Kobo Aura H2O, how to change size of quoted text?

[crankypants]

Kobo Software version 4.4.9344.

I have a Kobo Aura H2O which is brand new. When I set the font size, all text sizes change, but the quoted text (which is italic and indented) in my EPUB is too small for me. Is it possible to change just the size of the quoted text? It's in a <blockquote> block.

I've gone through many menus and screens looking for options, and done a Google search and still haven't found how to change the size of only the quoted text.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by crankypants

Kobo Software version 4.4.9344.

I have a Kobo Aura H2O which is brand new. When I set the font size, all text sizes change, but the quoted text (which is italic and indented) in my EPUB is too small for me. Is it possible to change just the size of the quoted text? It's in a <blockquote> block.

I've gone through many menus and screens looking for options, and done a Google search and still haven't found how to change the size of only the quoted text.

From the H2O, you cannot change the size of specific text. But if you remove the DRM or the eBook is DRM free, you can use Caibre's eBook editor to fix the font size with the quoted text. It's quite common to see quoted text be set in a smaller font size than the rest of the main text. I check for that and remove the font size command in the CSS so it's the same size as the main text.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by crankypants

Kobo Software version 4.4.9344.

I have a Kobo Aura H2O which is brand new. When I set the font size, all text sizes change, but the quoted text (which is italic and indented) in my EPUB is too small for me. Is it possible to change just the size of the quoted text? It's in a <blockquote> block.

I've gone through many menus and screens looking for options, and done a Google search and still haven't found how to change the size of only the quoted text.

I would agree with what JSWolf said. The CSS for the epub is setting the font size smaller for the quotes. If the epub is not DRMed or you are willing to remove the DRM, you can use Sigil (from your signature, you already have it) or Calibre's ebook editor. Personally I prefer Sigil but either will work. What you would need to do is to look at the <blockquote> and see if it includes a class=, if the class is applied to the text inside the blockquote or if both have a class=. Basically, what you would then do is to open the stylesheet and edit those classes to remove the font size definition within it. Remember that with Sigil, you need to set current file as the search target to search in a stylesheet.

Look for something such as:

.quotedtext {
    font-size : 0.75em;
    ....
    }

and either remove the font-size line or check what the class attached to the standard paragraph is using and use that font size instead.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

If the epub is not DRMed or you are willing to remove the DRM, you can use Sigil (from your signature, you already have it) or Calibre's ebook editor. Personally I prefer Sigil but either will work.

If the eBook is being side loaded from Calibre, then it's already loaded in Calibre's database and given that this is a simple CSS fix, use Calibre's eBook editor. It's a very simple three step process.

Step 1: Remove unused CSS classes from the eBook
Step 2: go through the CSS and remove font-size lines from classes where it's not a smallcaps line. Remove font-size of 1em or smaller
Step 3: Load the eBook on your Kobo and enjoy.

And while you are at it, you might want to find the margins that are controlling the margins for the book and set them to 0 so you can use the margin slider more effectively. You could also dump the line-height lines except the ones in a dropcap. Then the line height slider would be more effective.

What you would need to do is to look at the <blockquote> and see if it includes a class=, if the class is applied to the text inside the blockquote or if both have a class=. Basically, what you would then do is to open the stylesheet and edit those classes to remove the font size definition within it. Remember that with Sigil, you need to set current file as the search target to search in a stylesheet.

Look for something such as:

.quotedtext {
    font-size : 0.75em;
    ....
    }

and either remove the font-size line or check what the class attached to the standard paragraph is using and use that font size instead.

Most eBooks use a <div> block instead of a <blockquote>. Then in that block, there are other classes. Any of those classes could be the culprit. But, if you've followed the simple three step directions above, there's no need to look at the blocks (<blockquote> or <div>).

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Step 1: Remove unused CSS classes from the eBook
Step 2: go through the CSS and remove font-size lines from classes where it's not a smallcaps line. Remove font-size of 1em or smaller
Step 3: Load the eBook on your Kobo and enjoy.

