E-Papyrus: Reinventing Paper

The Heracles Papyrus

One of the first transportable media to carry information in the form of written language was Papyrus, which dates all the way back to the First dynasty circa 3000 B.C.E (over 5000 years ago). Modern (wood pulp-based) paper is believed to have been invented in China during the Han dynasty circa 200 C.E. We are now on the dawn of a new type of paper, plastic paper.

The idea of digital or plastic paper is not a new one, and has been hypothesized and researched for years. The problem has been figuring out how to produce something with the following four criteria:

1. Portability - If it weighs more than about 500g you may as well just carry textbooks.
2. Durability - It needs to stand up to moisture, mild G-forces and variable temperatures.
3. Cost - Few people will want to carry around a device worth thousands of dollars when they can just buy a newspaper for a dollar.
4. Ease of reading - standard screens (LCD, plasma, etc.) are not comfortable on the eyes for reading lengthy documents. That's because they have non-ideal text contrast, back-lighting and/or screen refresh rates that lead to eye strain.

With advances in material science, manufacturing and miniaturization, it looks like we are finally approaching the electronic paper era that many people erroneously thought would come with the invention of computers. The Plastic Logic eReader, Sony Reader, iRex iLiad and Amazon Kindle are just some examples of the first generation of electronic readers. It may not be long before high school and university students can carry all their textbooks on a single device.

Plastic Logic's e-Reader is to be piloted in mid-2009.

This exciting new reality won't be a boon for everyone. The forestry sector will see their demand dwindle, as will the pulp and paper mills and the printing businesses over time. The aforementioned should have time to restructure since demand for paper won't drop overnight. The intellectual property holders will need to adapt much more quickly. Within seconds, a NY-Times bestseller can make its way to thousands of internet users without proper compensation. Digital Rights Management (DRM) will likely continue to prove ineffective as it is too easy to circumvent. They will need to discover new ways to generate revenues going forward or technology will simply leave them behind. Which leads me into my next topic: intellectual property and copyright reform.

You're smarter than you think.