Anyone use a custom font regularly?

[TheSmitty]

The ability to load custom fonts has been around for awhile. I am curious now that the dust has settled and we all have tried it and said "cool" whether anyone has continued to use a custom font daily.

So, if you have settled on a custom font which one do you use? You may also want to include where to find it regardless it is a free font or purchased.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by TheSmitty

The ability to load custom fonts has been around for awhile. I am curious now that the dust has settled and we all have tried it and said "cool" whether anyone has continued to use a custom font daily.

So, if you have settled on a custom font which one do you use? You may also want to include where to find it regardless it is a free font or purchased.

I use ChareInk. It's a really good font for a Kindle and it's free. I suggest you use the NoWeight version and use the Kindle settings to increase the weight.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=184056

Lots of people on the forum use this font on both Kobo and Amazon Readers.

[Sirtel]

I use CharisSIL Modified Larger on all my Kindles. Sometimes DejaVu Serif Eink and LexiaDama also. I haven't used the default fonts since the custom fonts option was released.

CharisSIL and DejaVu both are from MobileRead, but I don't remember where exactly. As to LexiaDama, unfortunately I can't recall where I got it. Possibly by Google search after someone mentioned it.

[ElspethB]

I use DejaVu Serif E-Ink almost exclusively. I like that it appears bolder than most other fonts without having to up the boldness settings.

Not that you asked, but I also use the themes settings. I have Day, Twilight, and Night settings so that I can easily increase the font size and tweak other settings as the light changes and my eyes get more tired.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by ElspethB

Not that you asked, but I also use the themes settings. I have Day, Twilight, and Night settings so that I can easily increase the font size and tweak other settings as the light changes and my eyes get more tired.

I never change the font type or size, but I would like to save different light settings (both brightness and color) under different themes. Unfortunately that doesn't seem possible.

[Junket]

Comic Sans

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Junket

Comic Sans

Are you serious? If you are, there are some nice institutions for you.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Sirtel

I use CharisSIL Modified Larger on all my Kindles. Sometimes DejaVu Serif Eink and LexiaDama also. I haven't used the default fonts since the custom fonts option was released.

CharisSIL and DejaVu both are from MobileRead, but I don't remember where exactly. As to LexiaDama, unfortunately I can't recall where I got it. Possibly by Google search after someone mentioned it.

CharisSIL Modified Larger... http://www.mediafire.com/download/br...fiedLarger.rar

[BookCat]

I hate the built-in fonts, so since the ability has been available, I've been using custom fonts.

There are several I use frequently, but can't remember where I obtained them. My favourites are, in no order: Caudex, DejaVu Serif E-Ink (good for old gothic books), Lexia Dama, and Merriweather.

I also use some fonts which don't have italics for some books which seem to be almost all italic (Barks and Purrs by Collette is an example) My most used of these are: Poppins and A Simple Kind of Girl. The latter is also useful when reading epistolary books, fiction or non fiction, because it's a clear handwritten font, but you'll lose any italics.
For a very condensed font: Universalis ADF Std and SF Cartoonist Hand, the latter is a handwritten font, but has italics etc.

These were all free fonts.

As you can tell, I make a lot of use of the custom font feature, changing font for each book I read. One of the reasons ereaders are better than deadtreebooks imho.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by BookCat

I hate the built-in fonts, so since the ability has been available, I've been using custom fonts.

There are several I use frequently, but can't remember where I obtained them. My favourites are, in no order: Caudex, DejaVu Serif E-Ink (good for old gothic books), Lexia Dama, and Merriweather.

I also use some fonts which don't have italics for some books which seem to be almost all italic (Barks and Purrs by Collette is an example) My most used of these are: Poppins and A Simple Kind of Girl. The latter is also useful when reading epistolary books, fiction or non fiction, because it's a clear handwritten font, but you'll lose any italics.
For a very condensed font: Universalis ADF Std and SF Cartoonist Hand, the latter is a handwritten font, but has italics etc.

These were all free fonts.

As you can tell, I make a lot of use of the custom font feature, changing font for each book I read. One of the reasons ereaders are better than deadtreebooks imho.

IMHO, you should dump the fonts that don't have all four font types. A font should have regular, bold, italic, and bold italic. Otherwise, it's not going to give you all the correct display. There are plenty of fonts that will work that have all four types.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by TheSmitty

So, if you have settled on a custom font which one do you use? You may also want to include where to find it regardless it is a free font or purchased.

Mostly Constantia. Sometimes Deja Vu Serif E-Ink. I'm not really happy with any of the built-in fonts on a Kindle.

[stumped]

so amazon spend a small fortune developing & promoting Bookerly for Kindles yet the font afficionados don't like it ?

where did they go wrong ?

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by stumped

so amazon spend a small fortune developing & promoting Bookerly for Kindles yet the font afficionados don't like it ?

where did they go wrong ?

It isn't that I don't like it, I just like some other fonts better.

[BookCat]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

IMHO, you should dump the fonts that don't have all four font types. A font should have regular, bold, italic, and bold italic. Otherwise, it's not going to give you all the correct display. There are plenty of fonts that will work that have all four types.

There are occasions, which I've stated, when I don't want to display italic at all.

As to Bookerly, I don't like it. It's what I term a 'bobbly' font. I'm not refering to the serifs here, but to the ends of letters: there are some fonts, Bookerly is one, where the letters end with a small ball, giving a 'bobbly' appearance. These fonts distract me. Of the built-in kindle fonts, I prefer Caecilia to Bookerly because it has less noticeable 'bobbles'.

[Coops]

Originally Posted by stumped

so amazon spend a small fortune developing & promoting Bookerly for Kindles yet the font afficionados don't like it ?

where did they go wrong ?

It doesn't look to me like they spent even a miniscule fortune on it. I wouldn't go so far as to suggest they got an unpaid intern to bodge something together over a weekend, but they sure didn't employ Frutiger for the job.


Google for a review of Bookerly and you'll get things like this:-
"The Kindle Finally Gets Typography That Doesn’t Suck"
https://www.fastcompany.com/3046678/...at-doesnt-suck

"Instapaper founder Marco Arment once lamented that the Kindle’s typography and layout engine was so bad, it felt like it only had a staff of one person “who’s only allowed to work on it for a few weeks each year.” That’s apparently not true: Amazon tells me that the Kindle team is significantly larger than just one dude, although they refuse to give exact numbers."


For me, I think it's the x-height that I particularly don't like in Bookerly.

I prefer and use Veleka and Charis SIL - I used ChareInk on my previous Sony Reader, so i'm biased to towards it.