Is it possible to really embed fonts yet?

[jackie_w]

I have been using embedded fonts on my PRST1 and I have been using the generic font-family name rather than the specific for the labels, i.e.

@font-face {font-family: serif; ... etc}
body {font-family: serif; ... etc}

rather than

@font-face {font-family: "Charis"; ... etc}
body {font-family: "Charis"; ... etc}

I have noticed that the PRST1's font override feature DOES work if you do it this way.

Given that the PRST1's font override feature is less than satisfactory (unpredictable loss of italics/bold) I am rather glad that embedded fonts do work correctly.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Exactly - that was precisely my point. By all means use embedded fonts for such things as titles, but please, Mr. Publisher, leave the choice of body font to the reader.

But that's how it's done. Why do you think it's a forcing of an embedded font on the reader? I would think it's harder to override an embedded font if it's placed in all the different paragraph styles. When you look at the default ADE font, you find that it's not all that nice. It has fake italics that in the serif body font doesn't look nice.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But that's how it's done. Why do you think it's a forcing of an embedded font on the reader? I would think it's harder to override an embedded font if it's placed in all the different paragraph styles. When you look at the default ADE font, you find that it's not all that nice. It has fake italics that in the serif body font doesn't look nice.

I certainly wasn't suggesting that it be placed in the paragraph styles. What I was saying is that I don't personally like forcing a body font on the user AT ALL.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pholy

Harry, I think you are probably right, although it depends on the reader of course. Certainly Kobo has chosen to override a 'body' choice; I'm not sure what my new Sony T1 does yet.
In my opinion, having the publisher force a font choice on the user removes one of the nicer features of ebooks. I think the user, not the publisher and not the ereader maker, should have the choice of body font. I'm a hopeless idealist.

Kobo has created a serious bug and they refuse to fix it. Most publishers and people who create ePub with embedded fonts use the body style to put the main font-family declaration. That won't work on any Kobo eink reader and it's a bug they've been told about and refuse to fix. Kobo users are likely to get a lesser reading experience when the ePub has an embedded font.

The new Star Wars eBooks all have an embedded font and yet Kobo will not display it at all.

As for forcing, it's not forcing a font on the user.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I certainly wasn't suggesting that it be placed in the paragraph styles. What I was saying is that I don't personally like forcing a body font on the user AT ALL.

It's not forcing. You have it all wrong. Besides, if the reader allows one to change the base font, then that embedded font should be changeable. And you may end up liking the font used. But please don't call it forced. It's not.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

And you may end up liking the font used. But please don't call it forced. It's not.

Very strenuously recommended (and difficult to change without deconstruction), then?

There's two things in an ebook that should never be hard-coded: Normal body-text fonts, and normal body-text sizes.

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Very strenuously recommended (and difficult to change without deconstruction), then?

There's two things in an ebook that should never be hard-coded: Normal body-text fonts, and normal body-text sizes.

I would agree except in the case where the book requires characters that are not in the default map it may be needed, particularly for some languages.

Dale

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

I would agree except in the case where the book requires characters that are not in the default map it may be needed, particularly for some languages.

I can see that necessity, of course.
I should never say never, I guess.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

I would agree except in the case where the book requires characters that are not in the default map it may be needed, particularly for some languages.

I wouldn't say it's needed. For readers that allow setting the text font it's the same situation, because the user can always choose a font with the appropriate glyph coverage. It's only "needed" to work around a "feature" in some readers, that force a default font on you.

[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by DaleDe

I would agree except in the case where the book requires characters that are not in the default map it may be needed, particularly for some languages.

Dale

absolutely +1 on that

[khin99]

Originally Posted by Freeshadow

absolutely +1 on that

Absolutely +3