Why the font won't change in certain epubs

ficbot · 05-01-2010, 12:39 PM

I ave answered this question numerous times in numerous threads and people are still asking it, so I thought a thread with this in the title would help people find the answer

I reported this issue to Kobo when I was testing one of their pre-release units and here is what I learned:

1) The problem is not the website where you got the book or whether you created it yourself in Calibre. It appears random. I tested books from Mobile Read, from Kobo, from the public library and from Sony and in all cases, some of the books had the problem and some didn't. It was pretty random as to which did and which did not.

2) Kobo is aware of the issue and is working on a fix. Their answer to me was that it is a problem with the Adobe firmware and they are working on it. I don't know when the fix will come out; only that they are aware of the problem and are trying to fix it.

I'll post again in this thread if I hear anything else about this, but for now that's all I know

DaleDe · 05-01-2010, 01:21 PM

It the font size is specified in the CSS file then this will override the settings that Kobo uses. This is per the CSS specification itself. Computer stuff seldom does things at random. If you have a file that shows this and no DRM you can unzip it and look at the CSS data yourself to see if this is the case. If a file is translated from Word then Word always hardcodes the font size and if it is not removed from the CSS you will see this.

Dale

jimr · 05-01-2010, 01:26 PM

Thanks for the thread ficbot

I discovered the problem early on too. I had borrowed a couple books from the local library...one worked fine, the other didn't. Then I bought one from Kobo, and it didnt work. However, once I synced the ereader using the Kobo application, it added a cover and fixed the problem. Now this book seems to work fine. Obviously, I couldn't sync the library book in the same way, so for the time being, I guess we're SOL with library books. But it sure does sound like a ADE problem.

Hope it gets fixed soon...the randomness feels too much like a slot machine.

jimr

Flawless Cowboy · 05-01-2010, 02:14 PM

Dale is right...

I removed any reference to FontSize = "whatever" from the css file that calibre placed in the created ePub file. That file now allows me to use the Kobo to change font size.

Is there a setting in Calibre to check when it converts so that it will not put any reference to font size in the css sheet?

-FC

terifili · 05-01-2010, 02:40 PM

The extra CSS box under look and feel says it can override rules.
Where did you find the css file?

Flawless Cowboy · 05-01-2010, 03:08 PM

If your ePub is DRM-free, you can rename it to .zip and look at all of the files that it contains. The css file is in there.

-FC

Duiker · 05-01-2010, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flawless Cowboy

If your ePub is DRM-free, you can rename it to .zip and look at all of the files that it contains. The css file is in there.

-FC

yep. here's how.

I figured it out. For those who haven't. Connect your reader to your computer. Open up your reader and go to "Digital Editions". Find the book you are having font issues with and rename it's file type to "zip". Now double click the file. You should get a list of a bunch of different files. Look for the one named "stylesheet.css". Delete this file. Now step out/go back to your book list and rename again from ".zip" back to ".epub" or whatever it originally was. Voila. Brilliant and thanks to somecanuck for figuring it out!

PeterT · 05-01-2010, 11:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flawless Cowboy

If your ePub is DRM-free, you can rename it to .zip and look at all of the files that it contains. The css file is in there.

-FC

Actually, I had luck even with one with DRM; yes the CSS file is encrypted, but I was still able to remove it.

DaleDe · 05-01-2010, 11:28 PM

Removing the css file removes all or most formatting. This may not be what you want. Better to edit it if you can. It is a text file and you can use notepad to do it.

Orochi · 05-02-2010, 02:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duiker

yep. here's how.

I figured it out. For those who haven't. Connect your reader to your computer. Open up your reader and go to "Digital Editions". Find the book you are having font issues with and rename it's file type to "zip". Now double click the file. You should get a list of a bunch of different files. Look for the one named "stylesheet.css". Delete this file. Now step out/go back to your book list and rename again from ".zip" back to ".epub" or whatever it originally was. Voila. Brilliant and thanks to somecanuck for figuring it out!

Actually removing the "stylesheet.css" file also removes any issues with characters and paragraphs bunching or running together!! GREAT FIX for the KOBO!!!

HarryT · 05-02-2010, 03:41 AM

Deleting the stylesheet is like recommending a lobotomy as a cure for a headache; you'll also be removing most of the other formatting from the file!

Edit the stylesheet (it's just a text file) and remove the specific line that's causing the problem; don't delete the whole thing.

Orochi · 05-02-2010, 06:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Deleting the stylesheet is like recommending a lobotomy as a cure for a headache; you'll also be removing most of the other formatting from the file!

Edit the stylesheet (it's just a text file) and remove the specific line that's causing the problem; don't delete the whole thing.

,

Just an observation, but I looked at my other epub books that were working fine on my Kobo e-reader and none of the those files contained the "stylesheet.css" file. Only the ones I was having problems with, contained that file.

Maybe the Kobo reader doesn't need the stylesheet file and other readers do? I don't know too much about epub books, but they do work perfectly fine on the Kobo without the stylesheet file and as I stated in my previous post, it also improved the overall look and feel of those books and stopped any bunching of text and paragraphs.

terifili · 05-02-2010, 08:41 AM

You don't even have to rename it, just right click on the file and open with winzip or whatever you use, and it opens up...

jimr · 05-02-2010, 09:05 AM

I've deleted the css files in all the books that didn't work, and now they work fine. Interestingly though, I looked at the books that worked and they all contained a css file too. The formatting instructions must have been compatible with Kobo in those. The other thing I found was even if I wanted to simply edit the css files, when I opened them up in Notepad, they were giberish. In other words, there was no english to edit.

