Dummies Guide for Idiots on How to Change Epub Fonts

[advocate2]

I just spent an hour trying to read threads about changing fonts for my 350 and 950. Every one of them presumed more base knowledge of programming than I have, which is nothing.

I don't know what CSS is.

I kind of know about directories on either my computer or the Sony.

I know what a font is, and saw a couple I liked, but don't know where to download them.

I use Calibre to convert ebooks to epub or mobi and change metadata.

That's it. I'm an old guy. Can someone just give me detailed step by step instructions, maybe with pictures? I'd gladly pay for a pdf with decent instructions.

JSWolfe seems to know a lot, but again he's way ahead of me so I'm still lost. If he could make believe he was exlaining to his Mom how to do this herself, rather than doing it for her.

I looked at the translated Russian Guide, but didn't understand it. I need something REALLY simple and step by step, in one place.

[sonyreaderfan]

I can help you, but my method is to flash the firmware using PRS+. If you are willing to do that, let me know in the post below. About prs+: http://code.google.com/p/prs-plus/. User Manual: http://code.google.com/p/prs-plus/wiki/UserManual
The screen shot for the is based on the old Readers. PRS+ DOES NOT change the appearance of the PRS 950.

I have a PRS-950 also and I can say that flashing PRS+ is harmless. Also, what computer and operating system are you using?

[advocate2]

I am willing to give it a shot and am grateful.


I am using a Sony Vaio Z570 Laptop running Windows 7 Home premium 32bit version.

I downloaded PRSP_950_2.0.12beta_setup.exe and

PRSP_350_2.0.12beta_setup.exe .

I just flashed the memory of the 950 and see a setting called User EPub Style (css file) disabled.

[sonyreaderfan]

Ok cool, some prep work first the I'll give the rest tomorrow

1. After READER is plugged in, create a 'fonts' directory in the root directory of the READER. So the directory is READER\fonts
2. Go to Windows fonts directory and pick out the font you want to use. I'm using XP and in XP the font is in C:\Windows\Fonts. (same for Windows 7? Maybe other members can comment). Get a detailed view of the fonts.
3. The fonts have to be TrueType or OpenType and the family has to have 4 sets of them (regular, italic, bold, bold italic).
4. Suppose you want Georgia. Then copy the files georgia.TTF, georgiab.TTF, georgiaz.TTF, georgiai.TTF to READER\fonts

You can copy different families of fonts to experiment.

Hope this is doable. More later.

[advocate2]

OK. I am still with you. Both the 950 and 350 are flashed. "font" folder created and the four Georgia fonts and four Segoe UI fonts copied to the folder.

I feel like I am getting closer.

One caveat. On Windows 7 when I went to the font folder, things went to a Control Panel type window and I could not see the Reader. After a couple of minutes I opened the Reader in a separate window that I put on one-half of the screen and the font folder on the other half of the screen and I was able to copy the font files to the Reader.

It's now been hours and hours trying to figure this out. It just shouldn't be this hard.

[sonyreaderfan]

I don't have Windows 7 so I'm not sure what the Control Panel type window is for fonts. Go to Windows Explorer view.
Anyways, you should have in the READER the following files:
READER\fonts\georgia.ttf
READER\fonts\georgiab.ttf
READER\fonts\georgiai.ttf
READER\fonts\georgiaz.ttf

CSS instructions to come.

[advocate2]

I have the fonts in the folder. I might have gotton things rights by accident. Is it true that once you open a book in one font, you can't change the font?

I made a file called Georgia.css in the epub folder.

@font-face {
font-family: "Georgia";
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal;
src: url(res:///Data/fonts/georgia.ttf);
}

@font-face {
font-family: "Georgia";
font-weight: bold;
font-style: normal;
src: url(res:///Data/fonts/georgiab.ttf);
}

@font-face {
font-family: "Georgia";
font-weight: normal;
font-style: italic;
src: url(res:///Data/fonts/georgiai.ttf);
}

@font-face {
font-family: "Georgia";
font-weight: bold;
font-style: italic;
src: url(res:///Data/fonts/georgiaz.ttf);
}

body {
font-family: "Georgia";
}

is this right????

