Canceling-out font size definitions in many epubs

maraskan_user · 04-01-2021, 06:15 AM

I noticed that there are many epubs which show a pattern similar to this:

1. They specify a font size in their <html> element:

Code:

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" style="font-size:1.136rem;">

2. but then go and exactly cancel it out by using an inverse value like "font-size: 88%" either in their body definition or in virtually every single css-class.

I mean... why?
And it's clear from the values that they are supposed to cancel out. But why do this, instead of leaving these things out and only specify sizes for classes that actually deviate from the default font size?

Also, when I say cancel out, they do so in Calibre. KOreader seems to not react to the font-size definition in the html element which leads to wildly varying main font sizes for different books which use this cancel-out strategy...

Frenzie · 04-02-2021, 01:21 PM

I think I've seen people do that because the default tends to be 16px and they find it easier to calculate from something else.

So then you get something like

16*1.25 = 20

0.6*20=12

As opposed to 0.75*16=12.

Or something like that.

I already find that rationale most peculiar, but it almost certainly can't apply to 1.136… so beats me.

---

Incidentally, there is a style tweak to ignore publisher font sizes (albeit all of them).

04-01-2021, 06:15 AM	#1
maraskan_user Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2020 Location: Germany Device: Boox Nova 3, Galaxy Tab S6, Samsung M21	Canceling-out font size definitions in many epubs I noticed that there are many epubs which show a pattern similar to this: 1. They specify a font size in their <html> element: Code: <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" style="font-size:1.136rem;"> 2. but then go and exactly cancel it out by using an inverse value like "font-size: 88%" either in their body definition or in virtually every single css-class. I mean... why? And it's clear from the values that they are supposed to cancel out. But why do this, instead of leaving these things out and only specify sizes for classes that actually deviate from the default font size? Also, when I say cancel out, they do so in Calibre. KOreader seems to not react to the font-size definition in the html element which leads to wildly varying main font sizes for different books which use this cancel-out strategy...

04-02-2021, 01:21 PM	#2
Frenzie Wizard Posts: 1,617 Karma: 724945 Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Antwerp Device: Kobo Aura H2O	I think I've seen people do that because the default tends to be 16px and they find it easier to calculate from something else. So then you get something like 161.25 = 20 0.620=12 As opposed to 0.7516=12. Or something like that. I already find that rationale most peculiar, but it almost certainly can't apply to 1.136… so beats me. --- Incidentally, there is a style tweak to ignore publisher font sizes (albeit all of them). Attached Thumbnails Last edited by Frenzie; 04-02-2021 at 01:23 PM.*

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