Reading on the Kindle Fire

JoeyBlaze · 12-20-2011, 04:27 PM

Hey all,

I'm having some trouble getting comfortable reading on the Fire. What I think the problem is, is the width of the screen. I was using a regular Kindle yesterday and reading on it was fine. Comparing the regular Kindle (kindle touch) and the Fire screen, I see the regular Kindle has a WIDER screen. because of this, it allows for more words per line. I feel that reading on the Fire is a bit strange because I feel like im constantly going from line to line. it's a bit hard to explain so I hope somebody understands what I'm trying to explain.
My question is, are there any tips to make the reading experiance on the Fire better? Any suggestions for Font, style, spacing, etc? I've experimented but I can't find that perfect combo. I can make the words smaller, thus allowing for more words per line, but then the words are too small!!

Any help or suggestions would be great!

Hope · 12-20-2011, 04:42 PM

I. personally, do not like the margins at the lowest setting which are too WIDE! Also, my Sharp Zaurus C3200 with FBReader has very adjustable margins, a screen which is easy on the eyes for reading with nice dark fonts, a screen that can be adjusted to low light and no glare....totally a superior screen and a superior reading experience in bed at night or in daylight in a car and weighs..I dunno 7 oz. or something, it's less than the size of a cigarette case and does everything the Kindle Fire does with FREE apps.
The batteries for the Z are expensive and don't last but 4 hours or so when new though...so it does have its faults which is why I got a Kindle Fire.
So it is NOT TRUE that a backlit screen cannot be a great reading experience both in low light and medium light conditions.
My Zaurus is around 7 years old!!! So what's up with this failure in technology...c'mon, Amazon, you can do better than this!

SCION · 12-20-2011, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyBlaze

Hey all,

I'm having some trouble getting comfortable reading on the Fire. What I think the problem is, is the width of the screen. I was using a regular Kindle yesterday and reading on it was fine. Comparing the regular Kindle (kindle touch) and the Fire screen, I see the regular Kindle has a WIDER screen. because of this, it allows for more words per line. I feel that reading on the Fire is a bit strange because I feel like im constantly going from line to line. it's a bit hard to explain so I hope somebody understands what I'm trying to explain.
My question is, are there any tips to make the reading experiance on the Fire better? Any suggestions for Font, style, spacing, etc? I've experimented but I can't find that perfect combo. I can make the words smaller, thus allowing for more words per line, but then the words are too small!!

Any help or suggestions would be great!

I can't really relate to what you're saying. I switch between the Touch and Fire with no issues. Try changing the font type and/or line spacing on the Fire.

JoeyBlaze · 12-20-2011, 04:57 PM

Quote:

I. personally, do not like the margins at the lowest setting which are too WIDE! Also, my Sharp Zaurus C3200 with FBReader has very adjustable margins, a screen which is easy on the eyes for reading with nice dark fonts, a screen that can be adjusted to low light and no glare....totally a superior screen and a superior reading experience in bed at night or in daylight in a car and weighs..I dunno 7 oz. or something, it's less than the size of a cigarette case and does everything the Kindle Fire does with FREE apps.
The batteries for the Z are expensive and don't last but 4 hours or so when new though...so it does have its faults which is why I got a Kindle Fire.
So it is NOT TRUE that a backlit screen cannot be a great reading experience both in low light and medium light conditions.
My Zaurus is around 7 years old!!! So what's up with this failure in technology...c'mon, Amazon, you can do better than this!

Wah? I don't think this helps in any possible way.

JoeyBlaze · 12-20-2011, 04:58 PM

Quote:

I can't really relate to what you're saying. I switch between the Touch and Fire with no issues. Try changing the font type and/or line spacing on the Fire.

I'm just wondering what font type and font size others use. What works best for you?

SCION · 12-20-2011, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyBlaze

I'm just wondering what font type and font size others use. What works best for you?

On the Touch I'm using sans serif with medium line spacing. Font size is 5.

