First Ereader. Tips & Tricks

Casums180 · 01-15-2021, 10:05 AM

Hey all,
TL/DR: Just bought a Kobo, other than adding books to it, what else is something I should do to it right out of the box? Tips & Tricks welcomed.

Long time lurker, first time posting. I am excited to say that I just received my first ever Ereader. (well technically it will be delivered today while at work.)

After reading and watching many reviews for many different readers, I decided to order a Kobo Libra H20 and am vary excited about it. I am rather tech savvy so I shouldn't have any issues with setting up the device and getting some books on it. I already set up Calibre and have a handful of books ready to go.

With that said, as a noob, my question to you is; other than putting books on the device, what are some of the first things I should do? I know this is rather open ended but is there anything you discovered while using the device that you wish you had done sooner?
Ideal settings? Added a wallpaper, sideloaded certain programs, stick to one file format, etc. etc.

I still plan to dive around this Kobo specific section and I am sure i will find best practices and ideas but I appreciate your input.

Thank you.

Sirtel · 01-15-2021, 11:08 AM

The first thing to do is to load a few books and read. Play with different settings. Then decide if something bothers you or if you want to change something. And then you may wish to learn about patching, custom fonts, epub vs kepub and all the rest.

When I got my first Kobo, I did just that and decided almost immediately that I want to patch, to improve my reading experience. But the Kobo was not my first ereader. So, take your time. There's no rush.

ps67 · 01-15-2021, 11:10 AM

It is something personal because everyone has different preferences and needs.
My advice is to take a few days and use it as it is, then see what you like and what you don't and check if there are any improvements available on this forum.
And then you can really indulge yourself: here there is everything. Personally I have inserted some fonts, I have applied some patches (and perhaps the one related to the weight of the fonts also for your personal fonts is one of the most used). And then I installed Koreader, Nickel Menu, NickelSeries and a custom dictionary.

JSWolf · 01-15-2021, 11:16 AM

Before I bought my H2O, I did spend some time int he Kobo forum having a read to find out about Kobo. I didn't want a Kindle or nook so I decided to look into Kobo.

Most of us use Calibre to manage our eBooks and remove any DRM. This means we can by ePub from shops like Kobo and eBooks.com, We can also buy eBooks from Amazon and convert them to read with our Kobo.

Have a read of this thread. It also applies to the Libra.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=334173

Casums180 · 01-15-2021, 03:18 PM

Thank you for the reply's. I will test it out as is and that evolve as necessary

currentsitguy · 01-16-2021, 12:49 PM

I guess the first piece of advice I's offer is if you're not active using your wifi turn it, and autosync off. They eat your battery

Quoth · 01-17-2021, 01:17 PM

I've not found the need to patch or hack my Kobos. Same not true on Kindle. Some of the patches for a DXG are nice, but I only kept the sleep cover = book cover as I only test mobi files with the DXG.

There are few useful settings that can be changed in the reader.conf textfile using a UNIX respecting editor like Notepad++ on windows. Any text editor on Linux. The actual settings that work depend on model and FW version.

Readirect · 02-04-2021, 06:17 PM

Calibre is the best tip/trick that I know, especially with Kobo. It lets you manage your library, automatically sort books into categories on your Kobo, easily move ebooks to your reader without regard to drm-status, (completely) edit the ebook; automatically fixing errors, changing formats, reducing size by removing/changing graphics/cover, add/modify/delete metadata ... and much (much) more.

Calibre is free open-source software than runs on your PC or Mac (or Linux machine.)

01-15-2021, 10:05 AM	#1
Casums180 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2021 Device: Kobo Libra H2O	First Ereader. Tips & Tricks Hey all, TL/DR: Just bought a Kobo, other than adding books to it, what else is something I should do to it right out of the box? Tips & Tricks welcomed. Long time lurker, first time posting. I am excited to say that I just received my first ever Ereader. (well technically it will be delivered today while at work.) After reading and watching many reviews for many different readers, I decided to order a Kobo Libra H20 and am vary excited about it. I am rather tech savvy so I shouldn't have any issues with setting up the device and getting some books on it. I already set up Calibre and have a handful of books ready to go. With that said, as a noob, my question to you is; other than putting books on the device, what are some of the first things I should do? I know this is rather open ended but is there anything you discovered while using the device that you wish you had done sooner? Ideal settings? Added a wallpaper, sideloaded certain programs, stick to one file format, etc. etc. I still plan to dive around this Kobo specific section and I am sure i will find best practices and ideas but I appreciate your input. Thank you.

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01-15-2021, 11:08 AM	#2
Sirtel Grand Sorcerer Posts: 13,470 Karma: 239219543 Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Estonia Device: Kobo Sage & Libra 2	The first thing to do is to load a few books and read. Play with different settings. Then decide if something bothers you or if you want to change something. And then you may wish to learn about patching, custom fonts, epub vs kepub and all the rest. When I got my first Kobo, I did just that and decided almost immediately that I want to patch, to improve my reading experience. But the Kobo was not my first ereader. So, take your time. There's no rush.

01-15-2021, 11:10 AM	#3
ps67 Guru Posts: 755 Karma: 7025494 Join Date: Aug 2017 Location: Italy Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Elipsa, Pocketbook Inkpad 4, Inkpad Color	It is something personal because everyone has different preferences and needs. My advice is to take a few days and use it as it is, then see what you like and what you don't and check if there are any improvements available on this forum. And then you can really indulge yourself: here there is everything. Personally I have inserted some fonts, I have applied some patches (and perhaps the one related to the weight of the fonts also for your personal fonts is one of the most used). And then I installed Koreader, Nickel Menu, NickelSeries and a custom dictionary.

01-15-2021, 11:16 AM	#4
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 79,750 Karma: 145864619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Before I bought my H2O, I did spend some time int he Kobo forum having a read to find out about Kobo. I didn't want a Kindle or nook so I decided to look into Kobo. Most of us use Calibre to manage our eBooks and remove any DRM. This means we can by ePub from shops like Kobo and eBooks.com, We can also buy eBooks from Amazon and convert them to read with our Kobo. Have a read of this thread. It also applies to the Libra. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=334173

01-15-2021, 03:18 PM	#5
Casums180 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2021 Device: Kobo Libra H2O	Thank you for the reply's. I will test it out as is and that evolve as necessary

01-16-2021, 12:49 PM	#6
currentsitguy Junior Member Posts: 6 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2014 Device: Kobo Aura HD	I guess the first piece of advice I's offer is if you're not active using your wifi turn it, and autosync off. They eat your battery

01-17-2021, 01:17 PM	#7
Quoth Still reading Posts: 14,025 Karma: 105092227 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	I've not found the need to patch or hack my Kobos. Same not true on Kindle. Some of the patches for a DXG are nice, but I only kept the sleep cover = book cover as I only test mobi files with the DXG. There are few useful settings that can be changed in the reader.conf textfile using a UNIX respecting editor like Notepad++ on windows. Any text editor on Linux. The actual settings that work depend on model and FW version.

02-04-2021, 06:17 PM	#8
Readirect Zealot Posts: 134 Karma: 20456 Join Date: Apr 2014 Device: KPW1	Calibre is the best tip/trick that I know, especially with Kobo. It lets you manage your library, automatically sort books into categories on your Kobo, easily move ebooks to your reader without regard to drm-status, (completely) edit the ebook; automatically fixing errors, changing formats, reducing size by removing/changing graphics/cover, add/modify/delete metadata ... and much (much) more. Calibre is free open-source software than runs on your PC or Mac (or Linux machine.)

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