Font issue in "Telegraph Avenue" - Page 2

jswinden · 10-06-2012, 03:14 PM

Okay, I DLed the sample, liberated it, and unpacked it. Just as I suspected the publisher has forced a font in the CSS. Every style he set up has the following code:

Code:

font-family: "Times";

I'm somewhat surprised the PW doesn't ignore this as it doesn't have a Times font installed, but perhaps it doesn't. The PW might have something in the FW that substitutes one of its serif fonts for Times.

jswinden · 10-06-2012, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonette

I have a Kindle Keyboard with firmware 3.4 and have encountered the same problem with the samples of Snuff (A Discworld Novel) by Terry Pratchett and Devil Said Bang (A Sandman Slim Novel) by Richard Kadrey. I believe they are KF8 files and not Topaz because they are very recent publications and Calbre reads them as AZW3. There is no option to turn the publisher font on/off, and switching between regular--condensed--sans serif changes nothing. When I contacted Kindle support they said it was the publisher's fault. The publisher never responded to my inquiry.

(I hope I have done the attachments correctly)

Probably the same issue of the publisher being pushy with a font. Usually it is because the publishers are still stupid when it comes to publishing eBooks and haven't come to realize that they shouldn't force fonts therein.

Interesting screen name BTW. The HS I graduated from a zillion years ago had a pep squad named the Dragonettes. It was Round Rock HS in Round Rock, Texas. I had never seen that name since until today.

Wildgift · 10-06-2012, 03:26 PM

Guys, thanks. Those publishers can go to hell.

NiLuJe · 10-06-2012, 03:28 PM

Great. So, that also happens without embedded fonts. Yaaaay. -_-".

The Touch properly ignored this kind of CSS directives... I'll do a few more checks.

jswinden · 10-06-2012, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildgift

Guys, thanks. Those publishers can go to hell.

If they did it on purpose! Unfortunately a lot of publishers are simply not educated on the eBook culture, which like the web page culture tends to prefer to set a lot of the formatting themselves. With eBooks we like to set the margins, fonts, line spacing, etc. to best suit our eyes. The old book printing publishers were used to having to make all those decisions for us and they are VERY slowly moving into our new eBook culture. It is very frustrating.

You can learn how to liberate and modify your books, just read around and use Google. But that is a PITA to have to do. Fortunately it is not necessary on most eBooks anymore.

Wildgift · 10-06-2012, 03:37 PM

Jack many thanks for the info.

jswinden · 10-06-2012, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wildgift

Jack many thanks for the info.

Any time! Glad I could help.

dragonette · 10-06-2012, 04:32 PM

Hi jswinden,

I've never been to Texas or been on a pep squad, but I was a band geek.

About the name--I lost my temper once and was accused of being a fire-breathing dragon. Since I am female (and at that time I was still young) I said I was only a dragonette. I just kept the screen name over the years.

Thanks for the information about the font problem. Now all I have to do is persuade the publisher (HarperCollins for both books) that there is a problem...

jswinden · 10-06-2012, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dragonette

Hi jswinden,

I've never been to Texas or been on a pep squad, but I was a band geek.

About the name--I lost my temper once and was accused of being a fire-breathing dragon. Since I am female (and at that time I was still young) I said I was only a dragonette. I just kept the screen name over the years.

Thanks for the information about the font problem. Now all I have to do is persuade the publisher (HarperCollins for both books) that there is a problem...

Our HS mascot was the dragon, hence the Dragonettes. That was back in the 1970s just before time was invented.

You can report it to Amazon. I'm not sure if they are very good about passing the complaint on to the publisher or not, I suspect they do. Sometimes they offer to refund the book if it is sub par.

tomsem · 10-07-2012, 01:07 AM

I cannot change the typeface on one book that I have on PW. It's stuck in Caecilia (could be worse). I can change it on my Kindle Touch. It doesn't appear to involve embedded font, neither device shows 'use publisher font'. Have not tried it on Fire or apps. It's kind of a shame Amazon can't achieve some sort of consistency with KF8.

10-06-2012, 03:14 PM	#16
jswinden Nameless Being	Okay, I DLed the sample, liberated it, and unpacked it. Just as I suspected the publisher has forced a font in the CSS. Every style he set up has the following code: Code: font-family: "Times"; I'm somewhat surprised the PW doesn't ignore this as it doesn't have a Times font installed, but perhaps it doesn't. The PW might have something in the FW that substitutes one of its serif fonts for Times. Last edited by jswinden; 10-06-2012 at 03:23 PM.

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10-06-2012, 03:26 PM	#18
Wildgift Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 829414 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Nook	Guys, thanks. Those publishers can go to hell.

10-06-2012, 03:28 PM	#19
NiLuJe BLAM! Posts: 13,477 Karma: 26012492 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Paris, France Device: Kindle 2i, 3g, 4, 5w, PW, PW2, PW5; Kobo H2O, Forma, Elipsa, Sage, C2E	Great. So, that also happens without embedded fonts. Yaaaay. -_-". The Touch properly ignored this kind of CSS directives... I'll do a few more checks.

10-06-2012, 03:37 PM	#21
Wildgift Connoisseur Posts: 98 Karma: 829414 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: Nook	Jack many thanks for the info.

10-06-2012, 04:32 PM	#23
dragonette Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 24 Join Date: Feb 2010 Device: E-Ink	Hi jswinden, I've never been to Texas or been on a pep squad, but I was a band geek. About the name--I lost my temper once and was accused of being a fire-breathing dragon. Since I am female (and at that time I was still young) I said I was only a dragonette. I just kept the screen name over the years. Thanks for the information about the font problem. Now all I have to do is persuade the publisher (HarperCollins for both books) that there is a problem...

10-07-2012, 01:07 AM	#25
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,464 Karma: 25996225 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	I cannot change the typeface on one book that I have on PW. It's stuck in Caecilia (could be worse). I can change it on my Kindle Touch. It doesn't appear to involve embedded font, neither device shows 'use publisher font'. Have not tried it on Fire or apps. It's kind of a shame Amazon can't achieve some sort of consistency with KF8.