Signmaking shops must've been thrilled with the digital printing revolution, as drawing boards gave way to Adobe software and large-format printers. But new signage technology threatens to take away their business altogether. Samsung's EMDX is a wireless, battery-powered color e-paper display. Because e-paper technology only draws power when you change the display, if you change the image just once a day—as a café might, for instance—it can last for up to 200 days on a single charge. And at 32", it's a pretty good size.

As for how you get the actual image onto the device, Samsung offers both an app and a cloud-based interface where you can design your image using templates. Alternatively, you could create it with external software and use the app to import your image to the sign.

Samsung is targeting schools and offices, as well as the retail, transportation and healthcare sectors. For now at least, the technology is expensive enough that the customer base will be institutional, as opposed to say, mom-and-pop coffee shops. As long as these things stay at $1,200 each, baristas will still need good penmanship.