PRS-T1

[kyrilson]

Dusted off my old PRS-T1 the other day and charged it up. I had forgotten how much I liked these Sony readers! The contrast between the screen and text is striking, much more contrast than some of my new ereaders (kindle and kobo).

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by kyrilson

Dusted off my old PRS-T1 the other day and charged it up. I had forgotten how much I liked these Sony readers! The contrast between the screen and text is striking, much more contrast than some of my new ereaders (kindle and kobo).

I've been reading a book on a PRS-505. That was quite a machine for 2007. Still holds its own today. I like my PRS-T2 also, but I haven't used it in a month or two (you're making me feel guilty).

[Hemmi]

I read mainly on my T2. Every now and again, I switch to a different reader for a week or two but I always come back to my T2.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Hemmi

I read mainly on my T2. Every now and again, I switch to a different reader for a week or two but I always come back to my T2.

I like my T2 also, especially now that I know how to use Calibre to convert books to the font and margins that I like. Of course I like all the Sonys. They had a really nice build quality.

[PatGIV]

rcentros, where is that in calibre? I'd like to learn that trick!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by PatGIV

rcentros, where is that in calibre? I'd like to learn that trick!

When you convert a book, you can choose "Look and Feel." When you click that you'll see (on the first page) "Embed font family:" My favorite font, especially for the Sonys, is Deja Vu Serif E-Book (I downloaded it from somewhere on this forum). It's a darker font than the standard Deja Vu Serif. I set my "Minimum line height:" to 130%. Sometimes I mess with the "Font size key:" (but I don't completely understand how it works). I also check "keep ligatures." Sometimes I have to go to the "Styling" tab and clear out the preset fonts and margins (it depends, I think, on how the book was created). After that I go to "Page setup" and change the margins. (I like 5.0 pt for top (the default) and 9.0 (or 10.0) pt for left and right (except on the PRS-350 and PRS-300 where I like 7.0pt) and 1.0pt for the bottom. I also choose the Sony Reader "Output profile:" (though I don't know if it makes much difference). That's about all I do, but it looks like there is a whole lot more you could do.

I'm working on my wife's Windows machine now, when I get to my regular computer I'll try to upgrade a couple (maybe a few) images.And, by then, maybe I can find a link to the Deja Vu Serif e-Book font I use. (I also like Constantia, but not so much for the Sonys.

EDIT: I've added an image of the T2 using the settings described in this post. (Not a very good picture, sorry, but I think it shows the font well.)

[Ghitulescu]

Originally Posted by PatGIV

where is that in calibre? I'd like to learn that trick!

Calibre IS a software to convert ebooks from one format into another.
So learning that trick means to learn how to use calibre.

There is no need to convert an epub with calibre to make it work on a Sony. If the epub passes the tests, then it will be displayed on a sony more or less as intended.

Changing the fonts and margins and stuff can be better done in the main .CSS file of the book (just replace margin and font-family with the desired values). It is advisable to run a test F7 and let calibre correct the font names by itself to prevent some errors on picky ereaders. One can see in real-time (preview window) how the book looks like before finishing it - in particular if one uses glyphs outside ASCII and the new font may miss some of these.
Depending on the book, it may be several .CSS files, and if you're lazy, you can add yours at the end mylovelyfontsandmargins.css where you redefine only the font-family of the needed tags and/or the margins:
@page {
margin-bottom: 5pt;
margin-top: 5pt
}
@font-face {
src: url(fonts/MBF.ttf);
font-family: "MyBelovedFont";
font-weight: normal;
font-style: normal;
}
h1, h2, h3, h4, h5, p, body, table, ol, li, ul, th, td {
font-family: "MyBelovedFont";
}

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by Ghitulescu

There is no need to convert an epub with calibre to make it work on a Sony. If the epub passes the tests, then it will be displayed on a sony more or less as intended.

Unfortunately, the way some publishers "intend" to display an ePub is with spidery thin and light fonts and huge margins. (At least I consider light fonts and wide margins unlikeable. I realize my taste may not be the same as others.) I also read these books on earlier Sonys that don't have any built-in font or margin choices at all.

As for the "right way" to convert books ... I just think the way I do it is easy and gets the results I want. I realize there is a whole lot I don' know about ePubs ... but I don't know if I'll ever need to learn much more.

But I will look at your template. Maybe I can figure it out.

