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Magazine cover now in e-ink

U.S. magazine Esquire has sought to brush aside the gloom pervading the print industry in many countries by unveiling a genuine first: a cover partly of electronic ink.

Using the technology that Amazon employed for its Kindle e-book reader, the magazine includes a panel flashing the message ‘The 21st Century Begins Now’ on the cover of its October issue, marking its 75th birthday.

The slogan and images blink on and off, thanks to a panel containing micro-capsules of ink controlled by an electric charge from a battery developed in China. The innovation has excited a magazine world fighting declining circulation and falling advertising revenues as readers migrate to the Internet. David Granger, the Editor-in-Chief of the men’s magazine, said advertisers had packed out the issue. “This is an indication of what will become more prevalent.” — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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