See file size before purchase?

ATimson · 01-26-2019, 05:11 PM

Is there any way to see the file size before purchasing a book?

I know it's no guarantee of the quality of the embedded images of a book, but it's at least usually a reasonable proxy. (i.e., if the file size is within an order of magnitude of Amazon's file, the images are probably going to be of similar quality. If the book is only 1 MB and Amazon's is 15 MB, they're probably crap. As I've found out when trying another vendor.)

However, I don't see the file size on Kobo's site. Is there some way to see it that I"m missing?

davidfor · 01-26-2019, 07:37 PM

If you are using the device, open the book details go to the "Details" tab. The file size should be there.

On the site, Kobo usually has the page and word count plus a reading time estimate. They don't show the file size.

You could have a look at the preview. If there is an image in the chapter that is supplied, you should be able to tell what it is like.

ATimson · 01-26-2019, 09:23 PM

Unfortunately I don't have a Kobo device, and the iOS app doesn't appear to have similar functionality.

Not sure I can trust the online preview - Google Play shows higher resolution images than are downloaded in the epub. (Technically, I only checked the sample retroactively, so maybe they were the same and they fixed them after I requested a refund.) Using Kobo Desktop to download samples seems like it might be an option, albeit higher effort than I was hoping for.

Thanks for your thoughts!

davidfor · 01-27-2019, 02:45 AM

The iOS app doesn't have the store. It is only a reading app. It does show free books, but nothing else. The Android app does have the store, but, doesn't show sizes. But, the previews will download to them. You should see the images in that. And the same goes for the desktop application.

RobertJSawyer · 02-02-2019, 12:20 PM

I wish Kobo would show all the stats everywhere. On the website, you can get the wordcount but it's not displayed anywhere on the device; on the device, you can get the file size, but it's not displayed anywhere on the website. And I agree: low-res photos and illustrations are a terrible problem in ebooks; many older editions still use illustrations that were produced back in the days of people reading with Mobipocket and eReader on Palm OS devices.

01-26-2019, 05:11 PM	#1
ATimson Evangelist Posts: 456 Karma: 1044878 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 4	See file size before purchase? Is there any way to see the file size before purchasing a book? I know it's no guarantee of the quality of the embedded images of a book, but it's at least usually a reasonable proxy. (i.e., if the file size is within an order of magnitude of Amazon's file, the images are probably going to be of similar quality. If the book is only 1 MB and Amazon's is 15 MB, they're probably crap. As I've found out when trying another vendor.) However, I don't see the file size on Kobo's site. Is there some way to see it that I"m missing?

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01-26-2019, 07:37 PM	#2
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	If you are using the device, open the book details go to the "Details" tab. The file size should be there. On the site, Kobo usually has the page and word count plus a reading time estimate. They don't show the file size. You could have a look at the preview. If there is an image in the chapter that is supplied, you should be able to tell what it is like.

01-26-2019, 09:23 PM	#3
ATimson Evangelist Posts: 456 Karma: 1044878 Join Date: Apr 2009 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 4	Unfortunately I don't have a Kobo device, and the iOS app doesn't appear to have similar functionality. Not sure I can trust the online preview - Google Play shows higher resolution images than are downloaded in the epub. (Technically, I only checked the sample retroactively, so maybe they were the same and they fixed them after I requested a refund.) Using Kobo Desktop to download samples seems like it might be an option, albeit higher effort than I was hoping for. Thanks for your thoughts!

01-27-2019, 02:45 AM	#4
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	The iOS app doesn't have the store. It is only a reading app. It does show free books, but nothing else. The Android app does have the store, but, doesn't show sizes. But, the previews will download to them. You should see the images in that. And the same goes for the desktop application.

02-02-2019, 12:20 PM	#5
RobertJSawyer Guru Posts: 730 Karma: 3871570 Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo Libra 2, Clara 2E, and Clara HD; Kindle PaperWhite	I wish Kobo would show all the stats everywhere. On the website, you can get the wordcount but it's not displayed anywhere on the device; on the device, you can get the file size, but it's not displayed anywhere on the website. And I agree: low-res photos and illustrations are a terrible problem in ebooks; many older editions still use illustrations that were produced back in the days of people reading with Mobipocket and eReader on Palm OS devices.

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