While removing the font-size lines, you might also want to check that you are not removing a font-size from a class used for superscripted or subscripted text, making capitalized abbreviations such as AM or PM a closer match to lower case text size (suppose this could be covered by smallcaps but few ebooks actually use a small caps font and RMSDK does not recognize text-transform or font-variant: small-caps), lines that are being used for copyright text which is rather often in a smaller font size, etc.

In other words, a bulk delete of all font-size lines of 1em or smaller is just nasty.

And what if the epub uses absolute sizing xx-small to xx-large, mm (millimetres), cm (centimetres), pt (points ~1/72" or .35mm), pica (12 points) or my personal unfavourite, px (pixels)? Or possibly expresses relative sizing using smaller/larger or percentages? Then we move on the the weirdies such as ex, rem, ch, vh and vw.

And yes, I have seen every blasted one of these used in an epub.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

In other words, a bulk delete of all font-size lines of 1em or smaller is just nasty.

I did say not to delete the font-size from smallcap classes. Usually, it's very easy to tell based on the class name.

And what if the epub uses absolute sizing xx-small to xx-large, mm (millimetres), cm (centimetres), pt (points ~1/72" or .35mm), pica (12 points) or my personal unfavourite, px (pixels)? Or possibly expresses relative sizing using smaller/larger or percentages? Then we move on the the weirdies such as ex, rem, ch, vh and vw.

And yes, I have seen every blasted one of these used in an epub.

You just have to see what's there and deal appropriately.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I did say not to delete the font-size from smallcap classes. Usually, it's very easy to tell based on the class name.

I read what you wrote as saying to remove all font-sizes less than 1em excluding smallcap styles.

I was attempting to point out that some styles involve font sizes less than 1em are not easy to recognize as a smallcaps style. And some smallcap styles are not very clear -- in one case, the class that handled AM/PM/etc. was found in the stylesheet as span.abbrv. doing fake smallcaps using font-size 0.8em while another span wrapped around this one was named span.condc2sc which used @support to either use real smallcaps (if supported) using c2sc with a font-size of 1.25 em or doing nothing. It was supposed to be epub3 and web readable. If you left the font-size of 1.25em in place and removed the 0.8em, it would look rather odd when displayed by software that did not support real smallcaps.

The other item I was trying to make clear is not all stylesheets use the em as a unit.

Originally Posted by JSWolf

You just have to see what's there and deal appropriately.

Your advice, in my opinion, comes very close to that utility that nuked the style information in an epub to fix a bug in early Kobo firmware. There are just too many variant techniques to allow for one-size-fits-all advice.

[crankypants]

I got it. I had made the EPUB myself and used a CSS file. In the CSS file for <blockquote> the font was set to 65%. So I made it bigger. All fixed now.

I had sideloaded the book by connecting the Kobo to my PC as a USB drive and dragging the EPUB to the '/contents/' folder.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by DNSB

I read what you wrote as saying to remove all font-sizes less than 1em excluding smallcap styles.

I was attempting to point out that some styles involve font sizes less than 1em are not easy to recognize as a smallcaps style. And some smallcap styles are not very clear -- in one case, the class that handled AM/PM/etc. was found in the stylesheet as span.abbrv. doing fake smallcaps using font-size 0.8em while another span wrapped around this one was named span.condc2sc which used @support to either use real smallcaps (if supported) using c2sc with a font-size of 1.25 em or doing nothing. It was supposed to be epub3 and web readable. If you left the font-size of 1.25em in place and removed the 0.8em, it would look rather odd when displayed by software that did not support real smallcaps.

The other item I was trying to make clear is not all stylesheets use the em as a unit.



Your advice, in my opinion, comes very close to that utility that nuked the style information in an epub to fix a bug in early Kobo firmware. There are just too many variant techniques to allow for one-size-fits-all advice.

What I do is nuke the <p class="some useless class"> into <p> and add in the <p> that I want. I then find all the classes that need to have a text-indent: 0 added to them. I then do a search for <p class= and see what classes there are and what they are used for and find any other classes that need a text-indent: 0. Some eBooks already have such in the CSS. But most do not.

You can also search for <span class= to find what classes are used in a span such as smallcaps. Using Diap's Toolbox, I fix the spans that are for bold and italics to <i> and <b>. Then the rest is trivial. It's not difficult to find smallcap classes as well as clean up the CSS some.