Plastic Logic to build first electronic paper plant

U.K.-based Plastic Logic has announced that it has secured some $100 million in funding to build the world's first factory dedicated to manufacturing plastic electronics on a commercial scale. More specifically, the factory's set to produce flexible active matrix display modules, aimed at making various electronic reading devices a little more portable and a little less hard on the eyes. According to the company, the plant will be built in Dresden, Germany, with production set to ramp up sometime in 2008 at an initial capacity of more than a million display modules per year.

[Via Slashdot]

[Caleb @ Jan 6th 2007 12:07AM]

This is great. I wonder how expensive this will be. And if it's going to be per book, like traditional paper, or if you can change like ebook readers. Either way, really fascinating.

[Blackster @ Jan 6th 2007 1:22AM]

yay to more shiny display!
i don't want to see my ugly face in it. whats up with all that gloss?

[hp540 @ Jan 6th 2007 1:32AM]

helloooo minority report :)

maybe we'll have wifi enabled newspapers using this stuff.

[Farris @ Jan 6th 2007 4:12AM]

Now I'm somewhat disappointed. Here I was thinking that based on the title, they were going to build a PLANT that would GROW E-Paper.

I shouldn't have read past the headline...

[WT @ Jan 6th 2007 4:32AM]

I wonder how this e-paper thing will change the traditional media business.

Br,
http://www.emergingtechs.net

[petenpepsi @ Jan 6th 2007 7:11AM]

Once they start adding animated headlines & photos, it'll be just like the newspapers out of the Harry Potter movies.

[Josh @ Jan 6th 2007 7:11AM]

All the photos/videos (on the BBC news site) I've seen of this has ugly lines randomly up and down it that don't change as the image changes, which would really p*ss me off using it! Unless those disappear (or were just flaws in the prototypes), I don't see this being very nice to use often.

[Hobster @ Jan 6th 2007 9:23AM]

I can honestly say that this thecnology is going to be life changing. I bought one of the Sony Readers, and that thing has changed how I buy and read books. It's quite simply an iPod for books. Now, I wish they would just make some Mac software!

[michael @ Jan 6th 2007 10:02AM]

Well, I for one am a bit disappointed. A capacity of 1 million means its only a niche product -- probably priced fairly high to keep demand down.

Think about it. This is the only factory in the world for this technology. The US alone has 300 million people. This means that -- if the entire production is sold to the US -- only 1 in 300 million people would have one. Also, would that be enough to attract publishers of books? If you are a publisher, what percent of that 1 million is interested in your Genre? Now, what percent of your genre do you expect to be interested in your book? % Buying it? So you sell maybe 1,000?

If this is only to test the waters for the market, then that means we won't see real volumes until 2012 or later: 2008 production + 1 year to prove itself +1 year to raise money + 2 more years to build new factory.

[Bloobie @ Jan 6th 2007 2:23PM]

michael: I think you are being a bit pessimistic with that flawed analysis. First off, I think you meant to say 1 in 300 people in America would be able to purchase one, and not 1 in 300 million. Aside from the fact that infants and small children would not be purchasing these, roughly 21-23% of American adults have a literacy level of 1. This means that they cannot read and comprehend anything beyond simple documents and texts. You also need to keep in mind that this is only the FIRST plant being built to manufacture these products, and that "1 million a year" number is only initial production capacity. Why would a company invest in a much higher initial production capacity if there is no existing demand for a higher quantity? It doesn't make economic sense.

Such electronic devices would be perfect, in my opinion, for college students and avid book readers. As demand grows and costs decrease, I can see these devices replacing school textbooks at the lower and middle school levels as well.

[Eddie @ Jan 7th 2007 1:01PM]

@michael:

Your analysis is flawed. Think about this: it wouldn't even be the publishers buying these for their books. It would be an accessory, and the publishers would be selling ebooks for reading on these devices, not the devices themselves. It's completely revolutionary.

On another note, this is going to lead to extremely cheap media, so the initial price, even if expensive, would end up paying for itself several times over in a short period of time, and would be completely worth it.

[nuguns101 @ Jan 6th 2007 3:23PM]

I hope this will allow them to bring down those crazy, unwarranted high prices on e-ink watches. It's about time we had some watches that have a different look from those fossil watches and all that.

[SporkRocker @ Jan 6th 2007 3:55PM]

I would love to start reading my e-books on piece of electric paper rather than a crt/lcd screen.

Or once global wifi is free, if ever. Use it to have newspaper or engagdet streamed to it.

[Joe @ Sep 10th 2008 10:01PM]

I would like to see this at my job site with a blue tooth or wi-fi link with my PDA, so I could read blue prints, instructions manuals or job orders easier. Cross words puzzles, news or sports updates at lunch would be nice too. Papers never keeps clean, and my eyes can't read those small PDA screens. PS: make a medical model for doctors first, then cut us workers a break with a cheeper model. Most hospitals are going paperless, x-rays, charts.