Digital
Gartner reports on threats and opportunities offered by e-paper
E-paper's use is increasing due to its paper-like properties of portability, flexibility and legibility, but it still has disadvantages to overcome before its adoption will become widespread, according to a report from Gartner.
"E-paper has some barriers to overcome before gaining credibility with the mainstream market," said Gartner senior research director SJ Chae. "However it is generating a great deal of interest and we expect adoption to increase steadily over the next few years as the technology improves."
In its Emerging Technology Analysis: Electronic Paper, Gartner said that within five years the technology would be used for timetables, business documentation, newspapers, magazines and books. Its use was also highlighted in retail for in-store applications including point of purchase advertising and menus.
It said that in the near term e-paper and print would co-exist, although in the long run it would replace print in some sectors. The research firm believes that e-paper will have a positive impact on books and magazines as another way to reach customers. Single use advertising was singled out as a market in which e-paper wouldn't become economic.
Low power consumption, legibility, similarity to paper and environmental advantages were highlighted as driving the adoption of e-paper. However, the lack of content for e-readers, lack of support for colour, the difficulty displaying moving images and the falling cost and increasing quality of rival display technologies such as OLED and LCD displays and the high cost of e-readers were barriers that need to be overcome for the technology to succeed.
The report concluded that: "Growing interest in environmental issues and the young generation's digital familiarity will accelerate the e-paper market expansion, also allowing the technology to penetrate existing paper-based industries. Additional functions such as displaying moving pictures and real-time downloading information will also change the paper-based business environment".
There are still barriers to the adoption of epaper according to Gartner
Comments
Paul Manning - 20 July 2009
Why is a plastic substrate based product better than paper based traditionally printed books?
I am aware that uploading to e-paper means no transporting of printed goods, no wastage, updatable contentwise etc but surely this will go the way of the computer, ie. we get one, it's old within a year, we throw it away and get a new one etc therefore adding plastic to landfill rather than paper that can be recycled or sourced from a sustainable forest?
Why are we spending billions in R&D and prospective consumer spending on replacing printed paper which can be sourced responsibly and recycled with a product that will just end up being thrown into the atlantic?
I would genuinely like to hear both sides on this as to whether this is 'better' for the environment? Anyone?
Mick Hart - 21 July 2009
Good point Paul, the flat screen was heralded as the worst invention ecologically in recent years, so what is different about the e-reader or e-paper? the e- bit definitely does not stand for environmentally friendly in this case - someone convince me otherwise.
Edna Bag - 21 July 2009
Gizmo V Eco, the potential is huge for this and it makes you think what the real value of the environment is, does disposal really come into the thought process and tax revenue can't be ignored, that is off course if they get it right \(no doubt that will happen). Still you could argue with the amount of recycling going on and the way people save power, it balances out the effects of this product and the use of the internet, so its OK, isn't it!!.
People always justify what they want by offsetting, already its being pushed as better environmentally and don't use much power, makes the punters feel a lot happier but there again what have they got to base the claims against?
Paul Manning - 21 July 2009
Wouldn't it be ironic that in the future printing books on paper was seen as environmentally friendly!!!
Jon Fennell - 21 July 2009
Far to easy that, paper environmentally friendly? Its like saying I'll see my best client from across the road, the obvious is rarely the best.
Its even more dad that people will pay good money for a gadget which is harder to read and lacks copy quality, its amazing what people will settle for just to look cool, king and the new suit of clothes. How do you make something thats seen as stale fresh again, perhaps printers should start offering agency services to protect its own interests, instead of buying kit, collaborate with a group of printers and buy an running agency.
Bill Cheesman - 21 July 2009
Spot on Jon. Been advocating this for years but shifting an old established printer into believing that you can actually inject cash into the bottom line by consolidating and working together is like beating your head against several brick walls. If someone had the balls to set up printing facilities on a 'constituency' basis, I'm sure we could all start making a bit of money again.
Paul Manning - 21 July 2009
Yep, like a live trading consortium rather than a consortium put together just to enter a tender etc.
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