Small caps

[JLius]

Hi all

Can you use small caps in your html, without there being an embedded font? If so, how to you refer to in in your css?

Or are small caps not supported by the default fonts in the epub reading devices?

greetings

JLius

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by JLius

Can you use small caps in your html, without there being an embedded font? If so, how to you refer to in in your css?

Yes, just add "font-variant: small-caps;"

Or are small caps not supported by the default fonts in the epub reading devices?

It's not "or" but "and"

You can add small caps, but it will most likely not work. Most fonts do not have real small caps, but the renderer in e.g. web browsers can fake the small caps, not perfect but usually good enough. The bad news is that Adobe-based renderers (i.e. most dedicated ebook readers) simply ignores font-variant, no real small caps, no fake small caps, nothing.

[JLius]

Right, then I'll have to embed a font. Thanks for the info.

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by JLius

Right, then I'll have to embed a font. Thanks for the info.

Not necessarily You can use something like:

1. In your css file:

.smallcaps {
    text-transform: uppercase;
    font-size: 80%;    /* here you can use any other size you like, maybe 70% */
}

2. In your .xhtml file:

<p>T<span class="smallcaps">his is a text in small caps</span></p>

Of that way, you are faking small cpas in a form that also works in ADE.

Regards
Rubén

[JLius]

Thanks Rubén. That looks kinda okay for letters, but the digits don't look so hot.
Does anybody else here use small caps without embedding a font, or are small caps not often used in epub novels?

What I want is the nuance of using a real font, without the disadvantage of having to impose a font on the reader. But that just might be impossible :-)

[JSWolf]

To do it such that you get the look and feel of a real small-cap font in ePub, you are going to have to use embedded fonts.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

Of that way, you are faking small cpas in a form that also works in ADE.

But which is not ePub2-compliant anymore (text-transform is not a required CSS property). And note that spaces, punctuation, and numbers (as JLius mentioned) are also scaled down, something you usually don't want in small caps.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by JLius

Does anybody else here use small caps without embedding a font, or are small caps not often used in epub novels?

I use them sometimes, but most often just set font-variant. I prefer nice code over reader-specific hacks, especially when small caps are not that important.

What I want is the nuance of using a real font, without the disadvantage of having to impose a font on the reader. But that just might be impossible :-)

Just use a different reader

[DomesticExtremis]

The most portable way without using an embedded font is:

/*synthetic small caps*/
.ssc {
    font-size: 80%;    /* here you can use any other size you like, maybe 70% */
}

and

<p>T<span class="ssc">HIS IS A TEXT IN SMALL CAPS</span></p>

Basically resize the font across a span.
It's carp but it works just about everywhere.

One day there will be a standard for standards that
requires a compliance test before support for any
standard can be claimed

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by DomesticExtremis

<p>T<span class="ssc">HIS IS A TEXT IN SMALL CAPS</span></p>

or, if you have plenty of free time:

<p>T<span class="ssc">HIS</span> <span class="ssc">IS</span>
<span class="ssc">A</span> <span class="ssc">TEXT</span>
<span class="ssc">IN</span> <span class="ssc">SMALL</span>
<span class="ssc">CAPS</span></p>

to make small only what has to be small.

[GrannyGrump]

Another down-side to using embedded fonts for small-caps -- if you use the small-caps font for only small portions of text, it won't necessarily look well with the user's chosen font.

If you use embedded fonts for the entire body of text, the user is likely to call down maledictions on your head for pre-empting their choice.

I do happen to frequently use semi-serif fonts (like Fontin or Marcellus) that "sort of" blend in with either serif or san-serif body text, but it is not the happiest solution. So I try to use them only for fairly isolated small text fragments, like letter salutations and signatures, signs, etc.

PS -- I almost forgot another reason for not using multiple spans -- in some ADE-based readers (and others?), moving in and out of spans sometimes causes broken lines. Lots of discussion on this thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=232395
Especially see Hitch's post # 26.