Abstract

Electronic paper, or e-paper for short, has been developed for many years by a wide variety of companies and research institutions. The term "e-paper" serves as a collective term for a wide variety of technologies that aim to produce thin, flexible and very energy-saving displays. The first applications are already available or will reach market maturity in the coming years. Not only is the substitution of conventional screens, such as cathode ray or LCD screens, being pursued, but the convergence of electronic media and paper is a declared goal of almost all those involved. If all the announced features of e-paper are realised, it seems likely that the new medium will also find its way into the newspaper and magazine industry. Existing paper and internet editions of newspapers and magazines would be supplemented - perhaps even partially displaced - by newspapers on electronic paper. This study compares for the first time the environmental characteristics of the three forms of newspaper based on the respective energy expenditures and examines in particular the newspaper on electronic paper.

Authors