Preparing fonts for eInk devices - Page 2

GERGE · 05-24-2015, 02:51 PM

I don't think a screenshot is sufficient but it is helpful, that is why I have given both a screenshot and photo.

Every medium which text is shown is different, that is why they require their own typefaces. This typefaces could be modifications of old typefaces but every new medium requires its own design. This is because the way they show the letters are different. Laser printing, crt screens, lcd screens, they all have different printing and rendering (whichever applies) techniques; therefore fonts should conform to them.

Lcd, for example, has geometrically aligned pixels, and this is why we have hinting. Office laser printers had a very low dpi compared to professional printing when they were first introduced, so Charter got designed.

eInk is different too. Designed for eink means that typeface should be designed to be shown on eink screens. For example, eink isn't as detailed as printing, so typefaces shouldn't have too fine details (as far as printing goes, eink has very low dpi; this is why Charis SIL and Charter works so very well). eInk renders type thinly, so letters should have more weight to them. Letters' x-heights should be higher. This kind of things.

John F · 05-24-2015, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GERGE

I don't think a screenshot is sufficient but it is helpful, that is why I have given both a screenshot and photo.

Every medium which text is shown is different, that is why they require their own typefaces. This typefaces could be modifications of old typefaces but every new medium requires its own design. This is because the way they show the letters are different. Laser printing, crt screens, lcd screens, they all have different printing and rendering (whichever applies) techniques; therefore fonts should conform to them.

Lcd, for example, has geometrically aligned pixels, and this is why we have hinting. Office laser printers had a very low dpi compared to professional printing when they were first introduced, so Charter got designed.

eInk is different too. Designed for eink means that typeface should be designed to be shown on eink screens. For example, eink isn't as detailed as printing, so typefaces shouldn't have too fine details (as far as printing goes, eink has very low dpi; this is why Charis SIL and Charter works so very well). eInk renders type thinly, so letters should have more weight to them. Letters' x-heights should be higher. This kind of things.

I can see for lower dpi devices, it is more important, but once you are getting to "display" devices at >= 300dpi, does it really matter that much? How can you really tell/compare by going from a screen dump (that is supposed to go to an eink display) on an LCD.

What dpi capture device (camera/scanner) and display dpi would you need to do a proper evaluation.

What I'm saying is that I think a good font that is designed for a generic 300 dpi device would be fine by me. I think.

GERGE · 05-25-2015, 01:53 AM

300 dpi is actually very low compared to printing. The typeface I talked about, Carter's Charter was designed because in the 80s printers' resolution was so low, usual typefaces weren't performing as well as they should. And that low resolution was 300 dpi.

Computer screens have even lower resolutions, but they fix it with font rasterization. That is things like hinting.

And you can compare with eink screen dumbs somehow (don't forget that it is not perfect, just useful when used along with a photo) because it is a picture taken by the reader. Reader renders the font, and takes an image. No font rendering is done on the computer.

A good designed for 300 dpi would of course work, but it would still need some small adjustments, like the weight problem.

JSWolf · 05-25-2015, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

Is a "screen shot" (a direct image dump) sufficient for evaluating font quality for high dpi eink screens? I see "font designed for eink screen", but what does that mean?

Have a look here at the etext fonts specifically modified for eInk screens.

http://www.linotype.com/6991/etextfonts.html

Nate the great · 05-25-2015, 05:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John F

Is a "screen shot" (a direct image dump) sufficient for evaluating font quality for high dpi eink screens? I see "font designed for eink screen", but what does that mean?

No. As this video shows us, there is a huge difference between whatthe ereader thinks it is showing us and what appears on screen:
http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/0...d-equal-video/

John F · 05-25-2015, 06:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Have a look here at the etext fonts specifically modified for eInk screens.

http://www.linotype.com/6991/etextfonts.html

The link doesn't say "specifically for eink", it says for low resolution devices (like smartphones, tablets, and eink).

I see differences, but I don't know what to make of them. If I like a lighter font I would like the one on the left, if I liked a heavier font I would like the one on the right. Wouldn't you need different DPI devices, side by side, to see if they look the same?

GERGE · 05-25-2015, 06:23 AM

No, you wouldn't. You can just try them one by one on your ereader and see the difference.

On an ereader, type wouldn't be as heavy as it is in the picture. eInk renders types thinly.

John F · 05-25-2015, 06:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

No. As this video shows us, there is a huge difference between whatthe ereader thinks it is showing us and what appears on screen:
http://the-digital-reader.com/2015/0...d-equal-video/

Thank you for the link. He mentions that they have their own render/rasterizer that takes into account the type of screen (for thinks like contrast), do any of eink readers use a similar kind of rasterizer (is this what the advanced font setting / weight on Kobos is doing)?

albaran · 05-27-2015, 07:36 AM

Good recommendations, but how to remove hinting using FontForge? and to be sure that hinting is effectively removed?

GERGE · 05-27-2015, 08:04 AM

You don't need to make any changes to the font files, simple untick the TrueType Hints option in the Generate Font screen.

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05-24-2015, 02:51 PM	#16
GERGE Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 5797160 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Istanbul Device: Kobo Libra	I don't think a screenshot is sufficient but it is helpful, that is why I have given both a screenshot and photo. Every medium which text is shown is different, that is why they require their own typefaces. This typefaces could be modifications of old typefaces but every new medium requires its own design. This is because the way they show the letters are different. Laser printing, crt screens, lcd screens, they all have different printing and rendering (whichever applies) techniques; therefore fonts should conform to them. Lcd, for example, has geometrically aligned pixels, and this is why we have hinting. Office laser printers had a very low dpi compared to professional printing when they were first introduced, so Charter got designed. eInk is different too. Designed for eink means that typeface should be designed to be shown on eink screens. For example, eink isn't as detailed as printing, so typefaces shouldn't have too fine details (as far as printing goes, eink has very low dpi; this is why Charis SIL and Charter works so very well). eInk renders type thinly, so letters should have more weight to them. Letters' x-heights should be higher. This kind of things.

05-25-2015, 01:53 AM	#18
GERGE Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 5797160 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Istanbul Device: Kobo Libra	300 dpi is actually very low compared to printing. The typeface I talked about, Carter's Charter was designed because in the 80s printers' resolution was so low, usual typefaces weren't performing as well as they should. And that low resolution was 300 dpi. Computer screens have even lower resolutions, but they fix it with font rasterization. That is things like hinting. And you can compare with eink screen dumbs somehow (don't forget that it is not perfect, just useful when used along with a photo) because it is a picture taken by the reader. Reader renders the font, and takes an image. No font rendering is done on the computer. A good designed for 300 dpi would of course work, but it would still need some small adjustments, like the weight problem.

05-25-2015, 06:23 AM	#22
GERGE Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 5797160 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Istanbul Device: Kobo Libra	No, you wouldn't. You can just try them one by one on your ereader and see the difference. On an ereader, type wouldn't be as heavy as it is in the picture. eInk renders types thinly.

05-27-2015, 07:36 AM	#24
albaran Member Posts: 21 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Kobo Aura H2O - Nook Touch Glow	Good recommendations, but how to remove hinting using FontForge? and to be sure that hinting is effectively removed?

05-27-2015, 08:04 AM	#25
GERGE Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 5797160 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Istanbul Device: Kobo Libra	You don't need to make any changes to the font files, simple untick the TrueType Hints option in the Generate Font screen.

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