one: the display doesn’t dictate the atmosphere around it – it responds to it, following the light in the room rather than becoming another source of it.

A Very Special Relationship with Electricity

Imagine hanging a digital screen and never once asking yourself, “Where’s the nearest socket?” That is more or less the idea behind InkPoster. One charge can keep it displaying art for up to a year, and there is no power cord permanently attached to the wall. That means the best place for the artwork can simply be the place where it looks right – not the place closest to a socket. It’s a surprisingly old-fashioned idea for a piece of technology: put it where it looks right, not where the cable allows.

What Happens When You Turn InkPoster Off?

Here’s a small fact that can feel almost like magic: you can switch InkPoster off, and the artwork doesn’t disappear. The image remains on the screen without needing a constant flow of electricity to hold it there. That’s quite unlike the TVs and screens we’re used to, where switching off usually means the picture disappears, too. That makes the experience feel surprisingly close to living with a physical print – except that the picture can change whenever you want.

From Van Gogh to Your Dog

The fun thing about having a large art collection is deciding what belongs in it. Alongside thousands of artworks, classic masterpieces, and vintage posters, you can put your own photographs and images on the wall whenever you like. One day it might be a Van Gogh; the next, the picture of your dog that somehow came out better than every professional portrait you’ve ever taken. InkPoster leaves room for both.

When a Still Image Starts to Move

Who says a static artwork has to stay the same all day? InkPoster’s slideshow lets you create your own changing exhibition, mixing artworks, photographs, posters, and personal images into a sequence. You might build one around summer travels, another around black-and-white photography, or simply let the collection change throughout the day. The frame stays in exactly the same place – only the exhibition evolves.

Where Does Your Photo Go?

There’s an interesting question hiding behind every “upload” button: where does the picture actually go? With InkPoster, personal images are sent directly to the frame rather than being stored on servers along the way. So a family photo, a picture of your home, or your latest masterpiece can make its journey to the wall without taking up permanent residence somewhere else. Your personal content stays safe along the way, without unnecessary copies sitting on a server.

What Does a Desert Have to Do with an Art Frame?

There’s a little bit of desert hidden in the Duna. Designed by Pininfarina, the frame takes an unusual approach to the traditional flat passepartout, giving it a soft, flowing curve finished in Alcantara. The shape was inspired by the gentle lines of desert dunes, where light and shadow constantly change across the surface. That connection eventually gave the frame its name: Duna, the Italian word for dune.

Not Quite What You’d Expect from a Screen

There are plenty of screens in the world, but InkPoster has clearly decided not to behave like one. It prints images with tiny capsules, disappears into the darkness, keeps pictures visible when switched off, and can turn a single wall into a constantly changing exhibition. Not bad for something that, at first glance, just looks like a picture frame.