Touch Screens are an evolved and interactive form of Digital Signage; these are digital displays that can be interacted with just the touch of a finger. From phones in our pockets to Touch Screen kiosks at our favourite fast food restaurants Touch Screens are taking over, the screens you see in the wild are commercial Touch Screens; they are not for personal use. In this blog I am going to investigate further exactly what is a commercial Touch Screen.

How do commercial Touch Screens work?

There are two main types of commercial Touch Screen technology – PCAP and Infrared. Projective Capacitive (PCAP) is the most commonly used touch technology on the market. With great accuracy and quick response times the displays can work with edge to edge glass on displays such as our wall mounted PCAP Touch Screens. PCAP works by fixing a sensor grid between a layer of cover glass and the LCD panel, so when a finger touches the glass the grid detects the coordinates of the touch point.

Infrared Touch Screens are an older but slightly more durable form of Touch Screen technology. Infrared works by forming a grid of embedded LED lights and sensors into the bezel of the display. When this grid is broken by a finger, or any other pointer, a touch point is detected. Infrared is renowned for its durability and budget friendliness.

Tablets vs. commercial Touch Screens

Smaller sized Touch Screens are a competitive market. Many think that just because a tablet and a small Touch Screen like our 10” POS PCAP Touch Screens are comparable in size and are Touch Screens that the two are interchangeable when used in commercial applications. Just like a TV can’t be used in a commercial space tablets are not designed to be in constant use or receive constant power as they feature an integrated battery. Tablets cannot compete with the 24/7 functionality of their commercial counterparts. Our POS displays can also be powered and connected to the internet simultaneously using an Ethernet cable via Power over Ethernet (PoE). With power and internet coming from just one port this can make installations of these kinds of smaller displays simpler and cleaner. Commercial POS Touch Screens should also feature integrated VESA mounting holes to make installation easier. If a tablet is used a special tablet holder is needed to allow for mounting.

Why use a commercial Touch Screens?

When deciding what kind of Touch Screen to use you need to think about what that product was designed for. Commercial Touch Screens are built to be used in public applications and will have specific features for their environments. For example, all our commercial Touch Screens have a dual operating system integrated into the display with Windows and Android, and can even be used as a touch monitor when connected to an external media player. This is to provide ultimate flexibility for integrators. A tablet or interactive PC is designed for personal use, with external buttons and controls they are primed for abuse when put in a commercial setting. Just because a screen can run a Touch Screen application does not mean that it’s suitable for commercial use.

How do I create Touch Screen content?

The creation of Touch Screen content has been the biggest barrier to growth for the commercial Touch Screens market in the past. Traditionally wildly expensive and complex there are now several viable ways in which users or integrators can create content for Touch Screens. From building your own purpose built websites, ordering bespoke applications to even using PowerPoint displays there are many different ways to get your own content for your Touch Screen. Our Touch CMS works seamlessly with our range of commercial Touch Screens and allows you to easily create interactive content without needing to be technical or do any coding.

What commercial Touch Screen solutions are available?

At Allsee we offer a wide range of different Commercial Touch Screen solutions, our PCAP Touch Screens with Dual OS is the most versatile Commercial Touch Screen on the market. Whether mounted on the wall or integrated into a coffee table solution this screen is the gold standard for Touch Screens. We have freestanding all-in-one Touch screen solutions that do not require mounting with our PCAP Touch Screen Kiosk and Infrared Freestanding Digital Posters. We can go big with Touch Screens or small like our 10inch POS PCAP Touch Screen. Touch Screens can be used outdoors too with PCAP versions of our Outdoor Wall Mounted and Freestanding IP65 Outdoor Displays. For special projects our Mirror PCAP Touch Screens are great for use in retail and gym locations.

Just like TVs aren’t fit for commercial use, not all Touch Screens are suitable for use in public spaces. When looking for an interactive Digital Signage solution the first thing to consider above all else is; was the Touch Screen designed for commercial use?