Best fonts for reading e-books

Alexander Turcic · 12-11-2004, 12:47 PM

Once again I am trying to decide which is my favorite font for reading e-books. On my search, I stumbled over SimplytheBest font, a place which alphabetically lists freely available fonts.

So far, Georgia seems to provide the best reading quality on my Pocket PC: Georgia is a typeface that provides clarity at low resolutions on the screen. The author has successfully managed to create a typeface family which combines high legibility with character and charm.

What font do you like best for reading e-books? I am also curious to hear if commercial fonts (e.g. by Agfa) are superior to freely available ones.

(related threads at MR: link, link)

Bob Russell · 12-11-2004, 12:57 PM

Nice site Alex. I just wish they categorized or listed fonts best for PDAs.

On Palm, I was thrilled with "microsoft sans serif"

On PPC with 240x320, a lot of fonts great on Palm just don't work well. I'm stuck with Tahoma 10 as my favorite right now, but it's pretty good.

I look forward to trying Georgia, even though space is precious.

Alexander Turcic · 12-11-2004, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobR

I look forward to trying Georgia, even though space is precious.

Do you know Font On Storage? It is a freeware tool for Pocket PC which allows you to add fonts which you don't regularly use to a storage card.
1. create a folder in \Storage Card\
2. copy FontOnStorage.exe and your fonts into this folder
3. run FontOnStorage.exe when you need to use the fonts

I agree Tahoma is pretty nice too.

RobertS · 12-11-2004, 04:39 PM

On my Palms I am a big fan of MS Dialog Light for use on iSilo. I also will use Verdana now and again. For me, the smaller the better when using PDA fonts.

For that reason I don't tend to read ebooks on my iPaq since I just can't the same font size on the h2210's 240x320 resolution. However, since I should be aquiring an hx4700 early next year, that could change.

Regards,
R

cbarnett · 12-12-2004, 07:12 PM

Yep, I like Tahoma with cleartype enabled, of course. Very nice on the eyes, and easy to read.

BTW, thanks for the tip and link to fonts on storage. Very nice!!

Craig.

Traecer Prime · 12-13-2004, 12:38 PM

I use Bitstream Vera Sans and Lucida Sans Unicode on my Palm Tungsten T3 with WordSmith's FineType software. They come across as very clean, clear fonts; excellent for reading and editing documents.

Gnam · 12-15-2004, 05:58 PM

I've tried Bitstream Vera Sans on my X30 but in the end went back to Tahoma.

I'll give Georgia a try but I'm discovering that my TE is much easier on my eyes than the 320x240 Axim screen.

That's a pity because I just love the jog-dial on the Axim - at least I still have a use for my old TE!

Gnam ;P

Bob Russell · 12-15-2004, 06:50 PM

Yeah, I'm getting a bit fed up with a couple things on PPC myself. I love the device and the "fun" nature of it, but...
1) No matter how good the font, 240x320 stinks.
2) Okay means a lot of different things in different places. And it seems to be so hard to get data in the way you want. Bad PIM software? I think it's more the OS, or at least OS culture because I'm using PI, which is one of the top two products out there, and is really nice except for the silly interface common to most PPC programs. My digitizer/screen protector combo doesn't help. Probably a combination of lo-res digitizing and interference from my screen protector, but it doesn't always register the way I want it to. Not so bad on Palm, but on PPC that seems to always cause the program to do the worst things!
Okay, sorry about the rant... I'm just a little frustrated right now.

Gnam · 12-16-2004, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobR

Yeah, I'm getting a bit fed up with a couple things on PPC myself. I love the device and the "fun" nature of it, but...
1) No matter how good the font, 240x320 stinks.

Well, on the hand I'm very grateful for the fact that it's easy to change fonts - I had to spend money to be able to do that on my Palm. However, I just find the screen to be tiring on my eyes (for reading). In a way the QVGA does allow more stuff to be seen onscreen - it's just that the lowish resolution gives blocky characters and I find Cleartype too fuzzy. Wish I'd bought a VGA PPC

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobR

2) Okay means a lot of different things in different places. And it seems to be so hard to get data in the way you want. Bad PIM software? I think it's more the OS, or at least OS culture because I'm using PI, which is one of the top two products out there, and is really nice except for the silly interface common to most PPC programs. My digitizer/screen protector combo doesn't help. Probably a combination of lo-res digitizing and interference from my screen protector, but it doesn't always register the way I want it to. Not so bad on Palm, but on PPC that seems to always cause the program to do the worst things!
Okay, sorry about the rant... I'm just a little frustrated right now.

