E- ink and e-paper are experiencing a boom, yet a quiet one. While everyone is talking about mobile phones, tablets, and artificial intelligence, these types of screens are transforming how we read, how we write by hand, and how we organize information in our daily lives, almost without us noticing.
In Spain, far from abandoning the pen and notebook, more and more people are making the switch to e-ink devices designed for note-taking. This technology has found its way into e-readers, digital notebooks, hybrid tablets , watches, phones, and even smart thermostats and labels , creating a true digital paper ecosystem that combines the best of traditional paper with the advantages of the connected world.
The rebirth of handwriting in the digital age
Far from disappearing, handwriting is experiencing a curious revival, driven by e-ink . An Amazon Kindle study reveals that 85% of Spaniards make lists or notes by hand to clarify their thoughts, and that 81% claim to remember what they write better than what they only read or hear. In other words, we still need to scribble to think clearly.
What's striking is that, despite so many apps and mobile devices, 82% still rely on physical paper in the form of envelopes, tickets, or sticky notes to jot down tasks and reminders. This traditional method has an obvious problem: almost 10% of those surveyed admit to frequently losing these impromptu notes, creating chaos when trying to get organized.
That's where e-ink notebooks come in as a very interesting middle ground. 34% of those surveyed value above all being able to edit and reorganize their notes as if they were a digital document, while 31% highlight how easy it is to locate specific information in seconds, something unthinkable with a stack of loose papers.
This shift in habits coincides with the expansion of digital paper devices specifically designed for writing. The new generation of E Ink displays , in both black and white and color, offers a writing experience very similar to traditional paper , with controlled friction between stylus and screen that makes writing feel natural, without the slippery glass effect typical of many tablets.
Manufacturers like Amazon, Kobo, and the Norwegian company reMarkable have pushed the category from simple eReaders to authentic digital notebooks connected to the cloud , allowing users to read, highlight, annotate, and organize long documents without distractions and with an experience very close to that of paper.
Kindle Scribe, reMarkable and Kobo: the pillars of the new digital paper
Among the devices leading the way in this quiet revolution, three major families stand out: Kindle Scribe, reMarkable notebooks, and Kobo eReaders with writing capabilities . Each offers a different approach to electronic paper, but all share the same goal: to revive handwriting by adapting it to the digital world.
reMarkable, for its part, was one of the pioneering brands in the digital notepad concept, focused almost exclusively on writing . Its devices minimize distractions: there's no access to traditional app stores or social media temptations. Instead, it offers a virtually infinite notebook, organized into folders, with cloud synchronization and a particularly polished pen-on-screen experience that has won over many professionals and students.
The Kobo ecosystem has also ventured into writing with models like the Kobo Libra Colour, Kobo Elipsa 2E, and Kobo Clara Colour. These devices feature E Ink displays in color or grayscale with adjustable brightness , active stylus compatibility, and integrated notebooks. They allow users to highlight, take notes in books, edit documents, or combine reading, studying, and annotation in a single environment, ideal for avid readers.
At the same time, the e-book industry as a whole is moving towards this integration of reading and writing. Industry analysts have long anticipated a paradigm shift in the e-reader, which is ceasing to be merely a "replacement for the printed book" and becoming a tool for work, study, and creativity with access to vast catalogs and powerful organizational features.
The science of writing to think better
Beyond the trend, there's a significant cognitive basis behind the rise of e-readers. The Kindle study reveals that many people use techniques such as underlining (46%), highlighting (41%), writing in capital letters (31%), or adding drawings and doodles (13%) to better retain ideas while reading. It's not just a matter of personal habits: these are recognized strategies for strengthening memory and comprehension.
E-ink notebooks attempt to replicate these sensations by transferring them to a digital surface with a controlled type of friction between the stylus and the screen . This slightly rough texture, combined with the absence of glare and a comfortable ink contrast, makes the brain perceive the experience as very similar to that of traditional paper, facilitating concentration and reducing eye strain.
Even manufacturers outside the e-ink industry, like Apple, have been driven by this demand. One example is the nano-textured glass finish on some iPad Pro models, designed for color professionals and complex lighting environments, but which also provides a more "paper-like" feel for those who draw or take notes . The difference is that LCD/OLED screens emit light, while e-ink displays work by reflection, making them much closer to the behavior of paper.
