A lateral wire apparatus allows direct lateral viewing of particles of electrophoretic ink (e.g., liquid emulsion aggregation particle (LEAP) ink) that are undergoing electrophoretic migration. Electrophoretic ink movement is commonly monitored by placing the ink through the top electrode, but as the toner particles migrate back and forth between the two electrodes, the viewer can not see what lies beneath the top electrode. This may hide commonly known failure modes, such as particle agglomeration, swishing of particles due to hydrodynamic effects. The lateral wire apparatus includes two narrow gauge wires glued to a glass substrate and held apart at a fixed distance to help maintain a uniform electric field across the gap. A plastic block with pegs that situated at a fixed distance and threaded screws is used to make the lateral wire apparatus with precise wire spacing that may be reproducibly made in less than five minutes using inexpensive and readily available materials.