Which Kobo Embedded Font Do You Use Most Often?

[guitarchitect]

Originally Posted by Anak

Thanks, it proves that TypeGenius works with sideloaded fonts too when the name is in the "TypeGenius" font list and the (renamed) font is present in the \fonts folder.
It basically means TypeGenius can be enabled for all fonts present on the device.
Kobo should rewite the TypeGenius code that enables these advanced settings for all fonts. Then it is a 'unique' selling feature that makes Kobo devices stand out of many others.

I wrote 'unique' becaused it isn't really unique. The Bookeen Cybook Odyssey (HD) has a similar (even the same?) feature to make a font bolder. Unfortunate, this reader isn't available in North America (as far as I know).

My guess is it probably proofs that Kobo implements features that are natively available in a rendering engine (or as engine add-on; making a feature available for all customers/companies that use the engine) in a very limited way.
Like:

• kepub only
• advanced font customization (TypeGenius) only available for a limited number of fonts

While other hardware manufacturers/vendors implement these features less limited. E.g. work with all books or all fonts.

For discussion’s sake. I know Kobo uses a different engine for kepubs and epub. Let's leave that out of the discussion. Features that are available for kepubs only could also made available for regular epubs (like onther vendors do). Features that are available but Kobo chose to enable those only for kepubs to make kepubs at least 'appear' better than regular epubs. Did they succeed with it? That is another discussion too.

For what it's worth, Calibre will send files to Kobo devices as .kepub files if you install the Kobo Touch Extended plugin. All of my epubs now look + behave like kepubs, with all the reading stats and the chapter-based page count in the footer.

[justywusty]

yeah i love the kobo touch extended plugin!!!

[Anak]

I've tried to do it but somehow it didn't work.
The font is present on the device as a sideloaded font meaning the Advanced button isn't accessable.

Is it possible to upload (move) a sideloaded font to the internal (onboard) font directory instead placing this font in the user accessble fonts directory?

[PeterT]

Originally Posted by Anak

I've tried to do it but somehow it didn't work.
The font is present on the device as a sideloaded font meaning the Advanced button isn't accessable.

Is it possible to upload (move) a sideloaded font to the internal (onboard) font directory instead placing this font in the user accessble fonts directory?

This could be done one of two ways.

a) If you have installed one of the hacks for enabling telnet access to the Kobo, then it would be trivial.
b) Or by simulating the regular Kobo upgrade; ie creating a pseudo KoboRoot.tgz that contains the desired files in the correct subdirectories, then placing that file in the .kobo directory and allowing it to be processed.

[Anak]

Originally Posted by PeterT

This could be done one of two ways.

a) If you have installed one of the hacks for enabling telnet access to the Kobo, then it would be trivial.
b) Or by simulating the regular Kobo upgrade; ie creating a pseudo KoboRoot.tgz that contains the desired files in the correct subdirectories, then placing that file in the .kobo directory and allowing it to be processed.

Fonts copied to internal onboard memory don't show up.
I also learned that the embedded Kobo font 'Times New Roman' is still in the internal memory but is also not shown as an installed font. This font was present on earlier firmware versions but later removed or more likely deactivated. Same for 'Delima'.
Installing TNR as a sideloaded font works, but doesn't give access to the TyeGenius font settings.

[guitarchitect]

Originally Posted by Anak

I've tried to do it but somehow it didn't work.
The font is present on the device as a sideloaded font meaning the Advanced button isn't accessable.

Is it possible to upload (move) a sideloaded font to the internal (onboard) font directory instead placing this font in the user accessble fonts directory?

If you're talking about loading renamed fonts to get font settings, you have to rename the font itself from a font editor, not just the file. I tried using the "remove properties" command from windows settings for each file but that didn't work, because if you look at the file's properties it contains the name of the file as the Kobo will read it, which is distinct from the filename.

[PeterT]

Try Type Light --> http://www.cr8software.net/typelight.html

[guitarchitect]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Thanks for those tests, Peter.

So, to summarise:

• Take your favourite sideloaded font family (with good coverage of your required character sets), which normally looks a bit lightweight on the Kobo, especially with the frontlight on.
• Rename the 4 font files, inside and outside (using a font editor), as Delima or Rockwell or Felbridge or Times New Roman (maybe others???).
• Sideload to \fonts and reboot Kobo.
• Use your favourite font just like a fully adjustable Kobo font.
• Keep fingers crossed, they don't remove the option in the next fw update

Sounds like a nice new trick for those who need it and who have access to a font editor. I'll double-check later with a couple of my favourites.

Update: Yes, it seems to work OK.

I tried doing this for Bembo (using the name Arial) and while it shows up as Arial in the reader (and is on the TypeGenius list), I couldn't get it to work.

I renamed the font files, and also opened the files in Fontlab Studio 5 where I went to "Font Info" and renamed the fonts. Shouldn't this have worked? Is there something I'm missing? Can you provide the step-by-step process for renaming in a specific piece of software, for those of us new to the world of font-modification?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by guitarchitect

I tried doing this for Bembo (using the name Arial) and while it shows up as Arial in the reader (and is on the TypeGenius list), I couldn't get it to work.