On the Fire it's Lucida with small line spacing. Font size is 5 also. I get five more lines on the Fire, but line length is roughly the same. The Fire doesn't do a good job with word spacing (justification), unlike the Touch, so that's why the sentences may be shorter (too much space between words).

This only applies to books that I'm reading on the Touch and Fire. For reference books I just use the Fire and the font size is much smaller.

jswinden · 12-20-2011, 05:39 PM

Actually the Kindle 3, Kindle 4, and Kindle Fire all have the same width of screen--approximately 3.55" wide. Rendering and aesthetics probably create the false illusion of the widths being different. If I bring up the same page of text on the Fire and the K3/K4 with the text size and settings nearly identical, the Fire displays more text due to the longer screen.

On the K3 and K4 you can use a calibre plugin to decrease the margins to add more text per page width. Unfortunately we cannot do that with the Fire app.

The Fire has an LCD screen and so it renders text differently than the K3 and K4 E Ink screens. Therefore they will not render the same text exactly the same. You will need to play around with various text format settings to get them to what works best for you.

I find that most of my reading is now with the Fire as it is easier on my eyes. About the only time I use the K3 or K4 is for brightly lit areas or outside.

Hope · 12-20-2011, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyBlaze

Wah? I don't think this helps in any possible way.

Nudges Amazon to create a better product, perhaps? When seven year old devices are better performers than the NEW Kindle Fire, clearly there is something wrong, n'est pas?

Bookworm_Girl · 12-20-2011, 08:42 PM

I use the Georgia or Caecilia fonts. I haven't experimented too much with the others yet. I set it to the smallest margins and line spacing. I use smaller font sizes, like the second or third setting. It doesn't seem that different from reading on my Kindle eink reader. I installed a Decal Girl skin on my Fire to create a picture frame effect around the screen and that has made it easier for my eyes to focus on the reading area. I found the solid black bezel was glossy and distracting. I picked a patterned skin, but somebody else said they were using a solid black matte skin.

Blossom · 12-21-2011, 12:22 AM

I just use Mantano it gives me everything I need for a good reading experience.

It only reads epub and PDF though.

salsaguy · 12-21-2011, 12:35 AM

Adilko also lets you change a lot of settings for font and margins and spacing....also for epubs mainly.

Blossom · 12-21-2011, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salsaguy

Adilko also lets you change a lot of settings for font and margins and spacing....also for epubs mainly.

Mantano does all that and it has collections.

it even reads the external style sheets correctly, Aldiko doesn't. The only thing different is Aldiko can read Library books while Mantano has yet to add this even though it can read ADE books and B&N books.

I use Amasis Modified as my default font, Line spacing 1.3, Margins top and bottom 0 and Right and left 10. I also have text set to justify. Background is grey to dark grey and black text.

Bookworm_Girl · 12-21-2011, 12:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salsaguy

Adilko also lets you change a lot of settings for font and margins and spacing....also for epubs mainly.

I use Aldiko as well for EPUBs.
http://www.aldiko.com/features.html

gupy · 12-21-2011, 12:58 AM

JoeyBlaze..
I'll suggest that you try to use a San-Serif font (they are easier for the eye)..

In my Fire, I use Arial, in the smallest size, with the smallest line-space in WHITE over DARK background..

I've been reading ebooks since my very very old Palm, and then Clié and then iPod Touch and then Kindle keyboard and now Fire (and I'm still using my iPod)...and yes..I still have good eyes..

In my humble experience, the best combination (thinking about stability for your eyes) is to have white letters over dark background with a "simple" and plain font-type..

I hope this can be useful

12-20-2011, 04:27 PM	#1
JoeyBlaze Enthusiast Posts: 34 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Kindle Fire	Reading on the Kindle Fire Hey all, I'm having some trouble getting comfortable reading on the Fire. What I think the problem is, is the width of the screen. I was using a regular Kindle yesterday and reading on it was fine. Comparing the regular Kindle (kindle touch) and the Fire screen, I see the regular Kindle has a WIDER screen. because of this, it allows for more words per line. I feel that reading on the Fire is a bit strange because I feel like im constantly going from line to line. it's a bit hard to explain so I hope somebody understands what I'm trying to explain. My question is, are there any tips to make the reading experiance on the Fire better? Any suggestions for Font, style, spacing, etc? I've experimented but I can't find that perfect combo. I can make the words smaller, thus allowing for more words per line, but then the words are too small!! Any help or suggestions would be great!

