Page number hard to read

[frieslander]

How do. Change the page number size at the bottom of the page when converting ePub files for my Kobo eReader. I am 73 and have a hard time to read the page number. I wish there was a way for the page number to increase as I make my text size bigger. Thanks in advance.

[AnemicOak]

Page numbers are displayed as part of the reader software on the Kobo, not the book file itself. I don't know if there is any kind of hack for the Kobo that would allow you to adjust this or not but you could ask in the Kobo section of the forums.

[JSWolf]

You cannot change the page number size when you change the text size. But, there are patches that you can apply that will allow you to increase the size of the page number.

You need to look in the Kobo Developers Corner forum to find the patch thread for the version of the firmware that you are using. If you need help with the patches, you can ask in the thread for the patches.

[BetterRed]

Moderator Notice
Not a Calibre issue, moved to the Kobo Forum - BR

[frieslander]

Originally Posted by BetterRed

Not a Calibre issue, moved to the Kobo Forum - BR

But I was also asking no if it coul be changed during the conversion mode in Calibre, the text can be changed there so I assumed the footer or page number could be changed too.

[AnemicOak]

They aren't part of the book file so there is nothing to change on conversion. They are generated by your device.

[davidfor]

Originally Posted by frieslander

But I was also asking no if it coul be changed during the conversion mode in Calibre, the text can be changed there so I assumed the footer or page number could be changed too.

As AnemicOak said, it is part of the interface, not the book. The interface can be changed using some patches. You probably want to start with Modifications for bad eyes. Otherwise, there is patch thread for each firmware version and you can pick what you want to use from that.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by frieslander

How do. Change the page number size at the bottom of the page when converting ePub files for my Kobo eReader. I am 73 and have a hard time to read the page number. I wish there was a way for the page number to increase as I make my text size bigger. Thanks in advance.

You can't do this from within the epub file. The footer is generated by the firmware. If you take a look at GeoffR's patches, there is setting in the nickel patch to control the header height and the size of the font used in the header. Using my KA1 as an example, the default value is 34 pixels which you can modify as needed within the limits of the footer size. A large increase in the font size would likely require a matching increase in the footer though the default font size of 34 pixels is maintained while reducing the footer height from 90 pixels to 68 pixels suggesting that leaving the footer height at 90 pixels would allow increasing the text from 34 to 56 pixels without issues. For other devices, the values are different but the idea would remain the same.

The thread for firmware 4.2.8110 is found at Instructions for patching firmware 4.2.8110, earlier versions are in the stickies for the Kobo Developer's Corner subforum.

Please make sure to match the firmware version to the patch version. It's not a good idea to try mix and match patching.

Alternatively if you want to do more than increase the footer text size, you can try the Modifcations for bad eyes patch suggested by davidfor. Check the Modifcations for bad eyes thread. Very similar to using GeoffR's patches but oriented to making Kobo ereaders easier for people with eyesight issues to use. Again, these patches are firmware version dependent.