Do you prefer justified or left-aligned text on a your ereader?

[JSWolf]

If you need a font size that's large enough to give you too many lines that have wide gaps, then you do need a new setup. That size font would look awful left-justified and look awful justified. So you do need a program or Reader that hyphenates so you don't have as many gaps and won't n3ed to left-justify.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by kacir

I am on the opposite side of spectrum than you - no problems with reading ever, very fast reader, and I strongly prefer ragged right.

We were conditioned to like full justification, because books are usually printed that way, but the [paper] books have enough characters on line that you do not get this uneven-spacing problems. Plus, typesetting for printed books used to be done by a trained human hand that can address problems with non-uniform typographical grey.

Newspaper columns are also printed that way - typically very narrow columns, but they have to be printed with full justification, because otherwise you would have difficulty seeing the right border of the column.

I actually used to want full justification and would edit the css or do a conversion in Calibre. When I needed larger font sizes I hated that so I had to go back and edit or convert again to get ragged right. I use Moon+ now so I don't have to worry about that anymore.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

That looks awful. Terrible font, wide gaps, and no hyphenation. I'll stick with a program & Reader that handles typesetting that works for me.

I used Bookari for that and it can't do ragged right anymore so I don't use it. The font I use makes it easier to read for me.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

If you need a font size that's large enough to give you too many lines that have wide gaps, then you do need a new setup. That size font would look awful left-justified and look awful justified. So you do need a program or Reader that hyphenates so you don't have as many gaps and won't n3ed to left-justify.

Full justify still leaves variable spaces between words and I don't like it. I use Moon+ now which gives me what I need.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Full justify still leaves variable spaces between words and I don't like it. I use Moon+ now which gives me what I need.

What device do you use to read with?

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Just curious - would you be able to read something like this? I was going also do a screen print with a ragged right, but I forgot that Bookari can't do left justify anymore.

Attachment 153643

No, but not because of the gaps, I prefer that over a ragged right. I think the font is way too large for the screen. I can't see sentences at all with a layout like that, it's all a jumble of words.
It's one reason why I don't read a lot of on my phone, even though it's a 5.5" screen. It's too small and I'd have to make the font very small to get enough words on a line. My tablet is 16:10 and that makes a world of difference in my eyes.

The problem I have with ragged right is similar to why I can't read that screenshot. I can't see the paragraphs. You have two ways to seperate parts in a chapter: newline and whitespace. They both have a different function. The newline is a minor break, the whitespace is a larger break. And the newline is only visible if you have a justified text (as that sentence will almost never (there are always exceptions!) hug the right margin.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What device do you use to read with?

I use Tab S 8.4, HD 8, Boyue T62+, and Galaxy S6.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

No, but not because of the gaps, I prefer that over a ragged right. I think the font is way too large for the screen. I can't see sentences at all with a layout like that, it's all a jumble of words.
It's one reason why I don't read a lot of on my phone, even though it's a 5.5" screen. It's too small and I'd have to make the font very small to get enough words on a line. My tablet is 16:10 and that makes a world of difference in my eyes.

The problem I have with ragged right is similar to why I can't read that screenshot. I can't see the paragraphs. You have two ways to seperate parts in a chapter: newline and whitespace. They both have a different function. The newline is a minor break, the whitespace is a larger break. And the newline is only visible if you have a justified text (as that sentence will almost never (there are always exceptions!) hug the right margin.

The font may be too large for you, but it's not for me.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

The font may be too large for you, but it's not for me.

I was going to say. Doesn't matter what size screen I am reading on, my eyes don't change. The size font I use doesn't change from my kindle to my phone. I can't suddenly make it smaller and still see the letters. I don't read on my phone very much, I am probably a step below your font. At least for now. I used to be #3 on kindles, I am now #4. So I expect that to continue going down hill for me.
Checking on my Oasis, I can to go #6 and not have those spaces in between the words. So I have a bit of time to go before I have to worry about that. At #7, things are not justified anymore. Its just ragged on my Oasis. So they don't even try at that point.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I use Tab S 8.4, HD 8, Boyue T62+, and Galaxy S6.

All of those should support hyphenation with some app or what came with the device. So I see no problem with justified. Just don't use the Kindle app as that's hit and very miss.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

All of those should support hyphenation with some app or what came with the device. So I see no problem with justified. Just don't use the Kindle app as that's hit and very miss.

I see a problem with hyphenation - I don't like it. I just use apps that can do left justified. Also on the S6 it would end up with almost every line hyphenated.

So I guess you hate reading posts on MobileRead? It's left justified.

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by Atunah

I was going to say. Doesn't matter what size screen I am reading on, my eyes don't change. The size font I use doesn't change from my kindle to my phone. I can't suddenly make it smaller and still see the letters. I don't read on my phone very much, I am probably a step below your font. At least for now. I used to be #3 on kindles, I am now #4. So I expect that to continue going down hill for me.
Checking on my Oasis, I can to go #6 and not have those spaces in between the words. So I have a bit of time to go before I have to worry about that. At #7, things are not justified anymore. Its just ragged on my Oasis. So they don't even try at that point.

That's why I don't like Kindles. You can't always get a font size to your liking - once you get to the larger sizes it goes from a little too small to huge in one step. Moon+ is great for that - you can go up in size point by point so you'll always find a font size that works for you.

[Atunah]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

That's why I don't like Kindles. You can't always get a font size to your liking - once you get to the larger sizes it goes from a little too small to huge in one step. Moon+ is great for that - you can go up in size point by point so you'll always find a font size that works for you.

Unfortunately that wouldn't be an option for me as I can only read on e-ink. For now the sizes I can read on kindles are fine. I can still do 2 more larger, which I hope will last me for a few more years. I'll reassess at that point.

Although I do agree with you on sometimes the sizes on kindles are a bit in between. There was a time I wanted something between 3 and 4. Now I am pretty much needing 4 so its perfect. But there might come a time I would need a step between 4 and 5. Maybe by then there will be more font steps.

[Sweetpea]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

So I guess you hate reading posts on MobileRead? It's left justified.

Posts with one or two paragraphs are fine, but those longer ones are usually skipped by me. I just can't read them. My eyes will go all over the place and I'll only see words, not sentences.

[mbovenka]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Unfortunately that wouldn't be an option for me as I can only read on e-ink. For now the sizes I can read on kindles are fine. I can still do 2 more larger, which I hope will last me for a few more years. I'll reassess at that point.

You could get one of the Android E-ink tablets/readers (whatever you want to call them) and install Moon+ on that.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Atunah

Unfortunately that wouldn't be an option for me as I can only read on e-ink. For now the sizes I can read on kindles are fine. I can still do 2 more larger, which I hope will last me for a few more years. I'll reassess at that point.

Although I do agree with you on sometimes the sizes on kindles are a bit in between. There was a time I wanted something between 3 and 4. Now I am pretty much needing 4 so its perfect. But there might come a time I would need a step between 4 and 5. Maybe by then there will be more font steps.

The Kobo Aura H2O or Kobo Aura One sounds like it would do you well. You have many more choices of font sizes. Because they are larger screens than 6", when you need a larger font size, they will display better than on a 6" screen.