What Font Type(s) do you prefer? - Page 2

WillAdams · 08-13-2008, 01:26 PM

I've a number of NASA .pdfs which studied this on my website:

http://members.aol.com/willadams/books-free-type.html

William

IceHand · 08-13-2008, 02:10 PM

The problem with current readers is that the resolution is still too low to display most serif fonts well. Because of that I use a sturdy serif font, which still looks good at 166 dpi. See this post for more information:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...1&postcount=10

ronnn · 08-13-2008, 06:10 PM

I prefer Serif fonts, I think they kind of look more natural (maybe it's because most books are written in serif fonts). On backlit materials (screen/lcd), I find sans-serif fonts more clear and easy to read. On non-backlit materials (ebook reader screen - paper), I still prefer serif fonts. It's difficult to explain why, i kind of find that words in serif have more impact, more weight (yes i'm not really clear, but i tried

)...

But after that, to choose beetween two kind of serif (or sans serif) font is too difficult for me ...

seajewel · 08-13-2008, 08:41 PM

I prefer Serif fonts. I think the Caecilia font that the Amazon Kindle uses looks wonderful on readers, and I personally use Gentium, which is available for free. It also looks great. TNR does not look good on ebook readers in my opinion, at least at small font sizes, so I think Sony made a mistake in using that as the default.

RWood · 08-14-2008, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rhadin

I'm sorry but I no longer have that information. These were studies on typography that I read maybe 15-20 years ago. Of course, one good indication of the truth of the findings is that most books -- and certainly all lengthy ones -- use serif type for the text. They will use sans serif for short passages or for tables and figures, but rarely for body text.

Some years back (read 30+) I took a grad course in publication layout and design. While san-serif fonts seem more "modern", the eye can read serif fonts quicker and with less strain than san-serif fonts. So when possible, use a serif font for the body copy. Titles and insert boxes can be of any font. The serifs, according to what I read at the time, help the eye move along the line and contribute to the identification of the group of characters as a word rather than a collection of letters. This in turn aids the brain in translation of the printed information to concepts. In short, increased reading speed.

The easiest font for me to read is New Century Schoolbook. It, like Bookman, is an open faced, non-condensed font. It takes far more space for a paragraph set in New Century Schoolbook than the same paragraph set in Times New Roman (where even the normal font is somewhat condensed.)

The hardest body font for me to read is New Baskerville. There is something about the construction of the glyphs (or letterforms) that that make it hard for me to read. My speed drops to less than one-half from Times New Roman or New Century Schoolbook and I need a break every few minutes.

On low resolution devices (i.e.: ~ 72 dpi or lower) a san-serif font seems to reproduce better. For the Sony Reader I prefer a sans font. For my cell phone I go the other way and stick to a san-serif font.

jakewastaken · 08-14-2008, 01:25 PM

Can any of you who've pimped your readers out with more agreeable fonts post pictures of your device with a book open? I know I can look up the fonts but I really want to see them "in the wild."

in advance.

IceHand · 08-14-2008, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jakewastaken

Can any of you who've pimped your readers out with more agreeable fonts post pictures of your device with a book open? I know I can look up the fonts but I really want to see them "in the wild."

in advance.

Here's a picture of my Cybook with the font I'm using (Underware's Dolly):
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/att...5&d=1206815904

The top part is a bit out of focus, the middle is mostly sharp though.

EDIT: Oh yeah, you can try the font yourself with this PDF I've made:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/att...4&d=1212944362

jakewastaken · 08-14-2008, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by IceHand

Here's a picture of my Cybook with the font I'm using (Underware's Dolly):
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/att...5&d=1206815904

The top part is a bit out of focus, the middle is mostly sharp though.

EDIT: Oh yeah, you can try the font yourself with this PDF I've made:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/att...4&d=1212944362

Thanks. I want to do some comparisons before I try and swap my default font out.

SurgE · 08-15-2008, 12:12 AM

Here's my 505 on Cambria

mimoviz · 08-15-2008, 11:39 PM

Dear Folks: It is proven fact that our minds are arranged so that we can read the glyphs and connect them into words either with serifs and sans-serif fonts. The real question arises when it comes to the "medium" and apparent size for our eyes.

It is also proven that while sans-serif fonts are easier to read, they are so whenever printed in big sizes. But when we talk about 8-16 we are forced to accept that serif fonts are unmatched.

I really love the Linux Libertine font. Although I would not know how could it be installed in my 505, that font is still the best IMHO.

RWood · 08-16-2008, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mimoviz

Dear Folks: It is proven fact that our minds are arranged so that we can read the glyphs and connect them into words either with serifs and sans-serif fonts. The real question arises when it comes to the "medium" and apparent size for our eyes.

It is also proven that while sans-serif fonts are easier to read, they are so whenever printed in big sizes. But when we talk about 8-16 we are forced to accept that serif fonts are unmatched.

I really love the Linux Libertine font. Although I would not know how could it be installed in my 505, that font is still the best IMHO.