The connection between handwritten notes and creativity is nothing new. Amazon's "Moments in Listory" campaign, developed in collaboration with historian Dominic Sandbrook, reminds us that many geniuses left behind countless sketches, notes, and doodles that reveal more about their creative process than their published works. From Shakespeare's drafts to Lorca's annotations and Leonardo da Vinci's drawings, history is full of brilliant minds who thought by writing.
Along the same lines, Amazon has imagined how figures like Florence Nightingale, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, or the author of "The Little Prince" himself might have used a Kindle Scribe to organize calculations, diagrams, and drafts. It might sound like a marketing gimmick, but it highlights a reality: handwritten notes remain a powerful tool for reflection even in the digital age , and e-paper allows us to preserve them without sacrificing search, copy, backup, or sharing capabilities.
From classic eReaders to an ecosystem of E Ink screens
The first e-ink screens that many users encountered arrived via Kindles and other pioneering eReaders more than a decade ago . Those devices weren't perfect: page turning was somewhat slow, and black flickers appeared when refreshing. Even so, the reading experience was surprisingly similar to paper, very easy on the eyes, and perfectly usable in bright sunlight.
Over time, the technology has evolved considerably. Newer generations of E Ink offer higher resolution, faster refresh rates, and, in many cases, the ability to display color . This has opened the door to using e-ink beyond the traditional e-reader, entering areas such as tablets, phones, watches, hybrid laptops, connected home devices, and professional signage and labeling solutions.
In the e-book market, the current selection is vast. Models like the Kindle Paperwhite feature 7-inch high-contrast screens, adjustable brightness, a lightweight design, water resistance, and up to 12 weeks of battery life. The classic, more basic Kindle, with 16 GB of storage and a glare-free screen, prioritizes simplicity at an affordable price, designed for readers who want something lightweight, durable, and uncomplicated.
Kobo has also expanded its catalog with devices like the Kobo Elipsa 2E, a 10,3-inch e-reader/notebook with anti-glare E Ink technology, adjustable backlighting, and stylus compatibility for writing directly on books and documents. Another example is the Kobo Clara Colour, with a 6-inch color screen, ComfortLight PRO that reduces blue light, water resistance, and Bluetooth audiobook compatibility.
Alongside these giants are other brands like PocketBook, Sony, Woxter, Bigme, and Silvergear. The PocketBook Verse Lite and Verse Pro stand out for their value, featuring 6-inch E Ink Carta screens, ample storage, Wi-Fi connectivity, and a USB-C port. Sony has developed ultralight e-readers with anti-glare touchscreens that closely resemble the feel of paper, while Woxter offers affordable devices for those new to digital reading.
In the most affordable range, there are even some interesting options, such as a 2,7-inch reader from Plyisty , aimed at users who want something extremely compact, with an e-ink screen, integrated light, and additional features like an MP3 player and Bluetooth, all at a very low price. It's not trying to compete with a high-end Kindle, but rather to offer an inexpensive and functional entry into the world of ebooks.
Tablets, mobile phones, watches and laptops with e-ink
E-ink is no longer the exclusive domain of e-readers. Some manufacturers have launched hybrid tablets that blend the best of Android with paper-like reading . One example is the BOOX Note Air4 , which combines an E Ink screen with access to Google Play for downloading apps, allowing the device to be used for reading, note-taking, drawing, or working with office documents.
However, it's important to keep in mind that these screens don't reach the refresh rate of a traditional mobile phone or tablet, so games with fast graphics or smooth videos aren't their strong suit . Where they truly shine is in extended reading, studying, note-taking, or sketching with a stylus, a far cry from the harsh glare of conventional backlit screens.
In the realm of phones, companies like TCL have experimented with devices such as the TCL 50 NXTPAPER 5G and TCL 50 PRO NXTPAPER . These smartphones feature an AMOLED screen that, when a side button is pressed, switches to an e-paper display mode that is easier on the eyes and ideal for reading. They even include a small integrated library to take advantage of this "reading" feature. Pressing the button again returns them to the traditional color mode with a high refresh rate. Other phones with paper-like displays are also exploring similar alternatives.
