I wrote up a brief business plan for PaperBack... albeit more in the form of an investment pitch.  Now I'm just a hobbyist building a product I'd love to own - but if I were to scale up, this is where I'd start; enjoy!

Executive Summary

PaperBack is a 6" secondary desktop monitor based on an ePaper Display.

In one mode PaperBack works as an Internet Connected Display.  With a second board, PaperBack can be converted into a 6" VGA Monitor.

Mission Statement

PaperBack is either an internet connected or a desktop ePaper Display.

Designed around a 6" ePaper panel, PaperBack promises lower energy consumption than a standard desktop monitor.  PaperBack has the ability to run off a Lithium Ion battery, but for static images requires zero energy to maintain a current image.

Additionally, PaperBack does not emit potentially harmful or discomforting blue light.  As some wavelengths of blue light are sleep disrupting or annoying, PaperBack should be very usable at the end of the day.

Finally, PaperBack is educational.  We've written extensively on our development process as well as open sourced all hardware designs and schematics.  All firmware is licensed with the MIT license, and everything non-physical needed to build PaperBack is available for free online.

Target Market

One of PaperBack's target markets users who display static images and text on a secondary display, such as people in the scientific and engineering communities.  Reference materials, schematics and engineering drawings pair well with ePaper and can be left on screen indefinitely without an additional power requirement.

A second target market is for users looking for an internet connected display.  Many applications are possible - calendars, weather stations, picture galleries, virtual whiteboards, info displays and more.  The nonexistent power requirement for static images is perfect for slowly changing information and informational setups.

Other Similar Products

Currently, the Dasung Paperlike is the only product we are aware of that fills a similar niche.  The PaperLike is a 13.3" ePaper Display with up to 1600x1200 resolution, and 4-Bit Greyscale (16-Colors). 

It boasts similar refresh rates to PaperBack.  It ships with a number of contrast modes, some of which speed up refreshes greatly.  The Paperlike uses USB for power, and has a USB display driver - but not a standard desktop display interface.

The next version of the Paperlike does add a standard interface, HDMI.  It is not yet released.

The Paperlike is not yet widely available in the United States and the first version cost more than $1,000.  The next version (HDMI) can currently be purchased for $899.

In the internet connected configuration, there is some crossover with ePaper eBook readers.  The number of models is too extensive to list, but some eReaders have app stores and applications which target similar functionality.  We hope that superior integration in Internet Connected mode gives PaperBack the edge.

Product Sales Summary

• Educational
  PaperBack sold as an educational product should not have much margin built in.  Educational build materials are available online, and a user can bring their own parts and programmers to build PaperBack in any configuration.
  
  Selling a PaperBack Build kit is an option, with a small margin built in for book printing, sourcing, programming, shipping, and handling. 

• Internet Connected Display
  PaperBack's primary sales configuration is as an internet-connected display.  Products sold in this configuration do have the option to later upgrade to VGA displays.
  
  An app store would be the ideal way to extend the capabilities of the Internet Connected PaperBack configuration.  At launch, PaperBack would need some demo applications; priorities are an image gallery and a calendar.  These applications would also be open sourced to give developers a base for their own programs.
  • ESP32 Development Board
    
    This style of PaperBack can be sold with and without the ESP32
    Development Board necessary to provide the internet experience.  Ideally, this product would fit the exact same monitor case as the VGA monitor option (as it is the same form factor minus the second PCB.

• VGA Monitor
  The final configuration of PaperBack is as a VGA monitor.  In this mode, a second PCB is attached to the first with the board edge connector.  In this mode, the ESP32 must not be present; the second PCB will drive the screen directly.  Everything is encapsulated in a small monitor case.
  
  PaperBack will have a 'full' color 4-Bit 16-Greyscale mode with slower refreshes, along with a faster refreshing mode with less depth. 
  
  The VGA Monitor will be sold both as a kit and as an upgrade kit for people who buy just the Internet Connected Model and would like to upgrade.  The hardware will be directly equivalent; VGA Monitor purchasers will be able to disconnect board #2 and connect an ESP32 to use PaperBack in Internet Connected mode.

Future Models

If PaperBack is successful, the next version should use a larger ePaper panel. 

The 9.7" ED097OC1 compatible ePaper Panel is an obvious next panel choice.  Although refresh rates will scale and be similarly slow (at the same relative rate per pixel), resolution increases to 1200x825.

Technical Details

These technical details are the same across modes and are subject to change as more firmware and models are added.

• 6" Diagonal ePaper Display
• 4-Bit (16 Color) Greyscale Color Data and Display
• 800x600 Resolution
• Refresh rate approximately 1 frame per second
• Weight: to be decided
• Dimensions: to be decided
• Power Consumption: to be decided (and measured)