can you add bolder fonts to the nook glowlight 4gb?

tallulah28 · 10-16-2014, 01:32 AM

i've owned a kindle basic 2nd generation for a few years. Was very upset with their mandatory update of june 2012 (or was it 2013?) which thinned their original fonts by close to 50%. i was able to go into calibre, add some font folders and thicken them. Can't seem to do this with my Nook. I have a couple of vision problems: macular degeneration and seriously dry eyes which me means i can't read from a tablet, must be an ereader or i will have terrible eye strain.
of course there is another problem with ereader fonts: between the first 4 sizes the increase is roughly 18-20% but between levels 5 and 6 that suddenly jumps to 50% which means you go from something like 75 words on a med. spaced page to only 32 words which isn't acceptable. Does any one know why there is such an increase between 5 and 6?
So over my daughter's strenuous objections (she is a tru-blue Amazonian) i ordered a Nook glowlight 4gb (from amazon of all places) and the fonts are all spidery, way too thin for me. i bought it soley for its light which is about 15-20% brighter than kindle's 2nd edition paperwhite. while the light is a godsent, everything else about this nook is pure hell.
That said if i could add thicker fonts to it, i'd be much, much happier, as it is, i might have to return it. time is probably running out so i'd much appreciate your help. hope i posted this in the correct place. thanks.

Anthem · 10-16-2014, 01:03 PM

I haven't seen any information about custom fonts on the Nook Glowlight.

If you can't find any information in a reasonable time, just return it. Better to have your money in your pocket so you can decide what to do.

For what it is worth, I think the fonts on the new Basic Kindle are incredibly dark and bold. In fact, having had 3 Paperwhites, I easily think this screen beats the legibility of the Paperwhite which always looked hazy and washed out to me. A light is nice, but I like the text better on this Kindle. (I also liked the Pearl screen on the previous basic model better than the Paperwhite as well! And the screen on the new basic model looks even sharper to me than that one, which was already my favorite e-ink screen ever. Which may not be saying much... but still.)

I also had the Glowlight for ten days and returned it. The fonts strained my eyes. With my astigmatism, the e-reader screen has to be just right otherwise things feel off and I get eye strain.

Anyway, my rambling is done now. Bottom line, if the Glowlight won't work for you, get your money back and use it on something that you are more confident about.

tallulah28 · 10-16-2014, 09:59 PM

Thanks, nice to know they are continuing to make kindle basics. I worry that ereaders will be displaced by tablets. Except for that font narrowing update, i love my kindle 2nd generation basic, whose side buttons are exquisite in comparison to this dastardly glowlight touch screen. Guess i'll have to keep this abomination for when I'm staying a client's apt. where there's no good reading light. Thanks for being the 'enemy of my enemy', Nook.

robko · 10-16-2014, 10:51 PM

Not sure where you're located, but a Kobo might be a good option for you to check out (tough to find in-store in the U.S.). With the built in fonts you can adjust the weight and make them thicker/darker. Or if you don't like any of them you can add a font that works for you with a simple drag and drop onto the device (with no jailbreak etc required and you're putting onto the device once, not into each book). There are 20 some size settings so mostly there isn't a big jump in size which lets you get pretty close to your sweet spot if not hit it. All of the newer Kobo devices are touchscreen so it doesn't help you on that front.

Anthem · 10-17-2014, 01:37 PM

As robko says! I would like to point out that Kobo is pretty famous for having an incredible amount of options for dealing with fonts. So if you have vision problems, they might be the perfect choice.

tallulah28 · 10-17-2014, 05:14 PM

thanks for this spot-on advice. after buying this damnable nook i came to the same conclusion regarding kobo. but they are pricier and on amazon one reviewer says their fonts are grey instead of black but added this is pretty much offset by the fact you can thicken the fonts. thanks to the other respondent who also recommended Kobo. i'm going to nose around the internet for more specs on kobos.

Anthem · 10-17-2014, 05:27 PM

A good place to start is Kobo's website:

robko · 10-17-2014, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallulah28

thanks for this spot-on advice. after buying this damnable nook i came to the same conclusion regarding kobo. but they are pricier and on amazon one reviewer says their fonts are grey instead of black but added this is pretty much offset by the fact you can thicken the fonts. thanks to the other respondent who also recommended Kobo. i'm going to nose around the internet for more specs on kobos.

