EPaper.

TECHNOLOGICAL innovations; CREATIVE ability in technology; HOUSEHOLD electronics; ELECTRIC equipment; CONSUMER goods

This article looks into the effects of epaper on the digital content distribution industry as well as a status report on the current state of epaper technology. The primary obstacle to the development of mass-produced epaper is the manufacturing process and expense of today's electronics. Eventually, the hope is that epaper--electronics and all--would be able to be printed in a manner similar to how paper is printed on today. E-Ink has recently partnered up with Plastic Logic, a leading developer of printed flexible thin film transistor arrays. They have made an announcement that they plan on scaling up printable electronics to full-scale production by 2007. Once this process is in place, epaper could be manufactured cheaply enough to act as a disposable display, and you might be surprised at how close we are to this reality. Considering that timeline along with the fact that researchers led by Raupp at the Flexible Display Center plan to be producing some very early technology concept devices on flexible substrates by the first quarter of 2005, epaper is well on its way towards becoming a mainstream technology. Once epaper hits the big time and starts influencing the design of new, low-power, easy-to-read consumer devices, the effects it will have on the distribution of digital content will be both subtle and profound. INSETS: Putting the "E" in Epaper;Unlocking the Door.