Esquire mag turns a new digital page

Electronic paper might seem like a contradiction, but American men's magazine, Esquire, has made it work.

To celebrate its 75th anniversary, the cover of Esquire magazine will feature electronic paper display (EDP) technologies. Ford will also feature its Ford Flex on the inside cover, utilising the same E ink Vizplex flexible display technology, in a double-page advertisement. There is a catch … the cover and inside pages will only remain electronically active for 90 days, after which they'll revert to static artwork.

"This cover is both a breakthrough for magazines and an expression of the theme of our anniversary issue," said editor-in-chief, David Granger. "The entire issue is devoted to exploring the ideas, people and issues that will be the foundation of the 21st century.

"Magazines have basically looked the same for 150 years,” Mr. Granger said in an interview with the New York Times. “I have been frustrated with the lack of forward movement in the magazine industry. The possibilities of print have just begun. In two years, I hope this looks like cellphones did in 1982, or car phones.”

The issue was 16 months in the making, and required extensive consultation between Esquire and E Ink in developing a version of its electronic paper technology that could be used in a magazine. During 2008, E Ink and Esquire's parent company, Hearst, worked together through a number of challenges so that when the magazine hits the newsstands later this year, words and images will scroll across the flexible electronic paper display.

100,000 issues of Esquire will be printed and distributed. The anniversary issue of  is available in September.