What font are you using on your PW?

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by sparklemotion

The book I'm reading currently is forcing me to use the publisher's font and I hate it. I'm spoiled now.

I detest that. Isn't choosing your font one of the main points to buy an ereader?

The publisher could offer his embedded font as an option, and should not force it. I know it can be hacked out of the book, but you shouldn't have to.

It took web designers 10 years to learn that a web page is *not* a poster (as it's looks can be changed by the viewer). Hopefully it doesn't take publishers 10 years to realize that an ebook is m not made out of paper.

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I detest that. Isn't choosing your font one of the main points to buy an ereader?

The publisher could offer his embedded font as an option, and should not force it. I know it can be hacked out of the book, but you shouldn't have to.

It took web designers 10 years to learn that a web page is *not* a poster (as it's looks can be changed by the viewer). Hopefully it doesn't take publishers 10 years to realize that an ebook is m not made out of paper.

Hopefully not. I seem to be coming across it more often than before, unfortunately. My last 3 books, if you can believe that. The font on the book I'm reading now is truly awful.

[Blossom]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

I detest that. Isn't choosing your font one of the main points to buy an ereader?

The publisher could offer his embedded font as an option, and should not force it. I know it can be hacked out of the book, but you shouldn't have to.

It took web designers 10 years to learn that a web page is *not* a poster (as it's looks can be changed by the viewer). Hopefully it doesn't take publishers 10 years to realize that an ebook is m not made out of paper.

Alot of books these days are self published and the poor authors have no clue really on any of the technical dos and don'ts when making a ebook. Now we have a new format they have to learn all over again.

It's not hacking to remove a font. It more like editing. It's real easy to do in Calibre. I have it set to remove all user fonts, margins and colors. I still use the old mobi format. KF8 doesn't work with the Personal Documents Cloud yet.

[sparklemotion]

Originally Posted by Blossom

It's not hacking to remove a font. It more like editing. It's real easy to do in Calibre. I have it set to remove all user fonts, margins and colors. I still use the old mobi format. KF8 doesn't work with the Personal Documents Cloud yet.

Hmm.. interesting. I wasn't aware. I'll have to look into it!

[BeccaPrice]

ah, I see, Blossom. I did most of my jailbreaking before the update, but was able to fix things after the update. and the JBPatch now works with 5.3.3, so no need to downgrade before applying it (otherwise I wouldn't have done it)

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Alot of books these days are self published and the poor authors have no clue really on any of the technical dos and don'ts when making a ebook. Now we have a new format they have to learn all over again.

It's not hacking to remove a font. It more like editing. It's real easy to do in Calibre. I have it set to remove all user fonts, margins and colors. I still use the old mobi format. KF8 doesn't work with the Personal Documents Cloud yet.

Actually, it's not KF8 being a new format that's the problem. Most KF8 started life as an ePub. Very few KF8 actually started life as KF8 code.

That being said, even if KF8 was not originally ePub, the same font mistakes would be made. I've taken embedded fonts that did not look good enough on eInk and found a medium or semibold version to use in place. Or I've fattened it up myself. Some have too much line space so I've had to adjust the line-height. Cannot do that with KF8. But you can adjust the font's line space and then keep that modified font in case any other eBooks use it.

[caleb72]

I'm now using the Charis SIL Compact font that Jon modified. It looks nice.

[Katsunami]

I cannot decide between my own versions of Veranda and DejaVu Serif.

Veranda is a bit more readable to me (strange, because I *hate* sans serif fonts on paper), but I like the "bookish" look of DejaVu Serif more. I'm switching every chapter or so

It could be that Verdana is so readable for me because it is by far my preferred font on the computer. I've been using it for 15 years or so, maybe longer. Since it was introduced by Windows; for me, that'd be 1996, with, Windows NT 4, I think.