[kyrilson]

Originally Posted by rcentros

When you convert a book, you can choose "Look and Feel." When you click that you'll see (on the first page) "Embed font family:" My favorite font, especially for the Sonys, is Deja Vu Serif E-Book (I downloaded it from somewhere on this forum). It's a darker font than the standard Deja Vu Serif. I set my "Minimum line height:" to 130%. Sometimes I mess with the "Font size key:" (but I don't completely understand how it works). I also check "keep ligatures." Sometimes I have to go to the "Styling" tab and clear out the preset fonts and margins (it depends, I think, on how the book was created). After that I go to "Page setup" and change the margins. (I like 5.0 pt for top (the default) and 9.0 (or 10.0) pt for left and right (except on the PRS-350 and PRS-300 where I like 7.0pt) and 1.0pt for the bottom. I also choose the Sony Reader "Output profile:" (though I don't know if it makes much difference). That's about all I do, but it looks like there is a whole lot more you could do.

I'm working on my wife's Windows machine now, when I get to my regular computer I'll try to upgrade a couple (maybe a few) images.And, by then, maybe I can find a link to the Deja Vu Serif e-Book font I use. (I also like Constantia, but not so much for the Sonys.

EDIT: I've added an image of the T2 using the settings described in this post. (Not a very good picture, sorry, but I think it shows the font well.)

Some great info! I just tried your settings, and I like the result. Would be interested in that font that you mentioned. I'll dig around for it, might pop up if I do a search for it.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by kyrilson

Some great info! I just tried your settings, and I like the result. Would be interested in that font that you mentioned. I'll dig around for it, might pop up if I do a search for it.

I'll try digging it up. Last time someone else found before I could.

EDIT: I found it ...

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...ghlight=dejavu

[jakeluck]

Originally Posted by rcentros

When you convert a book, you can choose "Look and Feel." When you click that you'll see (on the first page) "Embed font family:" My favorite font, especially for the Sonys, is Deja Vu Serif E-Book (I downloaded it from somewhere on this forum). It's a darker font than the standard Deja Vu Serif. I set my "Minimum line height:" to 130%. Sometimes I mess with the "Font size key:" (but I don't completely understand how it works). I also check "keep ligatures." Sometimes I have to go to the "Styling" tab and clear out the preset fonts and margins (it depends, I think, on how the book was created). After that I go to "Page setup" and change the margins. (I like 5.0 pt for top (the default) and 9.0 (or 10.0) pt for left and right (except on the PRS-350 and PRS-300 where I like 7.0pt) and 1.0pt for the bottom. I also choose the Sony Reader "Output profile:" (though I don't know if it makes much difference). That's about all I do, but it looks like there is a whole lot more you could do.
EDIT: I've added an image of the T2 using the settings described in this post. (Not a very good picture, sorry, but I think it shows the font well.)

An alternative to make the text more bold is to play with the Contrast/Brightness setting under Adjust View.
It works with both PDFs and ePubs without embedding fonts.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by jakeluck

An alternative to make the text more bold is to play with the Contrast/Brightness setting under Adjust View.
It works with both PDFs and ePubs without embedding fonts.

I've tried that but (with the fonts on the books I've used) it tends "fill in" the letters. But I'll experiment some more with it. Thank you.

EDIT: I messed with Custom Settings and got the "Original" font working pretty well. Thanks!

[Ghitulescu]

That was only a short idea, not a full solution.
Although it is recommended for a book to use only one font, some need to have more. Converting the epub to epub IMHO destroys this information, more or less like the own function of Sony. Hand-modifying the tags one really need to change (not need eg IMHO for headings and titles, tables may need other type of fonts than bulk text etc etc etc) is the key.
Before I introduced in the ebooks references to the internal fonts. Now that Sony exited this market, I don't do it anymore, but I embedded the subset fonts in the epub, making them more portable (they were anyway).

[kyrilson]

Originally Posted by rcentros

I've tried that but (with the fonts on the books I've used) it tends "fill in" the letters. But I'll experiment some more with it. Thank you.

EDIT: I messed with Custom Settings and got the "Original" font working pretty well. Thanks!

I'm now using your settings on both my Sony PRS-350 and Sony PRS_T2. Very good set up, thanks for sharing your tips, rcentros and others!

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by kyrilson

I'm now using your settings on both my Sony PRS-350 and Sony PRS_T2. Very good set up, thanks for sharing your tips, rcentros and others!

Glad it worked out! DejaVu Serif E-Ink is my favorite Sony Reader font. Actually I use it on most of my readers. It's funny though, the different brands render it differently. It's particularly nice on the Sonys.