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12-20-2011, 04:42 PM	#2
Hope Zealot Posts: 147 Karma: 1052536 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: PocketBook 360 Plus, Kindle Fire, Samsung Galaxy Tab 2	I. personally, do not like the margins at the lowest setting which are too WIDE! Also, my Sharp Zaurus C3200 with FBReader has very adjustable margins, a screen which is easy on the eyes for reading with nice dark fonts, a screen that can be adjusted to low light and no glare....totally a superior screen and a superior reading experience in bed at night or in daylight in a car and weighs..I dunno 7 oz. or something, it's less than the size of a cigarette case and does everything the Kindle Fire does with FREE apps. The batteries for the Z are expensive and don't last but 4 hours or so when new though...so it does have its faults which is why I got a Kindle Fire. So it is NOT TRUE that a backlit screen cannot be a great reading experience both in low light and medium light conditions. My Zaurus is around 7 years old!!! So what's up with this failure in technology...c'mon, Amazon, you can do better than this!

12-20-2011, 05:39 PM	#7
jswinden Nameless Being	Actually the Kindle 3, Kindle 4, and Kindle Fire all have the same width of screen--approximately 3.55" wide. Rendering and aesthetics probably create the false illusion of the widths being different. If I bring up the same page of text on the Fire and the K3/K4 with the text size and settings nearly identical, the Fire displays more text due to the longer screen. On the K3 and K4 you can use a calibre plugin to decrease the margins to add more text per page width. Unfortunately we cannot do that with the Fire app. The Fire has an LCD screen and so it renders text differently than the K3 and K4 E Ink screens. Therefore they will not render the same text exactly the same. You will need to play around with various text format settings to get them to what works best for you. I find that most of my reading is now with the Fire as it is easier on my eyes. About the only time I use the K3 or K4 is for brightly lit areas or outside.

12-20-2011, 08:42 PM	#9
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36536965 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	I use the Georgia or Caecilia fonts. I haven't experimented too much with the others yet. I set it to the smallest margins and line spacing. I use smaller font sizes, like the second or third setting. It doesn't seem that different from reading on my Kindle eink reader. I installed a Decal Girl skin on my Fire to create a picture frame effect around the screen and that has made it easier for my eyes to focus on the reading area. I found the solid black bezel was glossy and distracting. I picked a patterned skin, but somebody else said they were using a solid black matte skin.

12-21-2011, 12:22 AM	#10
Blossom Treasure Seeker Posts: 18,708 Karma: 26026435 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Kobo HD Glo, Kindles, Kindle Fires, Andriod Devices	I just use Mantano it gives me everything I need for a good reading experience. It only reads epub and PDF though.

12-21-2011, 12:35 AM	#11
salsaguy Addict Posts: 381 Karma: 30500 Join Date: Dec 2011 Device: Kindle Fire (1st Gen), Kindle Touch, KFHD 8.9 No Ads	Adilko also lets you change a lot of settings for font and margins and spacing....also for epubs mainly.

12-21-2011, 12:58 AM	#14
gupy Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: kindle	JoeyBlaze.. I'll suggest that you try to use a San-Serif font (they are easier for the eye).. In my Fire, I use Arial, in the smallest size, with the smallest line-space in WHITE over DARK background.. I've been reading ebooks since my very very old Palm, and then Clié and then iPod Touch and then Kindle keyboard and now Fire (and I'm still using my iPod)...and yes..I still have good eyes.. In my humble experience, the best combination (thinking about stability for your eyes) is to have white letters over dark background with a "simple" and plain font-type.. I hope this can be useful

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