An exact replica of your local newspaper on-screen sounds like fulfilment of the media owners’ dream.

Many have turned to ‘e-papers’, and some are developing the new – usually paid-for – format to boost the layering effect offering greater choice to readers.

But it appears the jury is still out on their success, because despite news companies rolling them out across web portals, none feels able to declare success for the medium.

A wait-and-see strategy on new technology such as pocket-sized e-readers may stem short-term development.

The Journal’s pilot e-edition of the Newcastle morning newspaper was launched as a subscription service aimed at the business community.

It was a six-month pilot and has been followed up by more launches from parent company Trinity Mirror, but they are still not considered a major part of the group’s strategy.

E-papers have recently been launched at the Birmingham Post & Mail, Coventry Evening Telegraph and Western Mail as the group widens its digital portfolio.

A company spokesman told HoldtheFrontPage: “E-editions are another way for readers to access our newspapers – they’re one part of our wider approach to multimedia publishing, delivering journalism, information and advertising in whatever format people require.

“They’re aimed at ex-pats, readers outside of our core areas, and businesses wanting another convenient way to subscribe to our titles.”

In Bradford, at Newsquest’s Telegraph and Argus, the e-paper has not yet shown itself to be the success that had been hoped.

With no promotion, so as not to affect sales of the main paper, the e-edition has a core subscriber base of 200, with around a third living in Bradford, a third living in surrounding areas such as Leeds and Manchester, and a third living abroad.

Digital media manager Mark Cullen said: “It appears to be older people, who are used to the format and understand that you have to flick to page 20 to see the announcements, who prefer it.”

At stablemate paper The Herald, in Glasgow, preparations are being made to launch a digital edition which will allow subscribers to view the full paper and its supplements online from anywhere in the world, in 11 different languages.

There are also plans to make the paper available via mobile and smart phones, and for audio content where visitors can listen to the stories instead of reading them.

The paper has teamed up with NewspaperDirect to launch the service, which will also allow The Herald to be printed on demand in more than 80 countries.

Gordon Mack, The Herald’s digital media editor, said the e-paper was part of an experiment looking at how to make money from its Internet operations.

He said: “We couldn’t continue to give away all our content for nothing.

“There are a significant number of ex-pats, Scots who live abroad or outside our circulation area that want to see The Herald.

“Commodity news can’t be sold, but there is a market for unique content and we have to provide that content in a way the audience requests it.”

Johnston Press has also recently launched e-papers for many of its daily papers, including the Sunderland Echo.

But at another of the biggest regional press groups, Northcliffe, the idea doesn’t appear to have taken off.

Only the Press and Journal in Aberdeen is currently available in the e-paper format, so far attracting around 40 subscriptions, the majority of which are from abroad.

Robert Hardie, content manager at Northcliffe Electronic Publishing, said: “Straight replication of print formats online via PDF is not a major plank of NNG’s Internet strategy currently and we have no firm plans to launch more e-papers in this form.

“Our key focus is on differentiating our digital offerings and concentrating on the benefits electronic content delivery can have for both readers and advertisers, rather than simply taking one existing format and shoe-horning it into another.

“Areas like video content, podcasting, RSS feeds and instant user interaction, which gives readers the opportunity to comment live on stories and articles, are the sorts of areas we have led the regional press in, and it’s things that can’t be done in print, rather than things that can, which will be our focus from a digital perspective going forward.”