I renamed the font files, and also opened the files in Fontlab Studio 5 where I went to "Font Info" and renamed the fonts. Shouldn't this have worked? Is there something I'm missing? Can you provide the step-by-step process for renaming in a specific piece of software, for those of us new to the world of font-modification?

I'm not convinced that all font names in that list are 'equal'. Try renaming to one of these instead:
Delima
Felbridge
Rockwell
Times New Roman

All 4 have worked for me on both Glo and Aura.

[Anak]

Originally Posted by guitarchitect

I tried doing this for Bembo (using the name Arial) and while it shows up as Arial in the reader (and is on the TypeGenius list), I couldn't get it to work.

I renamed the font files, and also opened the files in Fontlab Studio 5 where I went to "Font Info" and renamed the fonts. Shouldn't this have worked? Is there something I'm missing? Can you provide the step-by-step process for renaming in a specific piece of software, for those of us new to the world of font-modification?

Same here, tried it and didn´t work. Renamed the font with FontLab Studio 5 but the Advanced TypeGenius button isn´t accessable.
I second a step-by-step description with the font editor you used. Or better: attach a working renamed font.

Kobo Touch
Model: N905 (a.k.a. old Touch)
FW: 2.5.1

Kobos original embedded fonts Delima and Times New Roman (and others?) are not present in the fonts list but are still present on the device. Some original fonts seem to be deactivated. Is there a way to fix/solve it?
Edit:
The fonts not showing are not in the font database on the Kobo device
(fontdb).

/tmp/qtembedded-0/fonts/fontdb

[Hekse-Mie]

I sideloaded Century Gothic on Kobo Glo

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Anak

Same here, tried it and didn´t work. Renamed the font with FontLab Studio 5 but the Advanced TypeGenius button isn´t accessable.
I second a step-by-step description with the font editor you used. Or better: attach a working renamed font.

Kobo Touch
Model: N905 (a.k.a. old Touch)
FW: 2.5.1

Kobos original embedded fonts Delima and Times New Roman (and others?) are not present in the fonts list but are still present on the device. Some original fonts seem to be deactivated. Is there a way to fix/solve it?

I renamed JSWolf's modified Charis SIL font family to Delima on my Glo and Aura - both fw 2.6.1x. Delima isn't present in the font menu on either Glo/Aura as standard. Maybe it only works with font names which used to be on an earlier Kobo model but aren't any longer. I can send you a PM with a link to 4 versions of Charis renamed to Delima/Felbridge/Rockwell/Times New Roman, if you like? See if any of them work on the Touch. Let me know if you want to try them.

[Anak]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Thanks for those tests, Peter.

So, to summarise:

• Take your favourite sideloaded font family (with good coverage of your required character sets), which normally looks a bit lightweight on the Kobo, especially with the frontlight on.
• Rename the 4 font files, inside and outside (using a font editor), as Delima or Rockwell or Felbridge or Times New Roman (maybe others???).
• Sideload to \fonts and reboot Kobo.
• Use your favourite font just like a fully adjustable Kobo font.
• Keep fingers crossed, they don't remove the option in the next fw update

Sounds like a nice new trick for those who need it and who have access to a font editor. I'll double-check later with a couple of my favourites.

Update: Yes, it seems to work OK.

I've tested it with fonts kindly provided by jacky_w.
The font trick does work for fw 2.6.1 but not with fw 2.5.1 or 2.5.2. Tested on Kobo Touch (N905, mark3 firmware) only.

[dmapr]

I've sideloaded Amasis, Caecilia, Gill Sans & Malabar fonts from the Nook onto the Aura (the Nook versions have Cyrillic glyphs in them while Kobo does not). All of the fonts continue to show in the list with advanced options available for each, however only the Gill Sans is the sideloaded one, the other three are still the original ones. As far as I can tell all the fonts are named properly (internal name matches the filename with attribute specifiers). Any idea on why Kobo picks up the sideloaded Gill Sans but not the others?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by dmapr

I've sideloaded Amasis, Caecilia, Gill Sans & Malabar fonts from the Nook onto the Aura (the Nook versions have Cyrillic glyphs in them while Kobo does not). All of the fonts continue to show in the list with advanced options available for each, however only the Gill Sans is the sideloaded one, the other three are still the original ones. As far as I can tell all the fonts are named properly (internal name matches the filename with attribute specifiers). Any idea on why Kobo picks up the sideloaded Gill Sans but not the others?

I don't know of anyone else who has reported trying to replace an existing Kobo built-in font with a sideloaded font of the same name. I deliberately only sideloaded fonts without a built-in equivalent already present.

Regarding Gill Sans, I wonder if it's a coincidence that the only one of your test fonts which DID work is the one whose built-in equivalent DOESN'T currently work properly (bold instead of italics problem)? The other built-in fonts which are currently known to be problematic are Kobo Nickel and Avenir Next.

As an aside, I've also occasionally wondered whether it's a coincidence that the 3 problematic built-in fonts are the ones containing a space in their name?