Electrophoretic Display Applications: Technical, Ecological and Economic Aspects

Electronic paper (e-paper), an electronic replacement for white paper that attempts to copy its properties as closely as possible, is available since about three decades. Research efforts in this area have created several different technological approaches to the issue, one of its most promising being electrophoretic displays (EPDs). Due to their extraordinary properties, they have the potential to make a major impact both economically and ecologically. This book deals with ecological and economic aspects of EPDs along with some technical aspects of electrophoretic display applications. The basic functioning of the displays is discussed, as well as a few of its major implementations and concurrent developments. Among the many possible applications of EPDs, two are readers for electronic newspapers and e-books, which this report deals with in depth. The core of the work is an analysis of the economic and ecological impact of the aforementioned applications.