[sonyreaderfan]

Looks good so far. If you want to compare, my code is below. I've added code for line spacing. To use it, delete /* */.

CSS Instruction:

Before you change font, compare the Sony Reader default font and the Georgia font at large size to make sure you can tell the difference. the y's are very easy to distinguish between the two.

Copy this using Notepad into a textfile named userstyle.georgia.css. (really the name doesn't matter)


@font-face {
font-family: "Georgia";
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal;
src: url(res:///Data/fonts/georgia.ttf);
}

@font-face {
font-family: "Georgia";
font-weight: bold;
font-style: normal;
src: url(res:///Data/fonts/georgiab.tff);
}

@font-face {
font-family: "Georgia";
font-weight: normal;
font-style: italic;
src: url(res:///Data/fonts/georgiai.tff);
}

@font-face {
font-family: "Georgia";
font-weight: bold;
font-style: italic;
src: url(res:///Data/fonts/georgiaz.tff);
}

body {
font-family: "Georgia", serif;
/* line-height: 150% */

}

.calibre {
font-family: "Georgia", serif;
/* line-height: 150% */
}



Copy userstyle.georgia.css to READER\database\system\PRSPLUS\epub

You may have to make new directories (folders) (except for READER, which is the root directory). Make sure the name is right and properly capitalized.

You should have the file
READER\database\system\PRSPLUS\epub\userstyle.geor gia.css

Unplug the READER from computer. Go to PRS+ settings->Book Viewer Settings->User Epub Style and select userstyle.css.georgia.

Go back and check out the change with a epub. Sometimes the font change doesn't happen and requires the reader to be turned off and on again, so to be on the safe side, do that.

Also the font change doesn't happen with every ebook. For example, it doesn't work with the Suze Orman or Harlan Corben samples in the Reader, or any of the free Google ebooks. I think it's because they have weird css coding. But it works with your own generated epubs, epubs that I've bought (notable ones are from Random House) and epubs from Gutenberg Project. I would test with an epub from Gutenberg project.

I've tested this and it works. Just be sure to reboot. The font change doesn't happen right away.

[sonyreaderfan]

Originally Posted by advocate2

I have the fonts in the folder. I might have gotton things rights by accident. Is it true that once you open a book in one font, you can't change the font?

is this right????

No, I was able to disable the userstyle css and I also had other css files for different font to choose. The change doesn't happen right after the selection. I often had to reboot the reader (turn off and on).

[Ripplinger]

Whenever you open a book, the reader creates a file named "style.css" in the epub subdirectory. When you change the font and then open the same book you had, it still uses the old style.css file. You have to force it to create a new style.css file, which will then change your font, by changing your css file to the font you want, open any other book, then re-open the book you were reading and the font will be changed.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by advocate2

Is it true that once you open a book in one font, you can't change the font?

No it's not true. However, if you already have an epub open and you use PRSPlus to choose a different one of your custom .css files, then you will need to open a second epub, close it again, then go back to the first epub before it will display the new font.

Edit: Too slow!!

[advocate2]

Wow!!!! It Worked!!!!

Much gratitude. What a difference.

I was very intimidated with this process, but with the help and guidance you provided I see that it is not that difficult to do.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by advocate2

I have the fonts in the folder. I might have gotten things rights by accident.

The CSS looks fine.

[advocate2]

I see there is a version of PRS+ for the 950 and 600, but I dont see one for the 900 which my daughter owns. Will one of the other versions work for the 900?

[encapuchado]

Looking in the PRS+ site it seems the answer is no.

Originally Posted by advocate2

I see there is a version of PRS+ for the 950 and 600, but I dont see one for the 900 which my daughter owns. Will one of the other versions work for the 900?