According to Xconomy, E Ink is made with "a layer of tiny fluid-filled microcapsules that contain positively charged white particles and negatively charged black particles." When an electric charge is applied to the microcapsules, the white particles get pushed to the top, and the black particles get pushed to the bottom. The movement of these particles causes letters and words to form.
E Ink electronic displays are made by applying the E Ink to a plastic film that is laminated on top of a layer of circuits. According to the E Ink Corporation, the circuits form "a pattern of pixels that can then be controlled by a display driver." After a charge is applied and the particles move to form letters, they won't move again until they receive another charge from the circuits, according to Xconomy.
Devices that use E Ink aren't backlit, and for this reason, reading E Ink is easier on the eyes than any other "electronic book technology," according to Science Daily. Moreover, e-book readers can store thousands of books. Because they're so small, you can store a whole library's worth of material in virtually no space. Also, E Ink can "be seen easily in direct sun," according to the E Ink Corporation.
E Ink devices are expensive. According to Xconomy, many people would like to buy an E Ink device but "are balking at the device's steep price tag." As newer devices are introduced, prices are expected to rise further.
The E Ink Corporation is working on a new version of E Ink that would allow E Ink devices to display color pictures. According to Xconomy, advertising works better with color picture than black and white ones, and with color advertising, more newspapers might publish electronically using E Ink. Under this scenario, the newspapers "could probably save 50 percent of their costs."