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Presentation slide showing the application fields of printing technology for medium to large OLED displays at Display Korea 2026.

TCL CSOT Targets Medium and Large Display Market with Inkjet OLED… Proving Mass Production Competitiveness Remains Key Challenge

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At the keynote session of Display Korea 2026, held on March 12–13 and organized by UBI Research, Fu Dong, General Manager of Guangdong Juhua Printed Display Technology (Juhua), delivered a presentation titled “Development of Printed Display Technology.” He introduced the current development status of inkjet OLED technology and outlined its pathway toward commercialization.

Juhua General Manager Fu Dong presenting 'Application Field of Printing Technology' regarding medium-to-large inkjet printed OLEDs at Display Korea 2026

Fu Dong of Juhua introducing the application fields and industrialization direction of printed OLED technology during a keynote speech at ‘Display Korea 2026’ hosted by UBI Research. (Source: UBI Research)

Juhua, an affiliate of TCL CSOT, is a specialized R&D company focused on printed OLED technology. The company is actively advancing solution-processed OLED development while securing mass production capabilities. Centered in Guangzhou, Juhua is building both an R&D platform and an 8.6-generation production infrastructure, positioning itself to lead the commercialization of printed OLED.

Fu Dong emphasized that printed OLED represents a next-generation manufacturing technology capable of replacing conventional vacuum deposition processes. By depositing organic and inorganic materials in ink form, the process enables significant simplification and offers strong cost competitiveness, particularly for large-area applications.

In terms of technical achievements, he highlighted that a printing-based RGB architecture enables high-resolution implementation. Improvements in light efficiency and reductions in internal optical loss have enhanced power efficiency, while advancements in material performance have extended device lifetime.

TCL CSOT officially announced the mass production of printed OLED in 2024 and is establishing a production system based on its Guangzhou 8.6-generation line in 2025. This marks a clear transition of printed OLED from the R&D phase to early-stage mass production.

However, inkjet OLED still faces several technical challenges. These include film stability during ink deposition and drying, precision limitations in high-resolution patterning, the lifetime and efficiency of blue emitters, and achieving uniformity and yield in large-area processes. To address these issues, key approaches include improving printhead precision, advancing compensation algorithms, developing multi-component ink systems, introducing solution-processable blue materials, and adopting tandem structures. These are considered optimal strategies for simultaneously improving performance and ensuring production stability.

Since these challenges cannot be resolved through process innovation alone, they are expected to become critical factors determining future mass production competitiveness. Ultimately, the success of printed OLED will depend not merely on process simplification or cost reduction, but on the ability to translate these advantages into stable yield and product reliability.

As the 8.6-generation IT OLED market continues to expand, how TCL CSOT addresses these technical challenges will be a key point of industry attention.

Changwook Han, Executive Vice President/Analyst at UBI Research (cwhan@ubiresearch.com)

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TCL CSOT 8.6th generation inkjet OLED presentation showing precise RGB structure and printing accuracy from K-Display 2025

TCL CSOT Announces Early Start of 8.6Gen Printed OLED Production Line

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TCL CSOT inkjet OLED presentation slide showing printing accuracy and FMM OLED structure comparison — K-Display 2025 (Source: TCL CSOT)

TCL CSOT Inkjet OLED Presentation Slide at K-Display 2025 (Source: TCL CSOT)

TCL CSOT officially announced the commencement of construction for its 8.6-generation printed OLED display panel production line (T8 Project) in Guangzhou Province on October 21, 2025. This starts approximately one month ahead of the original schedule, with a total investment of 29.5 billion yuan (approximately 5.4 trillion won). This project represents the world’s first 8-generation printed OLED line, targeting the mid-sized application market for notebooks, monitors, and automotive displays. It is planned to have a production capacity of 45K sheets per month (based on 2290mm x 2620mm substrates). TCL CSOT is investing in the T8 line on the site adjacent to the existing Guangzhou T9 line. The T8 site was originally planned for conversion into a solar project, but that plan has been put on hold, and its use as an OLED production line site has been confirmed. This T8 line investment will proceed in two phases, with the first line being invested initially. Phase 1 will have a monthly substrate input capacity of 15K. Equipment installation is targeted for September 2026, with trial mass production scheduled for June 2027.

In response to the rapid growth of the mid-sized OLED market, major display companies are accelerating investments in 8.6-generation lines. TCL CSOT has chosen a differentiated approach with printed OLED, focusing on cost competitiveness and technological innovation. TCL CSOT’s printed OLED technology achieves material utilization exceeding 90%, significantly surpassing the 30% rate of vapor deposition methods, and reduces manufacturing costs by over 20%. This cost advantage is interpreted as a strategy to seize the ‘leadership in the mid-to-low-end market’ and popularize OLED. Furthermore, as the Chinese government tends to strictly review investment approvals for existing technologies like FMM, companies like Visionox (ViP) and TCL CSOT (inkjet) are proceeding with investments by applying new technologies.

According to UBI Research’s analysis, printed OLED still faces technical challenges.

