Stop Press! Electronic paper is here
Published: 15 Jul 2005 12:10 BST
However, it is interesting to note that both HP and Xerox have e-paper development projects under way in their research labs. These are second-generation e-paper displays supporting full colour and video speed refresh. This indicates that these companies at least are taking the emergence of e–paper seriously and will be ready to jump into the market when they start to see it impacting on the market for their traditional paper based print products.
The one group of businesses who do not seem to be taking this technological development seriously are the publishers. Although a few publishers, primarily newspaper companies, have looked at the technology it would seem that even fewer are actively developing strategies for using a technology that could well overtake paper as the primary 'print' medium within the next two decades.
A prediction that is backed by Lynne Brindley, the British Library's chief executive, is that the switch from print to digital will be mainly complete by 2020, with only 10 percent of new material remaining as traditional print only.
Of course people will continue using paper for a long time, just as people still use velum, but increasingly paper documents, whether books, magazines, newspapers or the myriad other pieces of paper that we print out or photocopy will be replaced by e-paper displays that will offer a reading experience that is virtually indistinguishable from using paper. E-paper will, however, have environmental benefits and above all will be seamlessly integrated into the digital world.
But just how practical is the technology behind e-paper? Read on for a more detailed look at how this new technology actually works.
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