Researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson have developed an ink-jet printing method for constructing organic LEDs that does not require a special mask or prepatterning of a substrate's surface.

A user designs a pattern on a computer, which then instructs a specialized ink-jet printer to deposit the organic "ink" directly onto an electrically conductive surface. Ghassan E. Jabbour, designer of the patent-pending process, said it could be used in a variety of applications, such as microfilters, solar cells and printing glowing designs on textiles.