Yes, I think the main reason they are charging 3.5k is to keep the hobby crowd away from the technology. They (eink) does not want to deal with you unless you

Yes, I think the main reason they are charging 3.5k is to keep the hobby crowd away from the technology. They (eink) does not want to deal with you unless you have serious plans to develop a mass market product. I decided to call up PVI directly (a fun experience since they answered the phone in a foreign language) and they were willing to sell me 6" displays for around $85 in low quantities. For hobby related projects, the best bet is to use kent display's CHLCD modules which are similar to a LCD but with bistable pixels. The display driver is also integrated so much easier to interface with.