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Light transmission and touch panels

An overview of the physics of touchscreen technology.

March 21, 2007

The appearance of the display seen through a touch panel is generally of utmost importance to touch and pen-input users. Most touchscreen companies will quote the amount of light passing through the touch panel, ordinarily 83 to 89 percent, as a measure of how "good" the touch panel is. However, the way the touch panel is used and the characteristics of the display often dictate what is best.

For most applications, the light transmission through standard touch panels is adequate. At a higher cost, however, the use of anti-reflective or optical gels can improve the quality of the image seen on the display. As is so often the case, only a cost/benefit analysis can determine if the additional cost is worth the improvements for a specific application or project.

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Editor's note: This white paper was provided by Touch International. Statements made in the text reflect the views and/or opinions of its author(s) only.