And as much as I like Verdana on the Kindle, I despise Helvetica. I don't know why, but that font just seems "wrong" or something. I lose my line often, and it's just plain hard to read. Don't know why.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Veranda is a bit more readable to me (strange, because I *hate* sans serif fonts on paper), but I like the "bookish" look of DejaVu Serif more. I'm switching every chapter or so

It is a matter of habit. There is not a whole lot of paper that use san serif fonts (unless you print something yourself from the computer). There is this big war going on (I don't get it either) arguing (and they are serious) which is easier and faster to read - serif or no serif. With computers beeing relatively new compared to paper, it is not too long ago that serif fonts look like crap on low res computer screens. They still look like crap on low res. So the solution was to just make them san-serif on the computer. And everybody got used to think: serif is on paper, because it looks good, and san-serif is computer because it looks better than serif on computer.

Check out this article which-are-more-legible-serif-or-sans-serif-typefaces

Finally, we should accept that most reasonably designed typefaces in mainstream use will be equally legible, and that it makes much more sense to argue in favour of serif or sans serif typefaces on aesthetic grounds than on the question of legibility.

[BeccaPrice]

When I was taking a human factors class a few years ago, the teacher said that serifs provide more letter distinction, and therefore make it easier to read in print. On a screen, however, the resolution isn't as good as print is, and so sans serif are easier to read on a screen.

I don't know whether this is still true, with the higher resolution screens.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

There is this big war going on (I don't get it either) arguing (and they are serious) which is easier and faster to read - serif or no serif.

One my friend is able to read with super lightning speed. He used to be able to read a 400 page book for a school asignment in one sitting in library. He was driving librarians crazy. He sat down and was turning pages with unbelievable speed. After two hours he finished book that his classmates couldn't read in two weeks.
He can scan entire printed line in a good hardback or excellent paperback with one glance. So his eyes do not jump across the line, his eyes go in one sweep from top to bottom.
Such reading is very difficult and he has to concentrate very, VERY hard, so it is reserved for emergencies - like that school asignment. When reading for leisure he slows down. Also when he reads important texts, such as contracts he slows down to make sure he understands all nuances.

Now, let me get back to the serif - sanserif war.
He claims that he can only speed-read if the book is printed using serif font. He says that his eyes can't make a "snap-read" of the line if the words aren't connected by serifs. He also says that bad typography makes such fast reading very difficult.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by caleb72

I'm now using the Charis SIL Compact font that Jon modified. It looks nice.

Thank you!

Because of this thread, I got the idea to modify the line space to fix the problem in KF8 eBooks.

I still need to fix Charis SIL so it's a little bigger for those that want it so. I'll get to working on it later in the week when I have access to the Kindle Touch.

[Blossom]

I didn't think there was a serif font I could read with till I found Amasis Medium. Caecilia sometimes my eyes will let me read with but thin fonts my brain has trouble deciphering after awhile. Now I've added more weight to it I can read with it. I have to have a font with even weight, sans serifs usually have that more than Serif fonts.

Fonts like Baskerville, Times New Roman are hard for me to use due to how thin the weight is on one side of the font.

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Blossom

Ubuntu font ...
You are welcome to post a screenshot if I saw it on the Kindle It may change my mind.

See attached images
I haven't figured out how to make screenshot in CoolReader. In Coolreader I can set line-space with finer control.

[DuckieTigger]

emphasis mine:

Originally Posted by kacir

Now, let me get back to the serif - sanserif war.
He claims that he can only speed-read if the book is printed using serif font. He says that his eyes can't make a "snap-read" of the line if the words aren't connected by serifs. He also says that bad typography makes such fast reading very difficult [for him]

The speed reading your friend tought himself is very impressisve. Speed reading is always something that needs to be trained and practiced, no matter which method for it you are using. No doubt that requires extra concentration and as good as possible circumstances (good lighting, good print quality, good font). For him it only works with serif fonts, good serif fonts at that. That is not contradictory to what I said. It merely indicates that he prefers serif fonts if he even tries to attempt to read that fast. I am not aware that every speed reader has that same preference or not.

I won't argue about it though. There is studies that are in favor of one or the other, and studies that say it doesn't matter. All three of them cannot be true at the same time. I stand by my belief that serifs have aesthetic value only, and that is my very own opinion, not a fact.