The ePaper industry and market, led by E Ink, is growing, mostly fueled by demand for electronic shelf labels, next-gen tablets and eReaders, and signage displays. Here are some recent and popular news that you may find of interest:

• Walmart to install 60 million E Ink shelf labels at 500 stores in the US
• E Ink announces the first deployment of its Kaleido 3 Outdoor signage
• Sharp expands its ePoster lineup with color 13.3" and 25.3" displays
• E Ink launches Spectra 6 full-color ePaper display technology
• McLaren tests E Ink ads in its racing cars
• E Ink Gallery 3 ACeP color ePaper displays move into mass production
• Huawei sold 110,000 E Ink tablet devices in 2 months, sues Amazon over E Ink patents
• Harvard researchers find that E Ink displays are healthier than LCD or OLED displays
• Amazon launches a 10.2-inch eNote/eReader device
• E Ink to spend around $110 million to expand its production facilities
• reMarkable sold over a million E Ink tablets, raises funds
• Is Apple testing color E Ink displays for future foldable phones and tablets?
• Is Amazon developing a foldable E Ink Kindle device?

Papercast LTD announced that it is partnering with Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) in a transformative public transportation project in Bali, Indonesia. TMF leads this initiative, that aims to address critical urban mobility challenges, including congestion, parking availability, public transport utilisation and air pollution.

The project has two core components: Dynamic Bus Schedule Displays and Smart xEV Park and Ride solution (which includes a deployment of an app-powered fixed route shuttle service).  The first component will include Papercast's 23” outdoor solar-powered e-paper displays that will be strategically installed at bus stops to show real-time bus arrival information, route details, marketing content and other essential updates, in both Indonesian and English.

Earlier this year, E Ink announced a partnership with Sharp to bring ePaper posters to the market. Sharp and EIH has been collaborating for three years, and this is the first commercial step in that collaboration. Sharp released the first 42" monochrome E Ink displays (or e-posters as they call them) in the Japanese market in April 2023.

The two companies now announced that Sharp is also introducing color ePoster displays - the company will release 13.3" and 25.3" models in September and October 2023. 

E Ink announced that Mercury Innovation deployed its E Ink Kaleido 3 Outdoor displays as smart transit signage, in Sydney, Australia. This is the world's first installation of E Ink's new outdoor displays.

The project features twelve signs that are equipped with solar-power 13.3" color E Ink panels, enabling a zero-emission digital display that optimizes curbside management for the greater Sydney community.

E Ink announced that it will strengthen its partnership with MediaTek to jointly develop system chips for e-reader devices. The two companies will also offer "new business prospects" for Taiwanese manufacturers in the global e-reader market.

MeditaTek has a product line of tablet chipsets, which includes chips for e-readers. The company says that those chips, equipped with high-performance CPU processors and integrated Wi-Fi, are developed using advanced manufacturing processes to create highly efficient chips. These chips support a range of E Ink display technologies from E Ink, including E Ink Carta, E Ink Kaleido, and E Ink Gallery.

E Ink Holdings says that Walmart has decdied to deploy electronic shelf labels at 500 stores in the US. The first stage will call for the installation of 60 million panels, in the next 12-18 months, and will be handled by E Ink's partner, SES-imagotag.

E Ink sees growing demand for its displays, and is planning a multi-year capacity expansion plan. The company expects its revenues next year to increase sharply following Walmart's orders, and it also expects a modest increase in 2023. 

Papercast announced that Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) has selected its solar-powered digital bus stop displays to improve the customer experience for Metro’s transit riders in downtown Los Angeles.

LA Metro tested mutiple e-paper providers in LA locations for over 16 months, and has selected Papercast 13” and 23” solar powered e-paper displays to be installed onto existing LA Metro transit poles along its NextGen 204 line along Vermont Avenue. The intent of this installation is to assess how to implement a countywide model that improves the customer experience and builds ridership for Metro’s transit riders across the County.

E Ink launched a new generation of its full color Spectra ePaper display technology, called the E Ink Spectra 6. Targeting in-store advertising, indoor signage and paper sign replacements in general, the Specra 6 offers "a level of color saturation and vividness never before seen in a reflective display".

E Ink Spectra 6 offers a resolution (density) of 200 PPI, a contrast ratio of 30:1 and an operating range of 0-50 degrees Celsius. E Ink Spectra 6 will be offered in a variety of display sizes, and can create a partial image flashing effect, called E Ink Sparkle, which enhances the effect of advertising messages through motion.

A year ago E Ink Holdings announced its Kaleido 3 color ePaper technology, which improved the color saturation by 30% compared the previous-generation Kaleido Plus (which was launched in March 2021). The Kaleido 3 display is based on E Ink's Print Color ePaper technology, where a color filter array (CFA) is used in conjunction with E Ink’s Carta black and white ink film.

Now EIH announced a new version of this display, called Kaleido 3 Outdoor, which is designed specifically for Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising signage and is suitable for outdoor use in a wide temperature range (-16 to 65 degrees). The wide temperature range allows it to operate in extremely cold or hot areas without the need for expensive, high-energy-consuming heating or cooling devices, reducing additional power consumption.

E Ink Holdings announced a partnership with Sharp to bring ePaper posters to the market. Sharp and EIH has been collaborating for three years, and this is the first commercial step in that collaboration.

Sharp will release 42" monochrome E Ink displays (or e-poster as they call it) in the Japanese market in April 2023.