Smartwatches have also experimented with e-ink and similar technologies. Brands like Sony and Amazfit once launched smartwatches with E Ink or very low-power monochrome displays , although many models have since been discontinued. A recent example is the TicWatch Pro 5: it combines a color OLED screen with a supplementary monochrome panel that activates when the watch is not being used, displaying the time, date, battery level, steps, and heart rate, and extending battery life to around 80 hours in smartwatch mode and up to 45 days in essential mode.
Another striking example is the Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Twist, a laptop with a screen that can be rotated to display either a conventional OLED panel or an e-ink touchscreen . In this mode, the device is designed for taking handwritten notes, sketching, or reading for extended periods with reduced energy consumption and greater visual comfort.
The concept of electronic paper: what it is and how it works
When we talk about electronic paper, we're referring to media capable of maintaining an image on the screen even when turned off, with its own memory and behavior very similar to traditional paper . They are usually based on polyester compounds coated with circuitry, onto which layers of electronic ink are applied, controlled by external electric fields.
In 1999, E Ink Corporation introduced one of the first commercially available e-ink displays. In 2007, Amazon unveiled the first Kindle with a 6-inch E Ink display and four levels of grayscale , marking a turning point in digital reading. From those early black and white versions to today's solutions, the technology has evolved to include color panels with multiple tones, always maintaining one key characteristic: bistability.
Bistability means the screen only consumes power when the pixels change state. Once text or an image is displayed, the information remains visible without requiring constant power , which explains the weeks-long battery life of many eReaders. Furthermore, these screens don't emit light directly: they work by reflecting ambient light, which very convincingly mimics the appearance of printed paper.
Among paper-like display technologies, several approaches have been developed: electrophoretic display (EPD), cholesteric liquid crystal display (Ch-LCD), bistable stranded nematic liquid crystal display (Bi-TNLCD), electrowetting (EWD), electrofluidics (EFD), and interferometric modulators (iMod) , among others. Of all these, electrophoresis has achieved the most mature mass production, with relatively low costs, high performance, and an appearance most similar to traditional paper.
The basic principle of an electrophoretic display involves using an electric field to move charged particles suspended in a fluid . These particles, depending on their position, display different colors (typically black and white, or combinations that produce color). In this way, pixels are formed that bring static text and images to life.
From microcapsules to the factory: how electronic paper is made
Most modern e-paper displays consist of several layers: an anti-glare glass or coating, a front lighting system (when present), a touch layer, an e-ink film, a TFT motherboard, a controller, and a power manager . The key component is the e-ink film, made up of millions of tiny microcapsules.
Each of these microcapsules contains white and black particles with opposite electrical charges , suspended in a liquid. When an electric field is applied from the transistor layer (TFT), some particles move to the top of the capsule and others to the bottom. If the white particles are at the top, the pixel appears white; if the black particles appear at the bottom, the pixel appears black. Repeating this pattern millions of times produces the complete image.
Electronic ink developed by companies like E Ink Holdings typically combines a black pigment with white titanium dioxide particles . These particles are distributed uniformly and randomly inside the microcapsule until the electric field commands their position, producing the desired pattern. The transparent encapsulation protects the assembly and ensures accurate response for thousands upon thousands of refresh cycles.
In terms of materials, the substrate on which the screen is mounted can be made of plastic (polyester films, for example) or glass. Plastic substrates offer lightness and flexibility , ideal for rollable prototypes or impact-resistant devices. Glass, on the other hand, provides better stability, protection, and flatness, which is crucial for large or high-precision screens.
Transparent electrodes are typically made of indium tin oxide (ITO) or other conductive compounds that allow current to flow without affecting visibility. A protective film is then applied over this to prevent scratches and external damage , extending the panel's lifespan. The overall result is an electronic paper sheet capable of displaying text and images with remarkable clarity.
To reduce costs and scale production, many electrophoretic films are manufactured using roll-to-roll coating processes , similar to those used in the paper industry. Starting with a large roll of material, it is coated with electronic ink, laminated with TFT circuits, and cut to the dimensions required by the various devices, enabling continuous and efficient production.
