Kindle Footnotes Dimmed

Harmon · 02-18-2019, 11:16 AM

Device: Kindle Oasis 1.
Book: Annotated Memoirs of General Grant by Elizabeth Samet.

Problem: the text of this ebook shows up fine - I can adjust within all parameters of the ordinary Kindle fonts, brightness, etc. without issue. However, the footnotes show up in a dimmed state - I can read them, but the darkness & contrast of the text are substantially reduced, to the point where it is an effort to read them.

I have had no luck researching this issue on the net. I suspect that it is a problem with the formatting of this particular book, since I don’t have the issue in any other ebook. And it doesn’t exist as a problem on the ipad version of the book.

My next move will be to see if I can finagle around the problem using caliber, but I’m hoping someone here has an idiot proof solution...

HarryT · 02-18-2019, 11:46 AM

The footnotes have probably been set to show up in a different colour which is showing as grey on the Kindle. Should be easy enough to change in Calibre's editor.

Try looking at the footnotes on K4PC or a tablet with a colour screen.

Harmon · 02-18-2019, 05:28 PM

I think you got it in one. The footnotes on my ipad show up in blue.

j.p.s · 02-18-2019, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

I think you got it in one. The footnotes on my ipad show up in blue.

If that violates amazon guidelines, or even if enough people complain, amazon will require the publisher to make changes. But amazon won't know about it unless someone notifies them.

It might be a single change in CSS to do it yourself in calibre.

HarryT · 02-18-2019, 06:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.p.s

It might be a single change in CSS to do it yourself in calibre.

Almost certainly, yes.

tomsem · 02-18-2019, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j.p.s

If that violates amazon guidelines, or even if enough people complain, amazon will require the publisher to make changes. But amazon won't know about it unless someone notifies them.

It might be a single change in CSS to do it yourself in calibre.

Kindle has a built in Report Content Error feature: highlight the offending text and it is one of the options.

Harmon · 02-18-2019, 10:45 PM

JPS - Thanks for the suggestion. I sent a comment to customer service about it.

Harmon · 02-18-2019, 10:53 PM

I learn something every day - thanks!

Harmon · 02-18-2019, 10:54 PM

I’ll try that when I get home in a couple of weeks. What is CSS?

j.p.s · 02-18-2019, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

I’ll try that when I get home in a couple of weeks. What is CSS?

You might want to consult the experts in the Calibre and Kindle format forums.

badgoodDeb · 02-19-2019, 04:21 PM

"Cascading Style Sheet" is what CSS stands for. That may not help with your question!

HarryT · 02-19-2019, 04:25 PM

I'm moving this thread to the "Kindle Formats" forum, which is a more appropriate place for it.

DaleDe · 02-20-2019, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Harmon

I’ll try that when I get home in a couple of weeks. What is CSS?

Look in our wiki CSS

Dale

Harmon · 03-06-2019, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The footnotes have probably been set to show up in a different colour which is showing as grey on the Kindle. Should be easy enough to change in Calibre's editor.

Try looking at the footnotes on K4PC or a tablet with a colour screen.

I knew nothing about the calibre editor when you made this suggestion, but after some reading in the online help at https://manual.calibre-ebook.com/edi...css-properties, I now know next to nothing.

By messing about till something kind of worked, I managed to change the color of the footnote text, and the resulting text on my Kindle Oasis was marginally darker, but is still rather dim. What's annoying is that when the screen refreshes, I get a nice, dark text for a few seconds, before it reverts to the dim text.

What I did was change " to - because just changing "blue" to "black" did nothing.

So what a footnote looks like in the Text part of the calibre editor is:

<a href="part0010.html#rfn11">11</a>. The two episodes with which Grant closes this chapter on his youth—his inexpert horse trade and the beatings he received from the schoolteacher—suggest a certain vulnerability as well as a source of his aversion to bullying and humiliating others.
</section>
</body>
</html>

Do you have any idea whether there's an edit I can make to this that might solve my problem? Or am I looking in the wrong place?

Harmon · 03-06-2019, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaleDe

Look in our wiki CSS

Dale

Thanks - somehow I missed your comment, but I will take a look & see if I can figure something out.

02-18-2019, 11:16 AM	#1
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,622 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	Kindle Footnotes Dimmed Device: Kindle Oasis 1. Book: Annotated Memoirs of General Grant by Elizabeth Samet. Problem: the text of this ebook shows up fine - I can adjust within all parameters of the ordinary Kindle fonts, brightness, etc. without issue. However, the footnotes show up in a dimmed state - I can read them, but the darkness & contrast of the text are substantially reduced, to the point where it is an effort to read them. I have had no luck researching this issue on the net. I suspect that it is a problem with the formatting of this particular book, since I don’t have the issue in any other ebook. And it doesn’t exist as a problem on the ipad version of the book. My next move will be to see if I can finagle around the problem using caliber, but I’m hoping someone here has an idiot proof solution...

02-18-2019, 11:46 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The footnotes have probably been set to show up in a different colour which is showing as grey on the Kindle. Should be easy enough to change in Calibre's editor. Try looking at the footnotes on K4PC or a tablet with a colour screen. Last edited by HarryT; 02-18-2019 at 12:08 PM.

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02-18-2019, 05:28 PM	#3
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,622 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	I think you got it in one. The footnotes on my ipad show up in blue.

02-18-2019, 10:45 PM	#7
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,622 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	JPS - Thanks for the suggestion. I sent a comment to customer service about it.

02-18-2019, 10:53 PM	#8
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,622 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	I learn something every day - thanks!

02-18-2019, 10:54 PM	#9
Harmon King of the Bongo Drums Posts: 1,622 Karma: 5927225 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Excelsior! (Strange...)	I’ll try that when I get home in a couple of weeks. What is CSS?

02-19-2019, 04:21 PM	#11
badgoodDeb Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,501 Karma: 64095689 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Harrisburg outskirts Device: Palms, K1-4s, iPads, iPhones, KV, KO1	"Cascading Style Sheet" is what CSS stands for. That may not help with your question!

02-19-2019, 04:25 PM	#12
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I'm moving this thread to the "Kindle Formats" forum, which is a more appropriate place for it.