You can pick up the Windows/Mac version of Linux Libertine here and install it on your system. From there you have two choices:

If you have Windows, you can install it as an embedded font in BookDesigner and create your books using it.
If you have either a Windows or Mac machine you can create custom PDF files that use the font and transfer these to your Reader.

Yes, I know that both options involve creating your own books. There was some discussion about replacing the base fonts that Sony uses but I believe this avenue was cut off with a firmware upgrade some time ago.

I hope this helps.

SurgE · 08-16-2008, 11:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWood

Yes, I know that both options involve creating your own books. There was some discussion about replacing the base fonts that Sony uses but I believe this avenue was cut off with a firmware upgrade some time ago.

I hope this helps.

The replacement of base fonts still works

I am running the latest firmware and using cambria as my default font (see attachment in post above)

BlackVoid · 08-18-2008, 03:18 PM

Here is a summary about serif and sans-serif studies with tons of references.
http://www.alexpoole.info/academic/l...urereview.html

The conclusion is, that it does not really matter.

Megatron-UK · 08-19-2008, 08:44 AM

I quite like Palotino Linotype as my main Serif font - usually 9pt.

grimo1re · 08-26-2008, 09:45 AM

I can't decide. Sometimes I format books in a serif font, sometimes in sans-serif....

View Poll Results: What is your prefered Ebook font?
Serif (ie: Times New Roman, Antiqua, Georgia, Bookman)	54	72.97%
Sans Serif (ie: Arial, Eurostile, Tahoma, Century Gothic)	18	24.32%
Other (Please Elaborate in Post)	3	4.05%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 74. You may not vote on this poll

08-15-2008, 12:12 AM	#24
SurgE Serial Bricker Posts: 65 Karma: 104 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Singapore Device: Sony PRS-505, Kindle 3 KSO	Here's my 505 on Cambria Attached Thumbnails

08-15-2008, 11:39 PM	#25
mimoviz Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Barquisimeto, VENEZUELA. Device: Sony Reader PRS-505	Libertine Dear Folks: It is proven fact that our minds are arranged so that we can read the glyphs and connect them into words either with serifs and sans-serif fonts. The real question arises when it comes to the "medium" and apparent size for our eyes. It is also proven that while sans-serif fonts are easier to read, they are so whenever printed in big sizes. But when we talk about 8-16 we are forced to accept that serif fonts are unmatched. I really love the Linux Libertine font. Although I would not know how could it be installed in my 505, that font is still the best IMHO.

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08-13-2008, 01:26 PM	#16
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,258 Karma: 3439432 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	I've a number of NASA .pdfs which studied this on my website: http://members.aol.com/willadams/books-free-type.html William

08-13-2008, 02:10 PM	#17
IceHand Linux User Posts: 323 Karma: 13682 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany Device: Kindle 3	The problem with current readers is that the resolution is still too low to display most serif fonts well. Because of that I use a sturdy serif font, which still looks good at 166 dpi. See this post for more information: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...1&postcount=10

08-13-2008, 06:10 PM	#18
ronnn Member Posts: 24 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: SONY PRS-505	I prefer Serif fonts, I think they kind of look more natural (maybe it's because most books are written in serif fonts). On backlit materials (screen/lcd), I find sans-serif fonts more clear and easy to read. On non-backlit materials (ebook reader screen - paper), I still prefer serif fonts. It's difficult to explain why, i kind of find that words in serif have more impact, more weight (yes i'm not really clear, but i tried )... But after that, to choose beetween two kind of serif (or sans serif) font is too difficult for me ...

08-13-2008, 08:41 PM	#19
seajewel Fanatic Posts: 589 Karma: 1451235 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Sony PRS-505, Sony PRS-950	I prefer Serif fonts. I think the Caecilia font that the Amazon Kindle uses looks wonderful on readers, and I personally use Gentium, which is available for free. It also looks great. TNR does not look good on ebook readers in my opinion, at least at small font sizes, so I think Sony made a mistake in using that as the default.

08-14-2008, 01:25 PM	#21
jakewastaken Media Whore. Posts: 118 Karma: 265 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: IL Device: PRS-505	Can any of you who've pimped your readers out with more agreeable fonts post pictures of your device with a book open? I know I can look up the fonts but I really want to see them "in the wild." in advance.

08-18-2008, 03:18 PM	#28
BlackVoid Evangelist Posts: 415 Karma: 510423 Join Date: Nov 2006 Device: Sony PRS-505	Here is a summary about serif and sans-serif studies with tons of references. http://www.alexpoole.info/academic/l...urereview.html The conclusion is, that it does not really matter.

08-19-2008, 08:44 AM	#29
Megatron-UK Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 22 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: uk Device: Sony PRS505	I quite like Palotino Linotype as my main Serif font - usually 9pt.

08-26-2008, 09:45 AM	#30
grimo1re Geekette Posts: 435 Karma: 3335 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: NSW, Australia Device: Sony Reader PRS500, PocketBook 360	I can't decide. Sometimes I format books in a serif font, sometimes in sans-serif....