Font for print and e-reader?

Klip · 08-20-2012, 04:14 AM

Hi there
I have a client who wants to have the same font in the e-reader and print versions of their book. The ebook will be EPUB format. They have their own e-reading device that the book will be read on (I'm not sure how this works, but I suspect that this is some kind of company specific manual that people will be reading on that company's own reading device.)

I still have to find out more about this device - I've not had my first meeting with them yet - but I would like to be able to recommend a font at this meeting.

The font will be embedded in the EPUB, so it needs to be an open license font. The client seems to like sans-serif fonts. They were using Lucida Sans Unicode up to now, but that is quite limited.

Would something like the Liberation family of True Type fonts work for print as well as screen?

Toxaris · 08-20-2012, 06:57 AM

Please advise them not to. Adding a font does not always work as expected and will add weight to the book. In this case it doesn't seem to have significant advantage. Try to keep the usage of non-default fonts just for headers or special cases.

JSWolf · 08-29-2012, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Toxaris

Please advise them not to. Adding a font does not always work as expected and will add weight to the book. In this case it doesn't seem to have significant advantage. Try to keep the usage of non-default fonts just for headers or special cases.

Simon & Shuster are using embedded fonts for their Star Trek ePub and I do think they look nice that way.

There is nothing wrong with embedding fonts. One I quite like is Charis SIL. It's a serif font and a serif font is better for reading a book then sans-serif (IMHO and most people on MR who took the poll).

PageLab · 08-30-2012, 07:30 PM

There's a lot of typefaces created specifically for screen reading, but to effectively use them it's important to know beforehand whether the rendering engine of your client's device supports hinting, which is responsible for the optimized rendering of the letterforms in small font sizes.

The latest version of Liberation font family do have hinting instructions. Fedra is another great font that has versions tailored for print and screen. http://www.typotheque.com/fonts/fedra_sans_screen

08-20-2012, 04:14 AM	#1
Klip Enthusiast Posts: 30 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Kindle	Font for print and e-reader? Hi there I have a client who wants to have the same font in the e-reader and print versions of their book. The ebook will be EPUB format. They have their own e-reading device that the book will be read on (I'm not sure how this works, but I suspect that this is some kind of company specific manual that people will be reading on that company's own reading device.) I still have to find out more about this device - I've not had my first meeting with them yet - but I would like to be able to recommend a font at this meeting. The font will be embedded in the EPUB, so it needs to be an open license font. The client seems to like sans-serif fonts. They were using Lucida Sans Unicode up to now, but that is quite limited. Would something like the Liberation family of True Type fonts work for print as well as screen?

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08-20-2012, 06:57 AM	#2
Toxaris Wizard Posts: 4,520 Karma: 121692313 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Heemskerk, NL Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	Please advise them not to. Adding a font does not always work as expected and will add weight to the book. In this case it doesn't seem to have significant advantage. Try to keep the usage of non-default fonts just for headers or special cases.

08-30-2012, 07:30 PM	#4
PageLab Connoisseur Posts: 70 Karma: 515184 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Brasília Device: Kindle3, iPad, Nook, Kobo, Positivo Alfa	There's a lot of typefaces created specifically for screen reading, but to effectively use them it's important to know beforehand whether the rendering engine of your client's device supports hinting, which is responsible for the optimized rendering of the letterforms in small font sizes. The latest version of Liberation font family do have hinting instructions. Fedra is another great font that has versions tailored for print and screen. http://www.typotheque.com/fonts/fedra_sans_screen

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