The e-paper project began in the mid 1990s at the materials lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. The idea was to create screens as thin as construction paper, flexible and portable, that had the same characteristics as traditional paper. In other words, that could be folded, spindles and even put in a pocket.

Investigators came up with a screen showing images made up of millions of tiny balls filled with ink, half white and half black. When an electrical current is applied to these spheres with different polarity, they turned face up or down in thousands of a second. Depending on the position of the dots, letters, words or paragraphs formed.

First models
This year Philips came out with its own model. It is a thin panel that can be rolled up, is light and unbreakable, and allows viewing of newspapers and magazines. The screen is 12 cm long and can be rolled up into a case the size of a pen. It can be connected to a cell phone and used to download web pages, books and email. It was made with electronic circuits made of plastic that supply energy to a single-color screen created with electronic ink similar to that developed by MIT.

Very functional
The two initiatives show that e-paper will have the format of a page, magazine or book, the same feel as regular paper and can be bound. To read it, all you have to do it log onto the Internet with a cable or infra-red port. At first the pages will be blank, then fill with text and images  as the pages of magazines, newspapers or books download. Then it can be read like a normal publication, but the text can be enlarged and you can search for words, change the size of the sources or see moving images. Once the information or images have been viewed, the content is erased and you can start all over again with something new. 

Many applications
The first step for e-paper will be to support cell phones. With one of these devices sewn into the sleeve of a jacket, you can read email on the way to work or view maps in a way easier than with the phone handset. They will also serve to create digital text readers that act just like traditional books. E-paper can also be used for advertising billboards, newspapers, school blackboards, smart camouflage for the military, roadway signs, computers and high-definition television. These devices will also fold out on walls and replace posters of your favorite singers.

Advantages and disadvantages
The pro�s:
- Greater respect for the environment because trees need not be cut down to mill paper, and lower consumption of energy. 
- This paper can be reloaded as many times as you want because the Internet offers its advances with automatic updates and incorporation of multimedia and interactive information.
- It is easier and cheaper than printing out an article or book. The widespread acceptance that a book needs in order to be profitable is no longer necessary with this new format. Time and money will no longer be factors for the publishing industry. 

But for others the disadvantages are clear:
- Reading off a screen is tiresome and hurts readers� eyes.
- Books are more tangible, comfortable and manageable, and editions last.

The first e-paper newspaper will be launched in 2005 by the Swedish newspaper Sundsvalls Tidning. It will have a light, flexible screen in A5 size paper (half of A4). It will be an interactive daily with personal ads and discount coupons in the form of bar codes that can be read at stores. Readership of this kind of newspaper is expected to approach that of traditional papers. This is just the first step toward the emergence of the electronic book.