What Font Type(s) do you prefer?

[Valloric]

Originally Posted by dordale

Page turns are noticeably slower than when using the fonts provided by the reader.

Still noticeably slower? So changing the default fonts still looks like the way to go.

[dordale]

Valloric--I would agree that based on my experience changing the default fonts would be preferable over embedding fonts. In my very informal tests, it takes about 3 secs for the page to change in the book with embedded fonts compared to 1/2 sec in the book with the default fonts.

For me, since I don't need any special font sets and I don't mind the reader's default fonts, I think that's what I'll stay with.

dordale

[reak]

Well, I know that a pdf file may have fonts embedded but what if NO fonts are embedded, can you then display the text with your own font? I've flashed my reader with a georgia font and it is indeed there in LRF books but when I switch to a PDF file (which does NOT have any embedded fonts according to Adobe Acrobat), well, the text is in the same default sony Dutch. I wonder where sony gets the font from if I've changed the font file and it's not in the pdf book either. Or is it still there, even though not reported by Acrobat?

Does anybody know if one can do anything about it? And yes, it is indeed a text-pdf, not an image-based file.

[Peto]

I use Futura Lt Bt and nothing more. It is funny how picky one gets, given the chance. I used to read anything in any size, but now I can choose, I get lazy towards anything I have not changed into Futura.

Still, you should pick your own font. This is a rather personal issue.

Right now I create the books with Word and turn them into PDFs with embedded fonts. The page turns are really fast and the edition remains unaltered.

My config constants are these:

Word page: 9x11,7 cm.
Margins: Top: 0,6, Bottom, -0,2, Left: 0,3, Right:0,2 Header: 0,1 Foot:0,0.
Font: Futura Lt Bt, 13 points. Header: 8 points itallic. Titles: whatever.
Paragraphs: justified with 0,2 cm bled, 3points post paragraph space.
Cover: 765x588 mm at 166 dpp

Once done, you print to PDF and crop all pages: Top:0; Bottom:180; Sides:60.

The result is perfect (IMHO).

The Drawback, if any, is the increased file size, which for me is none of an issue since it affects nothing except the number of books you can store.

Once you are done

[nindustrial]

this might be the wrong topic to post this to, but does anyone have a summary anywhere of how font embedding works on the sony prs-505? im looking for answers to questions like:

- do all file formats embed their chosen fonts (lrf, epub, pdf, rtf, html) and display correctly on the reader?
- if i want to force text to be say Helvetica, whats the fastest way (without hacking my reader) to create a book that uses Helvetica to display its text? (i.e., should i convert to rtf, lrf, epub, or pdf etc?)
- is there any way to make this a global setting; choose a specific font for ALL books (with or without hacking the reader)?

tia

[Valloric]

Originally Posted by nindustrial

- do all file formats embed their chosen fonts (lrf, epub, pdf, rtf, html) and display correctly on the reader?

It depends on the format.

- PDF yes (although stay far, far away from it)
- RTF no
- you can't display HTML directly on the Reader
- LRF if you embed it at the creation of the file
- EPUB I have no idea

Originally Posted by nindustrial

- if i want to force text to be say Helvetica, whats the fastest way (without hacking my reader) to create a book that uses Helvetica to display its text? (i.e., should i convert to rtf, lrf, epub, or pdf etc?)

If you want to embed a font into a file, go with LRF. It's the Reader's default format. To create such a file, use Book Designer.

Bear in mind that page turning is a lot slower with embedded fonts.

Originally Posted by nindustrial

- is there any way to make this a global setting; choose a specific font for ALL books (with or without hacking the reader)?

Yes, there is. It does involve installing a modified firmware, but it's a quick and painless process that is completely reversible. Page turning is also as fast as with the default fonts. You can find a very detailed, step-by-step guide on how to achieve what you're asking here.

[wallcraft]

EPub supports embedded fonts, and I assume they display on the PRS-505. One DRM-free ePub with an embedded font (MinionPro) is Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This is a nice example of some other ePub features too (text wrapping round images, text in the form of a tail, etcetera).

[Peto]

Originally Posted by Valloric

- PDF yes (although stay far, far away from it)

Well, I have tried txt, rtf, lrf and pdf. The Reader copes pittifuly with A4 PDFs, but if you make them with the right page and font size, the result is PERFECT and the page turn much faster than that of an LRF with embedded fonts.

Try it for yourselves, page size 9 x 11,70 font size about 12-14. Use any font, embed it and try it out. I have been reading LRFs since January, but now I am using PDFs.