  • Brightness and Lifespan: The printed OLED process has lower precision in stacking the organic layers that form pixels compared to the evaporation method. Consequently, there are concerns that it currently falls short of existing evaporation technology in achieving high brightness and ensuring device lifespan.
  • Tandem Structure: Another drawback is that applying Tandem (two-layer light-emitting structure) technology, essential for high efficiency and long lifespan, is more difficult than with the deposition method. TCL CSOT plans to introduce four printing equipment units, expected to be three HI/HT/RGB units and one Tandem unit. This equipment is predicted to be purchased from Panasonic. This demonstrates efforts to overcome technical challenges.

TCL Huaxing’s move toward printing technology is interpreted as an attempt to position itself as an ‘innovative force leading the market’ by targeting the mid-sized OLED market with new technology, rather than directly challenging deposition market giants like Samsung Display and BOE.

Printed OLEDs are expected to significantly lower the barrier to entry for the IT OLED market (notebooks, monitors, etc.) through groundbreaking cost reductions, thereby expanding the market pie. However, concerns also persist about whether the brightness and lifespan challenges inherent to the printing process can meet the stringent quality standards of large IT products. Attention is focused on whether TCL CSOT can successfully overcome these technical hurdles and become a game-changer in the mid-sized OLED market by 2027 through its ‘technology-cost-scale’ trinity strategy.

Changho Noh, Senior Analyst at UBI Research  (chnoh@ubiresearch.com)

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TCL CSOT announces 8th generation inkjet OLED investment plan at K-Display 2025, highlighting Panasonic printing equipment

TCL CSOT to announce investment in 8th generation OLED inkjet production line soon_ Inkjet printing equipment expected to be supplied by Panasonic

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TCL CSOT showcases 8th generation inkjet OLED technology and breakthroughs at K-Display 2025

TCL CSOT’s latest inkjet OLED technology presentation at K-Display 2025 (Source: TCL CSOT)

At the business forum of K-Display 2025, held from August 6-9, China’s TCL CSOT said it will announce its investment plans for an eighth-generation inkjet OLED production line. The project, dubbed the “T8 Project,” is planned to begin trial production in June 2027, with equipment delivery targeted for September 2026. The initial production capacity is expected to be 15,000 sheets per month in the first phase. The investment is seen as a significant move to challenge the dominant position of South Korean companies in the large OLED panel market.

 The Inkjet Printing method adopted by TCL CSOT has a number of advantages over the Vacuum Deposition method currently used for large OLED production.

  • Cost and energy efficiency: The process can be completed in a low vacuum environment, significantly reducing equipment costs and energy consumption.
  • Material utilization: Since the organic material is ‘printed’ directly onto the substrate, there is less material waste, resulting in high material utilization.
  • Large substrate production efficiency: It is especially economical for large TV panels such as 65-inch and 77-inch.

One of the main technical challenges with inkjet OLEDs has been the lifetime of blue OLEDs, but TCL CSOT has made significant improvements. The company says its blue lifetime, which was just 40 hours in 2020, is now 400 hours, a tenfold improvement. In addition, the resolution has exceeded 350 PPI, which can meet the needs of high-performance tablets and laptops; the aperture ratio has been increased to three times that of conventional FMM (Fine Metal Mask) OLEDs to reduce power consumption; and the size of blue subpixels has been reduced to be similar to red and green, improving display quality.

Meanwhile, the printing equipment for the 8th generation OLED inkjet line is likely to come from Panasonic Production Engineering. Panasonic Production Engineering announced at SID 2025 that it has developed an 8.5-generation machine with a 1 pL (picoliter) inkjet head and 350 ppi resolution. The machine achieved an accuracy of 4.6 µm, exceeding the target accuracy of 5.8 µm, demonstrating the possibility of stable mass production of large substrates. The expected equipment configuration will consist of a Hole Injection Layer, Hole Transport Layer, and printing equipment for RGB pixel printing, as well as equipment for tandem OLEDs.  Panasonic’s equipment enables the production of high-resolution displays through high-frequency jetting (20 kHz) and droplet volume control as fine as 1.0 pL, which are key technologies for improving the productivity of the inkjet process. The company also reports that production stability is enhanced through a sophisticated system that compensates for thermal deformation and micro-alignment errors.

Inkjet OLED technology still has many challenges to overcome. While current technology has improved device lifetime, there is ongoing debate about whether it has achieved sufficient lifetime for commercialization. There are also limitations that make it difficult to implement tandem structures for high brightness and low power consumption. These challenges are directly related to the yield of the production line and require continuous technology development for successful mass production of inkjet. Nevertheless, TCL CSOT’s technological advancements show that inkjet OLEDs are getting closer to reality.

If TCL CSOT’s eighth-generation inkjet OLED investment materializes, it will pose a direct challenge to the mid- to large-sized OLED market dominated by South Korea’s Samsung Display and LG Display. Currently, these two companies rely on a costly vacuum deposition process, which keeps OLED TV prices high. Mass production using inkjet technology can bring cost competitiveness, which will significantly reduce the price of OLED TVs and increase market penetration. Furthermore, the technology is expected to impact not only the TV market, but also the laptop, tablets, and professional monitor markets. Inkjet technology can become an important steppingstone for China’s display industry to secure technological leadership in the OLED field, following LCD.

Changho Noh, Senior Analyst at UBI Research  (chnoh@ubiresearch.com)

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