I expect Kobo's gonna have to fix this soon, as the average user won't be able to do this everytime they download a book. Thanks for the workaround though...keeps me happy for the time being.

JCSullivan · 05-02-2010, 12:49 PM

Thanks ficbot.

If they knew about this before the release why didn't they say so.
I've already said elsewhere I ain't happy because I bought this specifically because of the pdf readability.
NO! removing the stylesheet does NADA.

05-01-2010, 12:39 PM	#1
ficbot Wizard Posts: 2,409 Karma: 4132096 Join Date: Sep 2008 Device: Kindle Paperwhite/iOS Kindle App	Why the font won't change in certain epubs I ave answered this question numerous times in numerous threads and people are still asking it, so I thought a thread with this in the title would help people find the answer I reported this issue to Kobo when I was testing one of their pre-release units and here is what I learned: 1) The problem is not the website where you got the book or whether you created it yourself in Calibre. It appears random. I tested books from Mobile Read, from Kobo, from the public library and from Sony and in all cases, some of the books had the problem and some didn't. It was pretty random as to which did and which did not. 2) Kobo is aware of the issue and is working on a fix. Their answer to me was that it is a problem with the Adobe firmware and they are working on it. I don't know when the fix will come out; only that they are aware of the problem and are trying to fix it. I'll post again in this thread if I hear anything else about this, but for now that's all I know

05-01-2010, 01:26 PM	#3
jimr Member Posts: 92 Karma: 32 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Kitchener, Ontario Device: Original Kobo	Thanks for the thread ficbot I discovered the problem early on too. I had borrowed a couple books from the local library...one worked fine, the other didn't. Then I bought one from Kobo, and it didnt work. However, once I synced the ereader using the Kobo application, it added a cover and fixed the problem. Now this book seems to work fine. Obviously, I couldn't sync the library book in the same way, so for the time being, I guess we're SOL with library books. But it sure does sound like a ADE problem. Hope it gets fixed soon...the randomness feels too much like a slot machine. jimr Last edited by jimr; 05-01-2010 at 02:05 PM.

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05-01-2010, 01:21 PM	#2
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	It the font size is specified in the CSS file then this will override the settings that Kobo uses. This is per the CSS specification itself. Computer stuff seldom does things at random. If you have a file that shows this and no DRM you can unzip it and look at the CSS data yourself to see if this is the case. If a file is translated from Word then Word always hardcodes the font size and if it is not removed from the CSS you will see this. Dale

05-01-2010, 02:14 PM	#4
Flawless Cowboy Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Kobo eReader	Dale is right... I removed any reference to FontSize = "whatever" from the css file that calibre placed in the created ePub file. That file now allows me to use the Kobo to change font size. Is there a setting in Calibre to check when it converts so that it will not put any reference to font size in the css sheet? -FC

05-01-2010, 02:40 PM	#5
terifili Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 106 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo	The extra CSS box under look and feel says it can override rules. Where did you find the css file?

05-01-2010, 03:08 PM	#6
Flawless Cowboy Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: Kobo eReader	If your ePub is DRM-free, you can rename it to .zip and look at all of the files that it contains. The css file is in there. -FC

05-01-2010, 11:28 PM	#9
DaleDe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,470 Karma: 13095790 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Grass Valley, CA Device: EB 1150, EZ Reader, Literati, iPad 2 & Air 2, iPhone 7	Removing the css file removes all or most formatting. This may not be what you want. Better to edit it if you can. It is a text file and you can use notepad to do it.

05-02-2010, 03:41 AM	#11
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Deleting the stylesheet is like recommending a lobotomy as a cure for a headache; you'll also be removing most of the other formatting from the file! Edit the stylesheet (it's just a text file) and remove the specific line that's causing the problem; don't delete the whole thing.

05-02-2010, 08:41 AM	#13
terifili Enthusiast Posts: 49 Karma: 106 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Kobo	You don't even have to rename it, just right click on the file and open with winzip or whatever you use, and it opens up...

05-02-2010, 09:05 AM	#14
jimr Member Posts: 92 Karma: 32 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Kitchener, Ontario Device: Original Kobo	I've deleted the css files in all the books that didn't work, and now they work fine. Interestingly though, I looked at the books that worked and they all contained a css file too. The formatting instructions must have been compatible with Kobo in those. The other thing I found was even if I wanted to simply edit the css files, when I opened them up in Notepad, they were giberish. In other words, there was no english to edit. I expect Kobo's gonna have to fix this soon, as the average user won't be able to do this everytime they download a book. Thanks for the workaround though...keeps me happy for the time being.

05-02-2010, 12:49 PM	#15
JCSullivan Chief Inspector Gamache Posts: 123 Karma: 12 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canada eh! Device: Viewsonic	Thanks ficbot. If they knew about this before the release why didn't they say so. I've already said elsewhere I ain't happy because I bought this specifically because of the pdf readability. NO! removing the stylesheet does NADA.

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