Anyone use a custom font regularly?

[BookCat]

@Waitingforatrain: Why don't you just convert to azw3 which supports custom fonts beautifully? I realise that you want to synch your devices; can't this be done with azw3 rather than mobi?

Personally I don't bother synching. I sideload to both my kindles and put different books on each; can't see the point in filling their memory with the same books.

[Waitingforatrain]

Originally Posted by BookCat

@Waitingforatrain: Why don't you just convert to azw3 which supports custom fonts beautifully? I realise that you want to synch your devices; can't this be done with azw3 rather than mobi?

Personally I don't bother synching. I sideload to both my kindles and put different books on each; can't see the point in filling their memory with the same books.

Unfortunately you can't email/send to kindle azw3s so can't sync. I usually read one book at a time. I think that I will just have to make a note of where I leave off with these troublesome ones OR just stick with the standard fonts for those. I am just being stubborn.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Waitingforatrain

Unfortunately you can't email/send to kindle azw3s so can't sync. I usually read one book at a time. I think that I will just have to make a note of where I leave off with these troublesome ones OR just stick with the standard fonts for those. I am just being stubborn.

I do what BookCat does and put different books on different devices. I don't mind reading multiple books. I usually have 2 or 3 books on the go.

[BookCat]

I just carry the kindle which has the book I'm reading at the moment. They are in totally different covers, so I can easily tell which is which.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by Waitingforatrain

Unfortunately you can't email/send to kindle azw3s so can't sync. I usually read one book at a time. I think that I will just have to make a note of where I leave off with these troublesome ones OR just stick with the standard fonts for those. I am just being stubborn.

I never email anything to a kindle, but multiple people have posted over the years that dual mobis generated by kindlegen can be emailed to kindles. When that is done each device will get the format it can use, sync will work, and azw3 capable devices get all the azw3 benefits.

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

I never email anything to a kindle, but multiple people have posted over the years that dual mobis generated by kindlegen can be emailed to kindles. When that is done each device will get the format it can use, sync will work, and azw3 capable devices get all the azw3 benefits.

That is correct.

You can also get the same effect by emailing an EPUB with the file extension changed to .jpg. That will trick Amazon into running the file through kindlegen for you.

One downside of either of these methods is that the azw3 file delivered will have a generic cover thumbnail image in the Kindle's library view instead of the actual book cover. I think that is a reasonable tradeoff to get syncing and custom fonts, but others may disagree.

[j.p.s]

Originally Posted by jhowell

That is correct.

You can also get the same effect by emailing an EPUB with the file extension changed to .jpg. That will trick Amazon into running the file through kindlegen for you.

One downside of either of these methods is that the azw3 file delivered will have a generic cover thumbnail image in the Kindle's library view instead of the actual book cover. I think that is a reasonable tradeoff to get syncing and custom fonts, but others may disagree.

What happens if you overwrite the generic cover thumbnail with a custom cover thumbnail of your choosing with the same name?

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

What happens if you overwrite the generic cover thumbnail with a custom cover thumbnail of your choosing with the same name?

You can't do it, except with very old firmware.

Modern Kindle firmware won't even look for a thumbnail image if the book is in azw3 format and marked as a personal document. And if you change the file so that it is a "book" instead of a "document" you lose the ability to sync reading position and notes.

[j.p.s]

Thanks. That's just mean.

I only use list view. I wish I could disable thumbnail storage without messing other stuff up.

[Waitingforatrain]

Originally Posted by j.p.s

I never email anything to a kindle, but multiple people have posted over the years that dual mobis generated by kindlegen can be emailed to kindles. When that is done each device will get the format it can use, sync will work, and azw3 capable devices get all the azw3 benefits.

Emailing dual mobis works fine for me. I was just trying to get custom fonts to work all of the time not just most of the time and sync too. I appreciate everyone's tips. Thank you.

[fduniho]

I like to put a large collection of fonts on my Kindle and use different ones at different times. Among the fonts I have installed are Tex Gyre fonts, some Google fonts, some Microsoft fonts, some fonts from Wordperfect, and some other scattered fonts that have been designed for ereading or selected for ereaders. Right now, the font that is selected is TeX Gyre Termes, which is based on Times. Some other fonts I've used recently include PT Serif and Lora, which are both Google fonts.

[Paperbackstash]

I have tried and installed several fonts since I love playing with my Paperwhite; most of us do like messing with our e-readers, otherwise why are we here on an e-reader forum?

That said, I guess I'm ultimately boring because I keep finding my favorite font is still Bookerly. I think Amazon did a great job with it, like the way it looks, and find it a smooth way to read.

