E-paper solution provider E Ink Holdings (EIH) plans to launch new colored e-paper solutions based on its second-generation Print Color Technology before year-end 2020, according to industry sources.

The new colored e-paper solutions will target mainly e-book reader and e-notebook applications and will also enable device makers to enlarge the sizes of their products to 8-10 inches instead of the current mainstream 6-inch segment, said the sources.

Due to strong demand for its colored e-paper solutions, the company is currently expanding the backend module capacity at its plant in Yangzhou, China, which will boost its capacity significantly after completion at year-end 2020, the sources said.

Additionally, EIH also plans to launch its second-generation Advanced Color ePaper (ACeP) technology in 2021, said the sources, noting that the new technology will improve the page refresh rate for e-paper-based devices to within one second compared to the 10 seconds of its previous generation. The ACep-based e-paper solutions will be mainly for advertising boards and public information display (PID) devices.

Meanwhile, fellow company Netronix revealed that it is still developing 6-inch colored e-book readers, with plans to launch related products at year-end 2020 or in early 2021, according to company CEO CM Lin.

Nevertheless, the company has been shipping colored signage boards sized 32- and 42-inch since the first half of 2020.