Font families not working

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

You can do this if you want, but why is it necessary? I've never needed to embed any fonts (monospace, small-caps, fancy initials etc.) to access them.

Is it still embedding if you access fonts outside of the eBook?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Is it still embedding if you access fonts outside of the eBook?

I'd call that 'referencing', whereas 'embedding' means actually inserting the fonts into each epub. Just a confusion of terms then.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

I'd call that 'referencing', whereas 'embedding' means actually inserting the fonts into each epub. Just a confusion of terms then.

Yes. Just a confusion of terms. I've called it embedding if you have an @font-face in the CSS even if it references an external font.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

The book I am trying to fix is The Martian by Andy Weir. The problem is that the embedded fonts are some sort of free serif, freemono, and freesans. They are way too light for eInk and I did replace the main font and that worked fine. The sans-serif font is tolerable but the default sans-serif font is better. The mono font is lousy. It's very light. When using an external light source, I can read it. But using the front light, it's barely readable. Dark Courier is so much better.

I tried monospace with a div and that did not work. I tried the patch that jackie_w posted and that did not work. I'm beginning to think there is no monospace font.

With the same book, I used the HP's Courier Dark font OI'd added to my fonts directory on the Kobo -- as you oncluded, I could find no accessible monospace font on the Kobo. Then I used the following in the stylesheet using the wrapping monospace text in code tags:

@font-face {
    font-family: monospace;
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: normal;
    src: url('res:///fonts/normal/Dark Courier');
    } 
@font-face {
    font-family: monospace;
    font-weight: normal;
    font-style: italic;
    src: url('res:///fonts/italic/Dark Courier');
    } 
@font-face {
    font-family: monospace;
    font-weight: bold;
    font-style: normal;
    src: url('res:///fonts/bold/Dark Courier');
    } 
@font-face {
    font-family: monospace;
    font-weight: bold;
    font-style: italic;
    src: url('res:///fonts/bolditalic/Dark Courier');
    }

code {
    font-family : "Dark Courier", monospace;
    }

and a sample from the text:

  <p class="paranon bold"><code>PATHFINDER LOG: SOL 0</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>BOOT SEQUENCE INITIATED</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>TIME 00:00:00</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>LOSS OF POWER DETECTED, TIME/DATE UNRELIABLE</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>LOADING OS...</code></p>

  <p class="parabreak">&nbsp;</p>

  <p class="para"><code>VXWARE OPERATING SYSTEM (C) WIND RIVER SYSTEMS</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>PERFORMING HARDWARE CHECK:</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>INT. TEMPERATURE: -34C</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>EXT. TEMPERATURE: NONFUNCTIONAL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>BATTERY: FULL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>HIGAIN: OK</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>LOGAIN: OK</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>WIND SENSOR: NONFUNCTIONAL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>METEOROLOGY: NONFUNCTIONAL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>ASI: NONFUNCTIONAL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>IMAGER: OK</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>ROVER RAMP: NONFUNCTIONAL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>SOLAR A: NONFUNCTIONAL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>SOLAR B: NONFUNCTIONAL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>SOLAR C: NONFUNCTIONAL</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>HARDWARE CHECK COMPLETE</code></p>

  <p class="parabreak">&nbsp;</p>

  <p class="para"><code>BROADCASTING STATUS</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>LISTENING FOR TELEMETRY SIGNAL...</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>LISTENING FOR TELEMETRY SIGNAL...</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>LISTENING FOR TELEMETRY SIGNAL...</code></p>

  <p class="para"><code>SIGNAL ACQUIRED</code></p>

which gives the Teletype text look I was looking for though it does make it specific to a Kobo with the Dark Courier font installed.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by DNSB

... though it does make it specific to a Kobo with the Dark Courier font installed.

... which is why it's better, IMO, to add those Kobo-specific @font-faces to the kobo_extra.css file. That way the epub will get the Kobo-specific code added only during send-to-device to a Kobo. If sending to any other device (Sony, Android, Nook etc) it will get the 'plain vanilla' epub from the calibre library.