Continuing the glory of the Inkplate series, we present you the newest board - Inkplate 6COLOR - an incredibly simple to use e-paper display, now with colorful e-paper display. Powerful, Wi-Fi-enabled ESP32 microcontroller makes this 5.8" color e-paper display incredibly easy to control. Just plug in a USB cable, open Arduino IDE (or MicroPython), and change the contents of the screen with a few lines of code! Thanks to its low-power mode, you can run it for months, or even years, on a single battery. Our Inkplate series is everything you ever needed from an e-paper display, in a single ecosystem.

Making Complicated Technology Simple

Let’s face it, other e-paper displays are a hassle to work with. For one thing, they usually require additional hardware—breakout boards for connectors and cables, or external microcontrollers. And their documentation is often pretty rough, with few examples and little or no sample code. You can make them work, sure, but it takes a lot of effort, and most of us just don’t have the time and resources to go that extra mile.

This is where the Inkplate comes in. Designed with simplicity in mind, it addresses all of the challenges that e-paper brings with it. Let’s start with hardware: everything is plug-and-play; just connect a USB Type-C cable, press the power button, and you’re ready to go. Inkplate boards contain all of the bits and pieces you need to get started, including a Wi-Fi microcontroller, microSD slot, extra input/output pins, Real Time Clock (RTC), Li-ion battery charger, and more. As for the screen, Inkplate 6COLOR has a slower refresh time compared to other Inkplate boards, but it compensates for that with a beautiful multicolor screen. You can show a total of seven different colors or use built-in dithering algorithms for even more realistic colors renderings on the screen.

Inkplate has you covered on the software side, as well. If you’re the Arduino type, you’ll have text on your screen in less than five minutes. Install the board definition, download the library, and open one of the many sample applications. Customizing those samples is about as easy as it gets. Using a library based on the Adafruit GFX graphics library, you can add text, images, and other graphical objects to the screen with just a few lines of code. The full documentation is here to help you finish your projects. MicroPython module and sample code will be provided as well.

In fact, our obsession with simplicity goes beyond the hardware and the software. Want to make your Inkplate look stylish and keep it safe at the same time? We’ll save you some time (and some filament) by pre-installing your board into a custom, 3D-printed enclosure. Tired of having to complete the checkout process to figure out how much shipping will cost? Inkplate 6COLOR is available with free US shipping and affordable worldwide shipping.

E-Paper Looks Like Magic

There’s just something about e-paper displays. We find e-paper fascinating for a number of reasons, but let’s start with some facts: it just looks brilliant, uses power only when refreshing, and it has no glare. Now, after being so used to black & white e-paper displays on e-book readers, let us surprise you with the actual color pixels. The AC057TC1 e-paper screen from E-Ink Corporation packs seven color pixels for each physical pixel on the screen, and by dithering them, you can show real masterpieces on its screen.

Some "screenshots" of the e-paper on Inkplate 6COLOR

Technical specs of the screen:

• A 5.8-inch, 600 x 448 pixel color e-paper display, with the active area of 114.9 mm x 85.8 mm
• Seven colors directly available (Black, White, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange)
• SPI communication
• Dithering algorithms built into the Arduino library, so you can show any color using the seven existing colors
• 128 DPI (Dots Per Inch)
• the manufacturer datasheet specifies a 25 second refresh time, but our real-life observed refresh time is 10-11 seconds

Inkplate 6COLOR refresh in real time. First video without dithering, second with dithering turned on.

What Can I Use Inkplate 6COLOR For?

• A high-latency information panel - Show calendar, temperature, weather, and air quality data. Track your stocks, learn a new word each day, display information about whatever song is playing, or keep tabs on your social media accounts. Switch between various options easily using the touchscreen. Inkplate 6PLUS will draw almost no power until it needs to pull new data or refresh its screen.
• A collaborative task tracker - Maintain shared lists of groceries to buy, chores to do, and birthdays to remember. No dry-erase markers required - just tap the screen to mark as done. Or, replace the power-hungry wall monitor in your office with an e-paper task display on each desk.
• An open hardware e-reader - Sweep aside the barriers put in place by restrictive, centralized platforms, and e-read whatever you want!
• Art - Frame photographs pulled from an SD card or an online camera roll. Or generate abstract art from sensor data. Or torment your house guests with a modern take on the "photo booth". 6COLOR is the perfect platform for showcasing artwork.

