Negative margins

Gandulf · 02-24-2021, 07:20 AM

Hi, is their anyway I can get viewer to show negative margins files like they will be shown on a Kindle pw4? Have played with the custom css... but that doesn't seem to do the trick.

kovidgoyal · 02-24-2021, 07:35 AM

No margins cannot ever display content, they are rendered separately from the text. Why would you want negative margins anyway? You can set them to zero if you want to reclaim the space.

Gandulf · 02-24-2021, 08:13 AM

Too use most of the screen up and not have a wide borders. You end up getting a extra line or 2 of text per page. On a Kindle that is.

But thanks for replying.

JSWolf · 02-24-2021, 08:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gandulf

Too use most of the screen up and not have a wide borders. You end up getting a extra line or 2 of text per page. On a Kindle that is.

But thanks for replying.

It's better to edit the eBook and fix the margins. The problem is that with ePub, you have different margins so setting a negative margin could end up with the text off the screen. I edit the margins. It doesn't take long to do so and the more you do it, the more you get used to it.

Gandulf · 02-24-2021, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It's better to edit the eBook and fix the margins. The problem is that with ePub, you have different margins so setting a negative margin could end up with the text off the screen. I edit the margins. It doesn't take long to do so and the more you do it, the more you get used to it.

Do it automatically when I convert for kindle, just wanted a way to view it before sending to kindle.

Quoth · 02-24-2021, 12:59 PM

I experimented for negative margins on Kindle PW3 for a while, purely for my own use. I'd never create a book for distribution like that as you don't know if Amazon would tomorrow delete the extra margin they add in firmware.

It makes no sense on any non-Amazon app or ereader. I don't bother now. I only use my three kindles as serial numbers and for testing how Kindle book versions of epub2 might look. Or really look by a test purchase of what we upload as epub2 to Amazon KDP. I don't trust the preview "mobi" they generate.

My 5" Sony, 7" Kobo and 7.8" Boyue Mars don't need special broken margins.

JSWolf · 02-24-2021, 02:27 PM

Once I've converted to KF8, I load that into the eBook editor and if I am happy with the margins, I add in the snippet that puts in the negative margins. I do it in html and it work very well.

Code:

html {
  margin-right: -45px;
  margin-left: -45px;
  break-inside: avoid !important;
}

The break-inside line fixes an issue with centering with KFX using one of the Calibre plugins to generate KFX.

02-24-2021, 07:20 AM	#1
Gandulf Addict Posts: 207 Karma: 4491791 Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: South Africa Device: Kindle PW4	Negative margins Hi, is their anyway I can get viewer to show negative margins files like they will be shown on a Kindle pw4? Have played with the custom css... but that doesn't seem to do the trick.

02-24-2021, 02:27 PM	#7
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,896 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Once I've converted to KF8, I load that into the eBook editor and if I am happy with the margins, I add in the snippet that puts in the negative margins. I do it in html and it work very well. Code: html { margin-right: -45px; margin-left: -45px; break-inside: avoid !important; } The break-inside line fixes an issue with centering with KFX using one of the Calibre plugins to generate KFX. Last edited by JSWolf; 12-30-2022 at 03:45 PM.

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02-24-2021, 07:35 AM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 43,843 Karma: 22666666 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	No margins cannot ever display content, they are rendered separately from the text. Why would you want negative margins anyway? You can set them to zero if you want to reclaim the space.

02-24-2021, 08:13 AM	#3
Gandulf Addict Posts: 207 Karma: 4491791 Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: South Africa Device: Kindle PW4	Too use most of the screen up and not have a wide borders. You end up getting a extra line or 2 of text per page. On a Kindle that is. But thanks for replying.

02-24-2021, 12:59 PM	#6
Quoth the rook, bossing Never. Posts: 11,091 Karma: 85874891 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper11	I experimented for negative margins on Kindle PW3 for a while, purely for my own use. I'd never create a book for distribution like that as you don't know if Amazon would tomorrow delete the extra margin they add in firmware. It makes no sense on any non-Amazon app or ereader. I don't bother now. I only use my three kindles as serial numbers and for testing how Kindle book versions of epub2 might look. Or really look by a test purchase of what we upload as epub2 to Amazon KDP. I don't trust the preview "mobi" they generate. My 5" Sony, 7" Kobo and 7.8" Boyue Mars don't need special broken margins.