TCL Launches Inkjet-Printed OLED Display: 21.6-Inch 4K Panel with 99% DCI-P3 Coverage

[AleksandarK]

Chinese giant TCL has officially begun mass production of inkjet-printed OLED displays. The company's subsidiary, TCL CSOT, is leading this initiative with its first product: a 21.6-inch 4K UHD panel designed for professional monitors. The new display boasts a 204 pixels per inch density and coverage of 99% of the DCI-P3 color space. With a maximum brightness of 350 cd/m², the panel is suited for professional applications, with TCL CSOT targeting the medical sector. Additionally, the firm advertises more than 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Using the leftovers from JOLED's closure, a Japanese venture that previously attempted similar technology but filed for bankruptcy in 2023, TCL's approach utilizes Gen 5.5 glass substrates measuring 1,300 × 1,500 mm. Notably, it incorporates other materials from the former Japanese pioneer.

Printed OLED technology promises more cost-effective display production compared to traditional methods. Unlike traditional evaporation methods in OLED production that use shadow masks and waste significant amounts of material, inkjet OLED printing allows for precise deposition of organic materials directly onto substrates. This maskless process not only reduces material waste but also minimizes contamination risks, which is crucial given OLEDs' sensitivity to environmental factors. The choice of starting with medical monitors mirrors JOLED's initial strategy from 2017, when they launched a similar 21.6-inch 4K panel for the same market segment. TCL has already announced plans to expand its printed OLED lineup in 2025 with additional display sizes. The success of this venture could potentially revolutionize OLED display manufacturing, making high-quality screens more accessible across various market segments, and we hope, one day, the enthusiast segment. TCL's consumer brand carrying these printed displays will be named APEX.



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[Chaitanya]

Quite a leap in both pixel density and manufacturing technology.

 

[konga]

Quite a leap in both pixel density and manufacturing technology.

If by "leap," you mean a repetition of something that already happened several years ago, then yes. This is the inkjet printing process JOLED developed years ago. TCL CSOT bought a license from JOLED to produce their own IJP-OLED panels quite a few years ago now. JOLED already tried producing several panels themselves, including medical imaging monitors as mentioned in the article, but they were unable to reach acceptable yields and eventually went bankrupt. Lets hope TCL CSOT does better.

 

[Bwaze]

- "Why is the production line stopped?"

- "The printer says 'Out of Cyan'. Which makes no sense, we're printing in RGB!"

 

[Battler624]

IIRC these are the pure RGB OLEDs, no weird pixel layout and no extra white subpixel.
Gimme this in 5K 27" or 6K 32" @ high refresh rate and we do be cooking.

 

[Gameslove]

Still no budget and info about 8K monitors release.

 

[R0H1T]

Assimilator probably updating the last thread

Spoiler

Ok, maybe not with a Mac

 

[Space Lynx]

Any improvements to OLED or OLED manufacturing are welcome imo

 

[mechtech]

21.6" 4k oled

Room on my desk for 3 of them, maybe just make a 6 screen stack...........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[Chomiq]

Hopefully they can optimize the process and scale it up. If it's anything like JOLED then at least they already have the standard RGB subpixel pattern figured out. I hope they can offer high refresh rates, because from what I remember JOLED was limited to 60 Hz. Let's not forget that they also used to cost around $2000 per unit because of the terrible yields.

 

[Space Lynx]

21.6" 4k oled

Room on my desk for 3 of them, maybe just make a 6 screen stack...........mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

i believe these will only be sold to medical facilities, that's what i read anyway

also these don't get as bright as LG and Samsung OLED's - so for gaming it's probably already an automatic no