Features & Specifications

• Display:
  • A 5.8-inch, 600 x 448 pixel color e-paper display, with seven colors directly available (Black, White, Red, Yellow, Blue, Green, Orange)
  • Dithering algorithms built into Arduino library, so you can show any color using the seven existing ones
  • According to the manufacturer datasheet, the display has a refresh time of 25 seconds, but our real-life observation is closer to 11 seconds
• Connectivity:
  • A USB Type-C port for programming and power
  • An onboard ESP32 microcontroller with integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0 (BLE)
  • Plenty of additional GPIO pins and support for I²C, SPI, and easy/Qwiic connectivity
  • A MicroSD card reader (for storing images to be displayed, among other uses)
• Power:
  • Extremely low power consumption, including a 18µA sleep state that can go days, weeks, or months on a single charge
  • A JST input and MCP73831 charger for Lithium battery power
  • An on-board Real Time Clock (RTC) to reduce power consumption and keep time
• Physical:
  • Three capacitive touchpads
  • A pushbutton for power and an additional user button ("WAKE")
  • A form factor that's optimized for custom enclosures
  • An optional 3D-printed enclosure (source files will be available by the time Inkplate 6COLOR ships to backers)
  • Dimensions: 145 x 116 x 6 mm
  • Weight: 95 g
• Software:
  • Arduino libraries (100% compatible with Adafruit GFX graphics library) and a MicroPython module that facilitates the rendering of text, images, and line art. An ESP-IDF driver will be available as well.
  • An Online Image Converter to prepare your images for display on Inkplate 6COLOR
  • A GUI Designer to help you build a user interface for your own application

Comparison Table

Check out how the Inkplate 6COLOR compares to our previous e-paper displays.

Support & Documentation

Inkplate 6COLOR is open hardware driven by open source software. OSHWA certification is in the works. Its hardware design files and software are openly maintained in our GitHub repositories, as is our documentation. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, we provide free technical support through our forums. You can also contact us using the Ask a technical question link on our campaign page if you have a question.

Manufacturing Plan

We here at Soldered have years of experience assembling electronic boards for makers. We have an in-house manufacturing line staffed by experts who have handled large productions runs many times. We also have two dozen 3D printers running day and night. We do not anticipate any issues during Inkplate 6COLOR manufacturing, and we believe that confidence is justified by our previous campaign track records, which included 2000-unit Inkplate 6 batches, 1500-unit Inkplate 10 batches, 500-unit Inkplate 6PLUS and other production runs that reached as high as 25,000 units per batch. Inkplate 6COLOR is ready for mass production, and our team is comfortable handling the logistical and quality control aspects to ensure that everyone receives a tested and working product.

Fulfillment & Logistics

After all Inkplate 6COLOR boards have been assembled and tested here in Osijek, Croatia, they will be sent to Crowd Supply’s facility in the United States for final delivery to backers. Mouser Electronics is handling the shipping, and they know how to do it properly. All units will be protected for shipping with ESD foam for padding inside a sealed ESD plastic bag, placed in a sturdy cardboard box. Shipping is free for the US customers, and there’s $8 fee for worldwide customers.

For more information about ordering, paying, and shipping, please see Crowd Supply’s Guide. For backers in many countries, VAT will be charged at checkout, and products will be pre-cleared through customs.

Risks & Challenges

As with previous Inkplates, we have thoroughly tested both the hardware and the software of Inkplate 6COLOR. We have gone through multiple prototyping runs, and all of the technical issues have been resolved. We have also identified primary and backup suppliers for all components. Since the e-paper display at the core of Inkplate 6COLOR is brand new, and is obtainable from E-Ink Corporation, it will take more time due to the current shortage - thus the longer delivery times which is indicated in the delivery estimated dates specified on the pledge levels.

And let us not forget the silicon-shortage Armageddon that’s currently affecting the entire semiconductor industry… Due to supply-chain disruptions, many of the parts we require are out of stock worldwide. Given that reality, we intend to book as much quantity as we can (from authorized suppliers with whom we have done business in the past) as soon as possible. Nonetheless, it is quite likely that some components will have availability issues that delay Inkplate 6COLOR production and thereby push back our delivery estimates. We have quite a lot of experience with this process, and we intend to use that experience to stick as close to our published schedule as possible.