The Sunderland Echo has published its first e-paper, allowing readers to view the full paper online in its original format.

The subscription service, which was launched on Monday, is aimed at readers who aren’t able to buy a hard copy of the paper but still want access to the entire content as it appears in print.

Subscribers are sent a link to their e-mail account each day which allows them to access the paper through a specially set-up website.

The Echo is the first Johnston Press title to launch the service – with sister titles set to follow suit over the next six weeks.

Echo editor Rob Lawson said: “We’ve already got a very good website, which was named Johnston Press Website of the Year, but we can’t put everything from the paper on the website or in the format that people are used to.

“The e-paper has proved very popular already – we told our readers about it on Friday and since then we’ve had about a dozen people sign up for one-day versions and six subscribe to it for a month.

“We hope the ABC will include the subscriptions as part of our circulation figures.”

Rob said the e-paper presents new commercial opportunities for the Echo as readers will be able to click through adverts that appear in the digital version as well as having links to the paper’s Property, Motors and Job sections on its website.

John Bradshaw, head of new media for Johnston Press, said: “The new format offers a completely interactive suite for advertisers – if their ad has an e-mail or web link that will be live.

“There is a lot of room to expand on the advertising as we get to know which people are buying the e-paper.

“We are hoping by mid February we should have about eight papers up and running and by the end of February all our daily centres should be on the project.

“It’s early days so far – we are still testing the option to buy the paper for its cover price and we are also looking at different price models for three to six month and six to 12 month subscriptions.”