Sideloading Bookerly font and setting its weight

[Daniel Jackson]

I want to sideload Amazon's Bookerly font on my device. I've extracted the 4 font files directly from Kindle firmware, so they should be the newest versions.
Apparently Kobo devices don't seem to like the weight value of these fonts?
Tutorials mention to edit the font files using FontForge and edit the weight value. Sure, no problem.
But wouldn't installing the patch to enable advanced settings for sideloaded fonts also let me fix this 'problem' ?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Daniel Jackson

I want to sideload Amazon's Bookerly font on my device. I've extracted the 4 font files directly from Kindle firmware, so they should be the newest versions.
Apparently Kobo devices don't seem to like the weight value of these fonts?
Tutorials mention to edit the font files using FontForge and edit the weight value. Sure, no problem.
But wouldn't installing the patch to enable advanced settings for sideloaded fonts also let me fix this 'problem' ?

No, they are two different things.

The FortForge stuff is done so that the Kobo will know which one of the 4 Bookerly .ttf files it needs to use when your book HTML specifies regular, bold, italic, bolditalic.

The Advanced Settings patch enables the Advanced Settings button on the [Aa] menu item for all your sideloaded fonts, not just the built-in fonts. If you select Bookerly then sliding the Weight slider to the right makes all 4 Bookerly .ttfs display bolder. Sliding left makes all 4 less bold. Whatever slide level you pick you should still be able to see that Bookerly-Bold is heavier than Bookerly-Regular and Bookerly-BoldItalic is heavier than Bookerly-Italic.

[RobertJSawyer]

I have no trouble using off-the-shelf Bookerly on my Kobo Clara HD and Kobo Libra 2. Just make sure you give the files these specific names on the device:

Bookerly-Bold.ttf
Bookerly-BoldItalic.ttf
Bookerly-Italic.ttf
Bookerly-Regular.ttf

The font versions I use came from Amazon here:

https://developer.amazon.com/en-US/a...nes/typography

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by RobertJSawyer

I have no trouble using off-the-shelf Bookerly on my Kobo Clara HD and Kobo Libra 2.

They may work OK off-the-shelf for standard epubs but I seem to remember that italic text displays as bolditalic in kepubs if you don't fix the panose weight using a font editor.

[RobertJSawyer]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

They may work OK off-the-shelf for standard epubs but I seem to remember that italic text displays as bolditalic in kepubs if you don't fix the panose weight using a font editor.

I use kepubs only, and, as I said, Jackie, off-the-shelf Bookerly works fine in all four weights; you do not have to make a panose weight adjustment.

[jackie_w]

Fair enough

[Number9]

Speaking of Bookerly, does anyone know what the latest version is?

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

They may work OK off-the-shelf for standard epubs but I seem to remember that italic text displays as bolditalic in kepubs if you don't fix the panose weight using a font editor.

Didn't that stem from the version of Bookerly that was available at the time? Before Amazon let you download it directly, I remember that those that had the bold italic problem were people that acquired the font online. Everyone was getting the same corrupted source.

I've never used Font Forge and Bookerly displays fine for me.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

Didn't that stem from the version of Bookerly that was available at the time? Before Amazon let you download it directly, I remember that those that had the bold italic problem were people that acquired the font online. Everyone was getting the same corrupted source.

I acquired mine a long time ago by extracting them myself from a Kindle firmware download. All the info I have is based on observations from that time.

I haven't tested those from this Amazon link. Great if they now work without any effort and they're from an official source. I'd never recommend anyone to use FontForge for problem solving unless they had no other choice. It's a bit flaky on Windows.

BTW, the original Bookerly fonts were never corrupt, they just had some internal metrics that the Kobo didn't seem to like at that time.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

I haven't tested those from this Amazon link. Great if they now work without any effort and they're from an official source. I'd never recommend anyone to use FontForge for problem solving unless they had no other choice. It's a bit flaky on Windows.

I haven't tested the ones from either link yet myself. I was just remembering when there was a little Bookerly flurry here. The version of Bookerly that was most easily available on the interwebz was pulled off a certain version of FireOS. And that version had the bold italic problem.

But people yanking Bookerly off their e-ink Kindles didn't see the same issue.

But I'm going off of hazy memory and you are going from first hand experience. So I trust you.

BTW, the original Bookerly fonts were never corrupt, they just had some internal metrics that the Kobo didn't seem to like at that time.

Point is you add it and it don't look good. While other versions of the same font do not exhibit the same behavior.

[Daniel Jackson]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

No, they are two different things.

The FortForge stuff is done so that the Kobo will know which one of the 4 Bookerly .ttf files it needs to use when your book HTML specifies regular, bold, italic, bolditalic.

The Advanced Settings patch enables the Advanced Settings button on the [Aa] menu item for all your sideloaded fonts, not just the built-in fonts. If you select Bookerly then sliding the Weight slider to the right makes all 4 Bookerly .ttfs display bolder. Sliding left makes all 4 less bold. Whatever slide level you pick you should still be able to see that Bookerly-Bold is heavier than Bookerly-Regular and Bookerly-BoldItalic is heavier than Bookerly-Italic.

Two very different things indeed then. And easy enough to do both. Thanks!

[rtiangha]

Originally Posted by Number9

Speaking of Bookerly, does anyone know what the latest version is?

1.201

[Number9]

Originally Posted by rtiangha

1.201

Nice, that's what I've got. Thanks!

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Daniel Jackson

Two very different things indeed then. And easy enough to do both. Thanks!

I'd recommend installing Bookerly and seeing how it plays on your Kobo before messing with Font Forge. I think the problem with italics always displaying as bold is fixed in her versions of the font.

[Jane Eyre]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

They may work OK off-the-shelf for standard epubs but I seem to remember that italic text displays as bolditalic in kepubs if you don't fix the panose weight using a font editor.

Hi. I've installed Amazon Bookerly on my Clara 2E but the italic displays as you said.
How can I fix?