It's probably more expensive than you're looking for but the new Kobo H2O really steps up for blacker text (it has a Carta screen). It is 6.8" like the Aura HD (not to be confused with the Aura 6"), but with a whiter screen and darker black text. Browse the Kobo subforum on here if you want more details or have any Kobo specific questions.

tallulah28 · 10-19-2014, 12:35 AM

Thanks for the heads up. Saw the kobo h20 online and name was such a turn off, 'watery', murky, cloudy, leaky. Jeez who gets paid to come up with these names? But i'll scoot on over to the kobo subforum and try to get the skinny this "creature from the black lagoon". Is there a store (i'm in the US) where one could go and do a side by side comparison of ereaders? Seems to me they may be unique in that it's very difficult/impossible to do, yet it's the one item where a comparison is necessary.

robko · 10-19-2014, 12:44 PM

H2O simply because it's waterproof

. Never thought about it from watery/murky perspective but I can see that

Anthem · 10-20-2014, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tallulah28

Is there a store (i'm in the US) where one could go and do a side by side comparison of ereaders? Seems to me they may be unique in that it's very difficult/impossible to do, yet it's the one item where a comparison is necessary.

There isn't really anywhere specific that you can go to compare Kobos with Kindles or anything like that. Certain indie book shops carry Kobos but it is sporadic, at best.

Kobo is not nearly as generous as Amazon in the returns policy department, but they have a decent standard return policy that you could make use of if you want to order a Kobo and simply return it if you don't like it.

tallulah28 · 10-24-2014, 01:48 PM

thanks, been researching reviews on the kobo, and they seem to have a lot of problems and compare poorly to a kindle or even a nook when reviewed by professional reviewers and the general pubic. sounds like you own a kobo; do you also own a kindle...if so what do you think? And please anyone else who is reading this jump in with your opinions.

booklover6 · 10-25-2014, 07:12 AM

I've had many varieties of eink readers, including Nook (unlighted), Sony, Kindle (lighted and unlighted) and other brands that are lost in the dust of time. Kobo is the only one I have now. I find it superior to all the others. Yes, I prefer it over any Kindle. The ability to use my preferred, side-loaded font, and to manage my collections with Calibre, trumps anything Kindle has put out to date.

If you want a lighted one, and are on a budget, I'd recommend the Glo. It is my personal favorite, due to the compact size and excellent screen. I don't recommend the Aura. However the Aura HD is also excellent, and may be found cheaper than the H2O.

10-16-2014, 01:32 AM	#1
tallulah28 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2014 Device: nook glowlight 4g	can you add bolder fonts to the nook glowlight 4gb? i've owned a kindle basic 2nd generation for a few years. Was very upset with their mandatory update of june 2012 (or was it 2013?) which thinned their original fonts by close to 50%. i was able to go into calibre, add some font folders and thicken them. Can't seem to do this with my Nook. I have a couple of vision problems: macular degeneration and seriously dry eyes which me means i can't read from a tablet, must be an ereader or i will have terrible eye strain. of course there is another problem with ereader fonts: between the first 4 sizes the increase is roughly 18-20% but between levels 5 and 6 that suddenly jumps to 50% which means you go from something like 75 words on a med. spaced page to only 32 words which isn't acceptable. Does any one know why there is such an increase between 5 and 6? So over my daughter's strenuous objections (she is a tru-blue Amazonian) i ordered a Nook glowlight 4gb (from amazon of all places) and the fonts are all spidery, way too thin for me. i bought it soley for its light which is about 15-20% brighter than kindle's 2nd edition paperwhite. while the light is a godsent, everything else about this nook is pure hell. That said if i could add thicker fonts to it, i'd be much, much happier, as it is, i might have to return it. time is probably running out so i'd much appreciate your help. hope i posted this in the correct place. thanks.

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10-16-2014, 01:03 PM	#2
Anthem Guru Posts: 704 Karma: 1622328 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle Oasis, OnePlus Nord	I haven't seen any information about custom fonts on the Nook Glowlight. If you can't find any information in a reasonable time, just return it. Better to have your money in your pocket so you can decide what to do. For what it is worth, I think the fonts on the new Basic Kindle are incredibly dark and bold. In fact, having had 3 Paperwhites, I easily think this screen beats the legibility of the Paperwhite which always looked hazy and washed out to me. A light is nice, but I like the text better on this Kindle. (I also liked the Pearl screen on the previous basic model better than the Paperwhite as well! And the screen on the new basic model looks even sharper to me than that one, which was already my favorite e-ink screen ever. Which may not be saying much... but still.) I also had the Glowlight for ten days and returned it. The fonts strained my eyes. With my astigmatism, the e-reader screen has to be just right otherwise things feel off and I get eye strain. Anyway, my rambling is done now. Bottom line, if the Glowlight won't work for you, get your money back and use it on something that you are more confident about.