Advantages, limitations, and challenges of electronic paper
E-paper offers several clear advantages over other display technologies. The first is its low energy consumption: it only uses power when updating content , so in standby mode consumption is practically zero. This translates into batteries that last for weeks or even months under moderate use.
The second major advantage is its excellent readability in bright ambient light , including direct sunlight. Because it's a reflective screen, it behaves much like a sheet of paper: the more light there is, the better it is visible (provided there are no annoying reflections on the protective glass). Furthermore, it minimizes glare and blue light emission, something that is especially appreciated by the eyes during extended reading sessions.
Also noteworthy is the possibility of creating lightweight and, in some cases, flexible solutions. Using plastic substrates, screens are manufactured that are only a few tenths of a millimeter thick and up to 80% lighter than glass-based screens , ideal for portable devices, electronic labels, or projects where resistance to shocks and drops is a priority.
However, electronic paper has its drawbacks. One of the most significant is its relatively slow refresh rate , which makes it unsuitable for smooth video or complex animations. Traditional response times were on the order of several hundred milliseconds, although more modern versions have reduced this to tens of milliseconds and continue to improve, with specific fast refresh modes designed for browsing or writing.
Color is another challenge. Most e-ink solutions have historically been monochrome, and color e-ink still faces higher costs and lower brightness than LCD/OLED displays . Currently, there are two main strategies: placing color filters on black and white panels, or directly using pigmented particles of different colors. Both are progressing, but they still don't offer the vibrant colors of a backlit display.
In terms of durability, electronic paper displays are generally robust for normal use, but can suffer under extreme temperature or humidity conditions . Plastic substrates, for example, still require improvements in thermal resistance and chemical stability. Nevertheless, advancements in materials and increased production volumes are driving down costs and improving performance year after year.
Real-world applications: from eReaders to electronic labels
The flagship application of e-paper remains e-readers like Kindle, Kobo, PocketBook, and Bigme . Their ability to replicate the paper experience, with minimal power consumption and comfortable reading for hours, makes them the ideal choice for those who devour novels, manuals, or comics nonstop.
But the range of uses has expanded considerably. It's increasingly common to see signage and information panels based on E Ink displays in stations, shops, office buildings, and shopping centers. They can display timetables, promotions, or announcements with excellent visibility in sunlight and with negligible energy consumption, as they only use power when the content changes.
Electronic shelf and product labels have become increasingly popular in retail and logistics , allowing for real-time updates of prices and inventory data without the need to replace physical signs. This reduces errors, saves labor, and facilitates dynamic pricing strategies, which are very difficult to maintain with traditional paper labels.
Wearable devices have also benefited from this technology. Some sports watches and fitness trackers incorporate e-paper displays to show training data, notifications, or the time with minimal power consumption—key when maximizing battery life. Although many of these innovations have come and gone, they point to an interesting path for low-power wearables.
In education, solutions are beginning to emerge such as electronic exams on digital paper, e-ink tablets for studying, and notepads for taking notes without wasting tons of paper . In addition to the environmental benefits, e-paper offers advantages such as text search, folder organization, cloud backup, and the ability to quickly share annotated documents with teachers and classmates.
Even in the connected home, examples are appearing: smart valves like the FRITZ!DECT 302 or thermostats like the Tywell 2050 display temperature, battery status, and other data on small, easy-to-read, and highly efficient e-ink screens. Similarly, bedside clocks like the Xiaomi Temperature and Humidity Monitor Clock use this technology to display the time, humidity, temperature, and air quality, legible from any angle.
This entire set of examples demonstrates that e-ink has ceased to be a rarity limited to a few devices and has become a key component of many everyday products . From the simplest e-reader to supermarket labels, and including watches, thermostats, and hybrid tablets, e-paper is weaving a network of uses that are quietly changing the way we see and manage information.
The combination of handwriting, fatigue-free reading, low energy consumption, and advanced organizational capabilities is solidifying e-paper and e-ink as a bridge between the analog and digital worlds . Spaniards, who continue to strongly believe in the act of writing to improve their thinking, are finding in Kindle Scribe, reMarkable, Kobo, and a whole new generation of devices a convenient and flexible way to keep jotting down ideas… only now those ideas can be saved, searched, and carried in their pockets without getting lost along the way.
