Scratch ‘n’ Sniff eBooks: New advances in technology give readers a whiff of the new book smell

The Front Edge Publishing production team is always on the cutting edge of eBook functionality whether its high quality color, audio, video or moving diagrams.

Today, we’re excited to announce Front Edge books now support a sensory media long-missing from books: olfactory ink, or o-ink for short.

That’s right! Scratch ‘n’ Sniff eBooks!

Like e-ink, o-ink is designed to work well with digital displays, giving readers the feeling that they’re reading a printed book—with additional functionality. In this case, o-ink even helps authors with their craft in an immediate, accessible way. Authors know how tricky it can be to describe a particular smell. It’s almost as hard as describing a color. Now, you can bring your readers right into the action with you. Instead of using precious space to detailing the smell of a U.S. Civil War battlefield, just combine the hardtack and bad coffee o-inks on one page!

O-ink is color-coded for ease of use, which is very helpful when combing through the extensive o-ink library to select just the right whiff.

While immensely helpful for publishers and authors, o-ink can be occasionally frustrating for readers due to the nature of this kind of emerging technology. Early adopters of o-ink technology have reported that their devices run low too quickly—sometimes after only an hour or two of reading! Plus, if you think printer ink is expensive, wait until you check the price for a basic fill-up of the Cookbook O-ink Package.

Click here to learn more about o-ink and how to equip your device with the most up to date sensory technology

April Fools!

O-ink isn’t available on ereaders just yet! While you wait for the future of reading to arrive, check out the XML-first technology that powers Front Edge Publishing books.