E-Reader Page Numbers

[HarryHutton]

One of the issues I've come across with e-readers is page numbers. Some do not have page numbers at all. For all the others, it is difficult to know when one page ends and one begins.

Depending on the text size, a print version of page 70 could span several digital pages. When it reads 71, the user does not know where exactly 70 ends and 71 begins.

Why is this an issue?

• Referencing a quote or nugget of information
• Turning to Page X (e.g. in class or at a book club)
• Bookmarking a page

I wonder if displaying the page number at the side of the text where the page break occurs in the print version would help:



Yes/No/Improvements?
Is it too distracting?
Would you find this useful?

[PeterT]

Standard issue here; page number of WHICH edition of a printed book?

[GERGE]

This is already a thing with epubs and Kobo. Useful when referencing. I just put Adobe EPUB file while citing, they all use the same algorithm.

[DiapDealer]

The only way I would find them distracting is if I couldn't turn them off.

I personally have no use for page-numbers, location-numbers, time/pages remaining numbers, or progress indicators of any kind, for that matter, when I read ebooks. But I understand that others may want/need them for various reasons. I'm OK with any numbering scheme as long as it's not crammed down the throats of readers who aren't interested.

[ShellShock]

DiapDealer - Sony ereader owner by any chance?

[dwig]

Originally Posted by HarryHutton

...
Why is this an issue?

• Referencing a quote or nugget of information
• Turning to Page X (e.g. in class or at a book club)
• Bookmarking a page

I wonder if displaying the page number at the side of the text where the page break occurs in the print version would help:
...

This is one big advantage of the Kindle formats over "the others" (read: primarily ePub). Kindle location numbers remain the same regardless of the device's display setup and are consistent across all Kindle devices and software.

Also, the more recent Kindle page numbering scheme does reference a printed edition and which printed edition is specified.

Scholarly referencing can be done either by quoting the location number along with the Kindle book's edition or, when available, by page number and specifying the printed version used for the numbering.

It should be noted that the faux page numbering that some software generates for Kindle books is useless for scholarly referencing. Such books can't be used for this purpose at all if they've been recompiled in the process of "conversion" as they aren't a standard version any longer. Even if they aren't recompiled and only a page number file is generated, the page numbers are useless for referencing as they are not going to be exactly the same for anyone else to use.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by ShellShock

DiapDealer - Sony ereader owner by any chance?

No, why? Are they forced to deal with a numbering system?

I read with Mantano on a tablet.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by HarryHutton

I wonder if displaying the page number at the side of the text where the page break occurs in the print version would help:

Would the number be in the user- or device-defined margin? Or in the "ebook-defined margin that gets added to the pre-existing user- or device-defined margin (in order to ensure room for the page number)" margin?

[Quexos]

I have completely given up minding page numbers in electronic books as these vary from one system to another, one book to another, even the same book in two different systems.
Since I've gone full screen on my Kobo reader I just don't see (or need) the numbering of my pages anymore, except for paper books of course

[Phogg]

We are reading digital files.

I see no reason we should want a version of the old page numbering system which was as good as paper texts could provide. We do not need to be that imprecise.

Why not (when you long press on a word) have the word count for that word display at the bottom of the dictionary pop up? Then have go to wordcount# as one of the indexing options.

Wouldn't that make more sense?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by dwig

This is one big advantage of the Kindle formats over "the others" (read: primarily ePub). Kindle location numbers remain the same regardless of the device's display setup and are consistent across all Kindle devices and software.

Actually, that's way off base. ADE page numbers remain the same regardless of the devices display setup and are consistent across all ADE/RMDSK versions. ADE was the first eBook reading program to do this.

[DiapDealer]

ADE's a format?

[missimpossible]

I thought I'd mind this more than I did. I now quite like both percentage of the way through and time remaining in chapter/book as a way of measuring my distance through a book. This is in a purely pleasure-reading context though, I could see it being annoying in a more academic setting.

[jgaiser]

Actually, even in paper books I didn't pay any attention to page numbers. If you're using an ebook for a scholarly reference, you should probably make sure that 1) they can be used and 2) what the receiving party considers to be adequate.

I'm with missimpossible above. I like 'minutes left in chapter'.

[Apache]

The only thing I used page numbers for, in paper books, was to memorize the page I was on when I put the book down. I do not need this with e books.
Apache