I can understand how you feel although I think I've now come to terms with my PPC. A few suggestions...

An essential software is Wisbar Advance2: apart from making the PPC OS prettier it has a neat Task Switcher which I've assigned to a hardware button. Multitasking is handy on a PDA and the PPC handles it easily so it's nice to be able to call up a menu of running programs with a button and then use the navpad to open the desired program. Of course, Wisbar also shows the icons of all running programs on the top task bar and they can be opened or closed either by tapping (or holding) them. Try it (if you haven't already).

On the other hand, when you don't want to multitask, another tip would be to assign another hardware button to a software like Magic Button - that way you can exit a program with a simple button press.

I too thought that my PDA screen was unresponsive but then I discovered that with Transcriber I was able to draw all over the screen with very light pressure. So that means that the apparent unresponsiveness of the screen is actually due to a heavy OS. I've now learnt to be just a little bit more patient and I'm doing okay now...

Bye,
Gnam

Bob Russell · 12-16-2004, 02:59 PM

Thanks Gnam,
Those are definitely good tips. I'm using vBar which is based on Wisbar and has that switcher functionality. Before that, one of the alternatives I tried was Magic Button, but it seems to take longer to launch an app in PPC than it did on my Palm, so I keep my frequently used apps running all the time. vBar just worked better for me.

SPB Pocket Plus was almost the perfect solution. I still use it for the tabbed today launcher, and put my favorite apps there. But the switcher and close action in vBar just worked easier for me.

As far as the fonts, I like your observation. It kind of cemented something I've been noticing but didn't know how to put into words. The 240x320 was a stroke of genius for PPC platform because of what you observed.... it is very usable and fits a lot of info on the screen. But the downside is the grainy fonts and displays. I'm actually surprised that it's taken this long for VGA devices and support and that there's so far to go to get software compatibility. But, wow, even now it's very tempting.

Palm HiRes (320x320) compared to PPC 240x320 is like comparing laser printers to the early days of rough dot matrix greenbar printers. It just looks nice. More like an image than a bunch of dots. But in the long run (meaning a few years), I think all devices will have that nice look.

Gnam · 12-16-2004, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobR

Thanks Gnam,
Those are definitely good tips. I'm using vBar which is based on Wisbar and has that switcher functionality. Before that, one of the alternatives I tried was Magic Button, but it seems to take longer to launch an app in PPC than it did on my Palm, so I keep my frequently used apps running all the time. vBar just worked better for me.

I used vBar for a while before buying Wisbar - It's a good freeware but in the end I chose Wisbar because I like being able to see what programs are running via the icons on the taskbar.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobR

SPB Pocket Plus was almost the perfect solution. I still use it for the tabbed today launcher, and put my favorite apps there. But the switcher and close action in vBar just worked easier for me.

Pocket Plus is a good app but I felt that the space that was taken up by the icons was too large (and I always found it untidy). That's why I chose iLauncher2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobR

As far as the fonts, I like your observation. It kind of cemented something I've been noticing but didn't know how to put into words. The 240x320 was a stroke of genius for PPC platform because of what you observed.... it is very usable and fits a lot of info on the screen. But the downside is the grainy fonts and displays.

You worded that quite well yourself!

I agree - I didn't spend the extra money on a VGA device because i had never had a PPC device before and I wasn't sure I was going to find myself at home. I wish I could go back now - I would certainly go for an X50v (or Loox720).

C'ya,
Gnam

cbarnett · 12-16-2004, 05:45 PM

I've got a question. How many of our current PPC owners have Cleartype enabled? I enabled cleartype the day I got my 1930, and have never looked back. It _really_ makes a difference in the quality of the fonts, and the readability. If you've never tried cleartype, you might not know what you're missing.

Craig.

12-11-2004, 12:47 PM	#1
Alexander Turcic Fully Converged Posts: 18,163 Karma: 14021202 Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Switzerland Device: Too many to count here.	Best fonts for reading e-books Once again I am trying to decide which is my favorite font for reading e-books. On my search, I stumbled over SimplytheBest font, a place which alphabetically lists freely available fonts. So far, Georgia seems to provide the best reading quality on my Pocket PC: Georgia is a typeface that provides clarity at low resolutions on the screen. The author has successfully managed to create a typeface family which combines high legibility with character and charm. What font do you like best for reading e-books? I am also curious to hear if commercial fonts (e.g. by Agfa) are superior to freely available ones. (related threads at MR: link, link)

12-13-2004, 12:38 PM	#6
Traecer Prime Connoisseur Posts: 54 Karma: 27 Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Time and Space, the perfect escape Device: Sony PRS-T2	Bitstream Vera Sans and Lucida Sans Unicode I use Bitstream Vera Sans and Lucida Sans Unicode on my Palm Tungsten T3 with WordSmith's FineType software. They come across as very clean, clear fonts; excellent for reading and editing documents.

