PRS-650 Kobo eBook Formatting

bmatt · 10-26-2010, 11:37 AM

I looked through posts and found some vague references to fixing formatting on Kobo books, every single one I've purchased from Kobo has really small font with large columns, and no ideal size font (difference between medium and large is ridiculous and medium is about where small is on other books).

I have emailed their support and sent them screen shots from books with no resolution yet. They seem to be cheaper than Sony's store on some books and they are always running some kind of special, which I like. However, the formatting is a deal breaker for me. Has anyone found a definite way to fix these? I removed the CSS on one just playing around and it didn't seem to make a difference. I even have noticed that sometimes on title pages of chapters the font size and margin is perfect.

I attached the screen shots I have comparing the pages of books I have tried, any help is appreciated.

Thanks!

grooks · 10-26-2010, 11:56 AM

For books that have larger than normal margins, you can try to play around with the margin cut settings. This has worked for me on a few books where the next font size seemed too big for my tastes.

Another alternative would be to remove the DRM from the book then convert it from ePub to ePub using Calibre. This way you can set your own margins and specify your own default font size.

bmatt · 10-26-2010, 01:09 PM

Yea, I have played around with the page mode. It makes a very negligible difference for the Kobo books. I have not tried the DRM strip yet, but I may have to do that eventually if I keep buying from them, wish there were an easier way, thanks though!

viviena · 10-26-2010, 09:20 PM

Quote:

I removed the CSS on one just playing around and it didn't seem to make a difference.

If removing the CSS doesn't work and neither does margin-cut, that sometimes means it's the XPGT file within the EPUB that's causing the problematic margins, and which can usually be safely removed. I use Calibre to tweak and explode the offending EPUB, then delete the XPGT file usually found inside the OEBPS folder. Look for content.opf, open it in a text editor, do a search the line containing reference to .XPGT, and you can delete that line safely. It does sound laborious at first, but once you've got the hang of it, it takes several seconds.

Of course, this will possibly remove the margin for everything inside the EPUB, but it's not something I care about much.

JSWolf · 10-26-2010, 09:27 PM

It is not the fault of Kobo. It is the fault of the publisher who released the eBook with that formatting.

That said, what I do is strip the DRM and fix up the CSS. It doesn't usually take long at all to do so and if the ePub does not have embedded fonts, I specify the fonts I use that are on my Sony. Removing the CSS won't do squat to fix things. You have to edit the CSS to fix things.

Most ePub have margins (I want no margins), large indents, line spaces that do not belong, and sometimes small fonts by default. This is what I have to clean up. It's fairly easy if you know CSS.

colinsky · 10-26-2010, 09:30 PM

This may be publisher formatting, not something specific to Kobo.

To check this, try downloading the one of the epub samples from Barnes & Noble (you can do this without a credit card/purchase) and see if the formatting is the same. Also, those samples aren't DRM protected so you can directly and easily view the CSS used.

bmatt · 10-27-2010, 10:19 AM

That is a good idea, I'll give it a try. I would find it odd if it was a publisher issue, since the above pics are from the same series, though I guess multiple publishers could have converted different parts of the book. I bought 3 or so books from the dark tower series from Kobo then one from B&N and the rest from the Sony store. The only ones that have odd margins and the font size issues are the ones from Kobo. The font size from Kobo is also very odd as the font doubles in size from medium to large and the medium is roughly the same size as small in other books from other providers. I read somewhere about issues with font sizes with Kobo in general so I have assumed it was a Kobo issue. Thanks for the suggestions!

slantybard · 10-27-2010, 06:38 PM

bmatt, I have had similar problems as you have described with the Kobo books. If you follow viviena's solution (tweak epub - explode - delete css file AND xpgt template file - then search opf content file and delete the line of text containing link to xpgt file (using txt editor) - then rebuild and convert using your own css override) you should easily and quickly get rid of this epub problem.

10-26-2010, 11:37 AM	#1
bmatt Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 12 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Sony PRS-650	Kobo eBook Formatting I looked through posts and found some vague references to fixing formatting on Kobo books, every single one I've purchased from Kobo has really small font with large columns, and no ideal size font (difference between medium and large is ridiculous and medium is about where small is on other books). I have emailed their support and sent them screen shots from books with no resolution yet. They seem to be cheaper than Sony's store on some books and they are always running some kind of special, which I like. However, the formatting is a deal breaker for me. Has anyone found a definite way to fix these? I removed the CSS on one just playing around and it didn't seem to make a difference. I even have noticed that sometimes on title pages of chapters the font size and margin is perfect. I attached the screen shots I have comparing the pages of books I have tried, any help is appreciated. Thanks! Attached Thumbnails

10-26-2010, 09:27 PM	#5
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,037 Karma: 129333114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	It is not the fault of Kobo. It is the fault of the publisher who released the eBook with that formatting. That said, what I do is strip the DRM and fix up the CSS. It doesn't usually take long at all to do so and if the ePub does not have embedded fonts, I specify the fonts I use that are on my Sony. Removing the CSS won't do squat to fix things. You have to edit the CSS to fix things. Most ePub have margins (I want no margins), large indents, line spaces that do not belong, and sometimes small fonts by default. This is what I have to clean up. It's fairly easy if you know CSS. Last edited by JSWolf; 10-26-2010 at 09:30 PM.

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10-26-2010, 11:56 AM	#2
grooks Wizard Posts: 1,326 Karma: 30250 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Fort Myers, FL Device: Pocketbook Era, Kobo Forma	For books that have larger than normal margins, you can try to play around with the margin cut settings. This has worked for me on a few books where the next font size seemed too big for my tastes. Another alternative would be to remove the DRM from the book then convert it from ePub to ePub using Calibre. This way you can set your own margins and specify your own default font size.

10-26-2010, 01:09 PM	#3
bmatt Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 12 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Sony PRS-650	Yea, I have played around with the page mode. It makes a very negligible difference for the Kobo books. I have not tried the DRM strip yet, but I may have to do that eventually if I keep buying from them, wish there were an easier way, thanks though!

10-26-2010, 09:30 PM	#6
colinsky Addict Posts: 233 Karma: 3232318 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Sony PRS-300, PRS-T1, PRS-T3	This may be publisher formatting, not something specific to Kobo. To check this, try downloading the one of the epub samples from Barnes & Noble (you can do this without a credit card/purchase) and see if the formatting is the same. Also, those samples aren't DRM protected so you can directly and easily view the CSS used.

10-27-2010, 10:19 AM	#7
bmatt Enthusiast Posts: 48 Karma: 12 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: Sony PRS-650	That is a good idea, I'll give it a try. I would find it odd if it was a publisher issue, since the above pics are from the same series, though I guess multiple publishers could have converted different parts of the book. I bought 3 or so books from the dark tower series from Kobo then one from B&N and the rest from the Sony store. The only ones that have odd margins and the font size issues are the ones from Kobo. The font size from Kobo is also very odd as the font doubles in size from medium to large and the medium is roughly the same size as small in other books from other providers. I read somewhere about issues with font sizes with Kobo in general so I have assumed it was a Kobo issue. Thanks for the suggestions!

10-27-2010, 06:38 PM	#8
slantybard my parent's oops... Posts: 466 Karma: 1477570 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Vx->Handera->Clie-> Axim->505->650->KPW/Aura ->iOS/L2	bmatt, I have had similar problems as you have described with the Kobo books. If you follow viviena's solution (tweak epub - explode - delete css file AND xpgt template file - then search opf content file and delete the line of text containing link to xpgt file (using txt editor) - then rebuild and convert using your own css override) you should easily and quickly get rid of this epub problem.

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