What Technologies will E-Paper replace?

E-Paper has the potential to replace paper that is used in any form. However, these are some of the projected uses:

Labelling- E-Paper has the potential to eliminate all forms of paper based labels such as those used in supermarkets, drugstores and retail giants such as Wal-Mart. It can also be used in businesses to label office supplies such as binders. This can result in great efficiency and time savings for these organizations, as the information can get updated instantly. E-paper can also be used in electronic displays used in kitchen appliances and entertainment devices such as mp3 players and microwaves (The Future of Electronic Paper, 2007).

E-readers- E-paper has the potential to eliminate all paper based books, newspapers and magazines and existing electronic readers such as Amazon’s Kindle and iRex’s iLiad (The Future of Electronic Paper, 2007). Some newspapers are jumping on the bandwagon early and deploying their version of an E-newspaper. Predictions state that E-Newspapers will take up to 25% of the newspaper market by 2012 (Ragnet, 2007).

Advertising- E-paper will perhaps have its biggest impact in the advertising industry. E-paper can potentially be used to replace billboards and advertising posters in order to change the advertising media, depending on the target costumers. This would allow advertisements on buses and in shopping centers to name a few, to change at the click of a button. According to a Japanese study, commuters are 50% more likely to look at an advertisement with a moving image on E-paper (Japan's Electronic Paper Advertising Poster, 2009).

References:

Japan's Electronic Paper Advertising Poster. (2009, July 24). Retrieved March 26, 2010, from PSFK: http://www.psfk.com/2009/07/japans-electronic-paper-advertising-poster.html

Ragnet, F. (2007, June 26). E-paper- a suitable replacement for paper? Retrieved March 26, 2010, from The Future of Documents: http://futureofdocuments.blogs.xerox.com/2007/06/26/e-paper-a-suitable-replacement-for-paper/

The Future of Electronic Paper. (2007, October 15). Retrieved March 26, 2010, from The Future of Things: http://thefutureofthings.com/articles/1000/the-future-of-electronic-paper.html