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12-11-2004, 12:57 PM	#2
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Nice site Alex. I just wish they categorized or listed fonts best for PDAs. On Palm, I was thrilled with "microsoft sans serif" On PPC with 240x320, a lot of fonts great on Palm just don't work well. I'm stuck with Tahoma 10 as my favorite right now, but it's pretty good. I look forward to trying Georgia, even though space is precious.

12-11-2004, 04:39 PM	#4
RobertS Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2004 Device: T\|C, TH-55, h2210, T\|E	On my Palms I am a big fan of MS Dialog Light for use on iSilo. I also will use Verdana now and again. For me, the smaller the better when using PDA fonts. For that reason I don't tend to read ebooks on my iPaq since I just can't the same font size on the h2210's 240x320 resolution. However, since I should be aquiring an hx4700 early next year, that could change. Regards, R

12-12-2004, 07:12 PM	#5
cbarnett MR prodigal son Posts: 1,085 Karma: 1083739 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura H2O	Yep, I like Tahoma with cleartype enabled, of course. Very nice on the eyes, and easy to read. BTW, thanks for the tip and link to fonts on storage. Very nice!! Craig.

12-15-2004, 05:58 PM	#7
Gnam Member Posts: 14 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Italy Device: Dell Axim X30 & Palm TE	I've tried Bitstream Vera Sans on my X30 but in the end went back to Tahoma. I'll give Georgia a try but I'm discovering that my TE is much easier on my eyes than the 320x240 Axim screen. That's a pity because I just love the jog-dial on the Axim - at least I still have a use for my old TE! Gnam ;P

12-15-2004, 06:50 PM	#8
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Yeah, I'm getting a bit fed up with a couple things on PPC myself. I love the device and the "fun" nature of it, but... 1) No matter how good the font, 240x320 stinks. 2) Okay means a lot of different things in different places. And it seems to be so hard to get data in the way you want. Bad PIM software? I think it's more the OS, or at least OS culture because I'm using PI, which is one of the top two products out there, and is really nice except for the silly interface common to most PPC programs. My digitizer/screen protector combo doesn't help. Probably a combination of lo-res digitizing and interference from my screen protector, but it doesn't always register the way I want it to. Not so bad on Palm, but on PPC that seems to always cause the program to do the worst things! Okay, sorry about the rant... I'm just a little frustrated right now.

12-16-2004, 02:59 PM	#10
Bob Russell Recovering Gadget Addict Posts: 5,381 Karma: 676161 Join Date: May 2004 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Device: iPad	Thanks Gnam, Those are definitely good tips. I'm using vBar which is based on Wisbar and has that switcher functionality. Before that, one of the alternatives I tried was Magic Button, but it seems to take longer to launch an app in PPC than it did on my Palm, so I keep my frequently used apps running all the time. vBar just worked better for me. SPB Pocket Plus was almost the perfect solution. I still use it for the tabbed today launcher, and put my favorite apps there. But the switcher and close action in vBar just worked easier for me. As far as the fonts, I like your observation. It kind of cemented something I've been noticing but didn't know how to put into words. The 240x320 was a stroke of genius for PPC platform because of what you observed.... it is very usable and fits a lot of info on the screen. But the downside is the grainy fonts and displays. I'm actually surprised that it's taken this long for VGA devices and support and that there's so far to go to get software compatibility. But, wow, even now it's very tempting. Palm HiRes (320x320) compared to PPC 240x320 is like comparing laser printers to the early days of rough dot matrix greenbar printers. It just looks nice. More like an image than a bunch of dots. But in the long run (meaning a few years), I think all devices will have that nice look.

12-16-2004, 05:45 PM	#12
cbarnett MR prodigal son Posts: 1,085 Karma: 1083739 Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Australia Device: Kobo Aura H2O	I've got a question. How many of our current PPC owners have Cleartype enabled? I enabled cleartype the day I got my 1930, and have never looked back. It _really_ makes a difference in the quality of the fonts, and the readability. If you've never tried cleartype, you might not know what you're missing. Craig.

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