There are other fonts I like, although not quite as much as Bookerly, so I leave that one on by default and forget about it for the most part.

I mainly read on my PW4 since that's my main, but since I have to keep bolded at 2 for contrast, I may miss out on some subtle nuances of the fonts like I could see on PW3.

Here are some I've enjoyed the look of with the larger bold besides Bookerly -

Georgia is great, as is CharInk.

I like Lusitana and Linux Libertine and can read on them for awhile - but preferred them on PW3.

Noto Serif is good and I can read with that one, it's one of my favorites although a little flatter than Bookerly.

Esteban Large isn't my thing long term, but if you're having eye strain it can be a good, brief change.

Default Palantino has too much spacing and flatness for me to enjoy reading with much, but it's passable - I tried the custom font Palatino Linotype, and that's better.

I do like Vollkorn for it's curves and such, but I think this one is hurt a bit on my PW4 because of the boldness settings being 2. It would look better on e-readers with sharper clarity. I don't use it on the PW4 due to that alone, but would on PW3 that I have.

Fonts I've tried and avoid


I absolutely hate Amazon Ember.

I don't get how anyone would like reading with Futura. Same for Helvetica!

I like Baskerville on the computer, but I find it hard on the eyes on the e-reader.

Gentium Book is not a bad font per se, but I find it boring and a turn-off for reading on the e-reader.

I like some parts of Caecilia, but the spacing bugs me too much and I don't like reading with it. Caecilia condensed doesn't help that because then the font is awkwardly tall.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

Fonts I've tried and avoid


I absolutely hate Amazon Ember.

I don't get how anyone would like reading with Futura. Same for Helvetica!

I like Baskerville on the computer, but I find it hard on the eyes on the e-reader.

Gentium Book is not a bad font per se, but I find it boring and a turn-off for reading on the e-reader.

I like some parts of Caecilia, but the spacing bugs me too much and I don't like reading with it. Caecilia condensed doesn't help that because then the font is awkwardly tall.

See, sans fonts are much easier for me to read, and my favorite is Amazon Ember.

Isn't it wonderful how different we all are, and how easy it is to find fonts that work for us?

Shari

[Pyjam]

I use Veleka, a modification of Charis SIL. It's perfect for me.
Veleka

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

I have tried and installed several fonts since I love playing with my Paperwhite; most of us do like messing with our e-readers, otherwise why are we here on an e-reader forum?

That said, I guess I'm ultimately boring because I keep finding my favorite font is still Bookerly. I think Amazon did a great job with it, like the way it looks, and find it a smooth way to read.

There are other fonts I like, although not quite as much as Bookerly, so I leave that one on by default and forget about it for the most part.

I mainly read on my PW4 since that's my main, but since I have to keep bolded at 2 for contrast, I may miss out on some subtle nuances of the fonts like I could see on PW3.

Here are some I've enjoyed the look of with the larger bold besides Bookerly -

Georgia is great, as is CharInk.

I like Lusitana and Linux Libertine and can read on them for awhile - but preferred them on PW3.

Noto Serif is good and I can read with that one, it's one of my favorites although a little flatter than Bookerly.

Esteban Large isn't my thing long term, but if you're having eye strain it can be a good, brief change.

Default Palantino has too much spacing and flatness for me to enjoy reading with much, but it's passable - I tried the custom font Palatino Linotype, and that's better.

I do like Vollkorn for it's curves and such, but I think this one is hurt a bit on my PW4 because of the boldness settings being 2. It would look better on e-readers with sharper clarity. I don't use it on the PW4 due to that alone, but would on PW3 that I have.

Fonts I've tried and avoid


I absolutely hate Amazon Ember.

I don't get how anyone would like reading with Futura. Same for Helvetica!

I like Baskerville on the computer, but I find it hard on the eyes on the e-reader.

Gentium Book is not a bad font per se, but I find it boring and a turn-off for reading on the e-reader.

I like some parts of Caecilia, but the spacing bugs me too much and I don't like reading with it. Caecilia condensed doesn't help that because then the font is awkwardly tall.

ChareInk is based on Charis SIL which is based on Baskerville. One font I really want to try is Monotype'a Baskerville eText. The problem is that it is very expensive.

I agree that Gentium SIL is nothing special. Bookerly is OK at best. Do not use the version in the Kindle 5.12.3 firmware as it doesn't align properly at smaller sizes. Plus, you might need to edit the metadata as it's off and can cause a problem.

I don't like reading with sans-serif fonts (for a book). They just are harder to read the. A good serif such as ChareInk. Another thing I dislike is a font with extra long defenders.