Font behavior of different e-readers

[jhowell]

Originally Posted by Hitch

Yes--IF you have ever selected Publisher Font AND it's already turned on.

But if you haven't, and it's not being used on the current book--it isn't the default. I've NEVER seen it as the opening look on my Voyage, b/c I don't choose it and never did.

I suspect that most readers never see a Publisher font. I normally read using the Bookerly font so that is what is already selected when I open a new book. Even if the book has a publisher font available I never see it or even know it is a possible choice unless I happen to open the Aa menu.

[beiti]

Originally Posted by jhowell

Even if the book has a publisher font available I never see it or even know it is a possible choice unless I happen to open the Aa menu.

In my experience most books on the Kindle store stick to the Amazon guidelines as they leave the body text without any font definition. So it doesn't really make a difference if your Kindle is set to Pubilsher Font or not (at that point).
The question is what happens if the book does contain embedded fonts – and what happens when only headlines etc. use embedded fonts but the main (body) text does not.

If I remember the KDP guidelines correctly, Amazon wants us to not use any embedded font for the body text, but to use embedded fonts for headlines and other paragraphs that could profit from individual looks. So it wouldn't really make sense to hide all embedded fonts as a default.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by beiti

In my experience most books on the Kindle store stick to the Amazon guidelines as they leave the body text without any font definition. So it doesn't really make a difference if your Kindle is set to Pubilsher Font or not (at that point).
The question is what happens if the book does contain embedded fonts – and what happens when only headlines etc. use embedded fonts but the main (body) text does not.

If I remember the KDP guidelines correctly, Amazon wants us to not use any embedded font for the body text, but to use embedded fonts for headlines and other paragraphs that could profit from individual looks. So it wouldn't really make sense to hide all embedded fonts as a default.

But there's a problem. You cannot use the font of your choice for the body font if you are set to Publisher Font. So embedding any fonts is not a good idea as that will spoil the reader's choice of font.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by jhowell

I suspect that most readers never see a Publisher font. I normally read using the Bookerly font so that is what is already selected when I open a new book. Even if the book has a publisher font available I never see it or even know it is a possible choice unless I happen to open the Aa menu.

Yes, this is my take on it and a casual poll of our customers, since 2012, indicates that that's the case. I can't remember the last time we had a customer with a PPW/Voyage/Oasis that even knew that "Publisher Font' existed. We did a book recently in which this so INCENSED the author that he required that we put a "warning" sort of thing on the book behind the title page, advising the reader/buyer to set it to "Publisher font" for the best reading experience. Oy.

Originally Posted by beiti

In my experience most books on the Kindle store stick to the Amazon guidelines as they leave the body text without any font definition. So it doesn't really make a difference if your Kindle is set to Pubilsher Font or not (at that point).

Well, with all due respect, that's because "most books" on the Amazon store are made from WORD, so I wouldn't use that as any guideline.

The question is what happens if the book does contain embedded fonts – and what happens when only headlines etc. use embedded fonts but the main (body) text does not.

Actually, that's YOUR question. I already know--the fonts are eliminated from view, if the reader isn't using Publisher Font. AND, IME, 90+% of the readers don't and don't even know it exists as an option.

If I remember the KDP guidelines correctly, Amazon wants us to not use any embedded font for the body text, but to use embedded fonts for headlines and other paragraphs that could profit from individual looks. So it wouldn't really make sense to hide all embedded fonts as a default.

Amazon wants you not to use an UNCHANGEABLE body font. Not "no embedded body font," just not one that can't be changed. And again, yes, they absolutely DO hide all fonts by default, on that family of devices, UNLESS the person using the device has the device set to Publisher font when the eBook is opened.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But there's a problem. You cannot use the font of your choice for the body font if you are set to Publisher Font. So embedding any fonts is not a good idea as that will spoil the reader's choice of font.

Of course you can. We do it all the time, but it is absolutely overrideable and changeable at the reader's whim.

Hitch