Annotated Bibliography
The eternal page: Electronic paper and digital ink
by Johnathan L. Wright
November 7, 2001

This annotated bibliography lists materials from 1999 to present that discuss electronic paper and digital ink, two cutting-edge technologies that may transform the ancient human practices of reading and writing. Electronic paper is a thin, flexible sheet of "wired" plastic onto which information can be imprinted or stored and then replaced. The e-paper is embedded with digital ink, millions of microscopic capsules containing an organic material that shows either light or dark images in response to electrical charges.

Battey, J. (2001, April 16). Delivering on the electronic-paper promise. InfoWorld, 23, 38.

Reports on two companies working on e-ink and e-paper technology. Also discusses advantages of e-paper over liquid crystal display.

Brown, C. (2000, December 12). Electronic paper writes new chapter for display. Electronic Engineering Times, 44, 77-79.

Highlights development of prototype electronic paper by E Link Corp. and Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories. Discuss key features of display technology, how it is manufactured, and related components.

_________. (2000, December 9). Digital ink meets electronic paper. The Economist, 357, 19-21.

Reports on companies that are pioneering electronic paper technologies and have prototypes in development. Provides history of e-paper and summarizes research into cholestric liquid crystals.

Farmanfarmaian, R. (2001, January 1). Beyond e-books and glimpses of the future. Publishers Weekly, 248, 56-57.

Looks at technological developments and projects in the book publishing industry, including an overview of exhibits presented at the 2000 Xerox PARC "Experiments in the Future of Reading" conference in San Jose, Calif.

Reports on how e-paper would combine data-handling power of electronics with convenience of paper. Discusses use of a technique called microcontact printing to create arrays of transistors that control the e-paper pixels.

Hamiton, A. (2000, December). Books take electronic turn. Printing Impressions, 43, 112.

E-books have struggled to gain acceptance because current technology still cannot challenge the quality, navigation, and ease of use of traditional books. The author argues, however, that books that are informational rather than entertainment-oriented will soon begin migrating to e-paper.

Klein, A. (2000, January 4). Will the future be written in e-ink?–A new printing technology sets off a high-stakes race with some big backers. The Wall Street Journal, p. B1.

Describes test run by Penney’s to see if electronic signs could someday replace thousands of its old-fashioned signs. This use marks the first consumer trials of e-paper and e-ink technology by E Ink Corp.

Mann, Charles C. (2001). Electronic paper turns the page. Technology Review, 104, 42-48.

Provides an overview of the evolution of e-paper. Highlights from the first conference devoted to the effects of digital technologies on the book world. Stresses need for e-paper to be flexible enough to roll into a tube.

Minkel, W. (2001, July). What comes after ‘E’? School Library Journal, 47, 21, 24.

General discussion of the development of e-paper and e-ink.

Orenstein, D. (1999, January 25). You've heard of digital ink; how about digital paper? Computerworld, 33, 81.

Discussion of Gyricon, an early type of e-paper about as thin as posterboard and about as floppy.

Rogers, J. A. (2001, February 23). Toward paperlike displays. Science, 291, 1502-1503.

Discusses the production of e-paper, including semiconductor types and the combination of semiconductors with rubber-stamped circuit elements.

_________. (2001, May/June). Computer writing. Rural Telecommunications, 20, 9.

Discusses Digital Ink’s plans to issue the wireless pen.

Tenopir, C. (1999, December). Where does online go from here? Library Journal, 124, 47-50.

The author explores the future applications of e-paper and other new technologies, including wearable information devices and smart appliances.

Wareham, E. (1999, July 23). Xerox, 3M to bring electronic paper to market. Computing Canada, 25, 12.

Discusses one of the early corporate partnerships to develop e-paper.

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