It is not uncommon to see black or purple ink-like blobs on the screen of a broken device (phone, tablet, or laptop). But is there really ink on your screen?
You see an ink stain or blob on the screen because its pixels are broken or damaged. When pressure is applied to the damaged screen, it affects more pixels, distributing “ink” across the screen.
Is there ink on your screen?
No. This is how it works. A screen is hidden under the glass of the shattered device. The devices use many different types of screens, but the most popular are LCDs and OLEDs.
LCD screens
LCD means liquid crystal display. A liquid crystal is a state of matter between a solid and a liquid. This means that it shares the properties of both liquids and solids.
The liquid crystal display consists of two glass or plastic panels that are filled with liquid crystals. An LCD is called a passive device because the liquid crystals themselves do not create the image you see on the screen. Instead of emitting light themselves, the liquid crystals are backlit. Liquid crystals change the light rays passing through them, creating different images and colors on the screen.
OLED screens
OLED stands for Organic Light-emitting Diodes. A light emitting diode is a semiconductor device that functions as a light source and emits light when an electric current flows into it. In an OLED, a diode contains a thin film of an organic compound that emits light when a current is passed through it.
An OLED display is a flat glass or plastic panel that contains thin films of organic material between two conductors. Unlike LCD displays, OLED display is called emissive display. This is because it does not need backlighting and emits light itself.
RELATED: LCD vs OLED: What’s the Difference?
Pixels
What these displays have in common is that they all form pixels.
A pixel is the smallest square unit that makes up a display or screen image. The more pixels on the screen, the higher its resolution.
If the phone has a resolution of 1920 × 1080 pixels, it means that it has 2,073,600 individual pixels on its screen. When one pixel is damaged, it turns black or dark because it cannot emit or change light.
So where does the ink effect come from?
It should be noted that the phenomenon of ink spreading occurs only on LCD screens, because the tubes holding the liquid crystal break when the screen is damaged, causing the liquid crystal to seep into the screen. In OLED screens, each pixel emits its own light and is independent of other pixels. Hence, when your screen gets damaged, the pixels die, but they don’t flow like an ink stain.
What to do if ink appears on the screen
While a phone with black spots or “ink” can be operated for a while, it will only spread and damage more pixels. The best thing to do if you notice such damage is to replace the LCD screen. You can do this yourself without leaving your home. Here is a detailed step-by-step guide on how to replace a broken display screen .
You can also go to your phone service center or any other center to have your screen checked and repaired.