10-16-2014, 09:59 PM	#3
tallulah28 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2014 Device: nook glowlight 4g	Thanks, nice to know they are continuing to make kindle basics. I worry that ereaders will be displaced by tablets. Except for that font narrowing update, i love my kindle 2nd generation basic, whose side buttons are exquisite in comparison to this dastardly glowlight touch screen. Guess i'll have to keep this abomination for when I'm staying a client's apt. where there's no good reading light. Thanks for being the 'enemy of my enemy', Nook.

10-16-2014, 10:51 PM	#4
robko Wizard Posts: 2,454 Karma: 5469320 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	Not sure where you're located, but a Kobo might be a good option for you to check out (tough to find in-store in the U.S.). With the built in fonts you can adjust the weight and make them thicker/darker. Or if you don't like any of them you can add a font that works for you with a simple drag and drop onto the device (with no jailbreak etc required and you're putting onto the device once, not into each book). There are 20 some size settings so mostly there isn't a big jump in size which lets you get pretty close to your sweet spot if not hit it. All of the newer Kobo devices are touchscreen so it doesn't help you on that front.

10-17-2014, 01:37 PM	#5
Anthem Guru Posts: 704 Karma: 1622328 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle Oasis, OnePlus Nord	As robko says! I would like to point out that Kobo is pretty famous for having an incredible amount of options for dealing with fonts. So if you have vision problems, they might be the perfect choice.

10-17-2014, 05:14 PM	#6
tallulah28 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2014 Device: nook glowlight 4g	thanks for this spot-on advice. after buying this damnable nook i came to the same conclusion regarding kobo. but they are pricier and on amazon one reviewer says their fonts are grey instead of black but added this is pretty much offset by the fact you can thicken the fonts. thanks to the other respondent who also recommended Kobo. i'm going to nose around the internet for more specs on kobos.

10-17-2014, 05:27 PM	#7
Anthem Guru Posts: 704 Karma: 1622328 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: USA Device: Kindle Oasis, OnePlus Nord	A good place to start is Kobo's website:

10-19-2014, 12:35 AM	#9
tallulah28 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2014 Device: nook glowlight 4g	Thanks for the heads up. Saw the kobo h20 online and name was such a turn off, 'watery', murky, cloudy, leaky. Jeez who gets paid to come up with these names? But i'll scoot on over to the kobo subforum and try to get the skinny this "creature from the black lagoon". Is there a store (i'm in the US) where one could go and do a side by side comparison of ereaders? Seems to me they may be unique in that it's very difficult/impossible to do, yet it's the one item where a comparison is necessary.

10-19-2014, 12:44 PM	#10
robko Wizard Posts: 2,454 Karma: 5469320 Join Date: Jul 2010 Device: Kobo	H2O simply because it's waterproof . Never thought about it from watery/murky perspective but I can see that

10-24-2014, 01:48 PM	#12
tallulah28 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2014 Device: nook glowlight 4g	thanks, been researching reviews on the kobo, and they seem to have a lot of problems and compare poorly to a kindle or even a nook when reviewed by professional reviewers and the general pubic. sounds like you own a kobo; do you also own a kindle...if so what do you think? And please anyone else who is reading this jump in with your opinions.

10-25-2014, 07:12 AM	#13
booklover6 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,533 Karma: 14008730 Join Date: May 2008 Location: PA (USA) Device: Kobo Clara, 2E, Libre, PW4, PW5, 2022 Kindle	I've had many varieties of eink readers, including Nook (unlighted), Sony, Kindle (lighted and unlighted) and other brands that are lost in the dust of time. Kobo is the only one I have now. I find it superior to all the others. Yes, I prefer it over any Kindle. The ability to use my preferred, side-loaded font, and to manage my collections with Calibre, trumps anything Kindle has put out to date. If you want a lighted one, and are on a budget, I'd recommend the Glo. It is my personal favorite, due to the compact size and excellent screen. I don't recommend the Aura. However the Aura HD is also excellent, and may be found cheaper than the H2O.