Beautiful Topaz

Gideon · 06-03-2009, 05:40 AM

Okay... I mentioned getting a nice topaz file before. I flat out don't buy topaz when I think to check, but sometimes I forget and grab one and then it's too late (well, sometimes I return it.) I decided not to this time, and just took a look.

It's the most beautiful, readable ebook I've ever seen. It made me angry the default kindle font doesn't look like this!

It's one of Oxford's "Very Short Introduction" books. In this case A Very Short Introduction to Paul. But wow.. so readable and crisp! I normally prefer serif fonts but... anyway, it almost makes it worth it being a topaz file as if it wasn't, it wouldn't look like this.

tompe · 06-03-2009, 06:04 AM

Well, the ragged right is badly done especially around "offering". It really distracts you. This is an example of why you have to hyphenate also when using ragged right.

Gideon · 06-03-2009, 06:06 AM

That really doesn't bug me. But it could be better...

I'm really just infatuated with the text looking so clear and readable. Doesn't even feel like I'm reading on the Kindle!

Hadrien · 06-03-2009, 06:45 AM

Doesn't look very beautiful to me, but the font is nicer than the default one. Aside from the chapter header, you could easily get this sort of experience with any Mobipocket file if Amazon allowed to customize the font and line spacing.

wallcraft · 06-04-2009, 01:09 PM

The TOPAZ ebook in question is no longer available on the Kindle, but see Which font is this?. The answer turned out to be ITC Souvenir. An advantage of TOPAZ is that it can embed fonts, but a disadvantage is that they are not anti-aliased. Overall, ePub is much better for embedded fonts.

JSWolf · 06-04-2009, 01:26 PM

It looks like a photocopy to me. Not all that nice.

Nate the great · 06-04-2009, 01:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

It looks like a photocopy to me. Not all that nice.

A photocopy of what, exactly?

Nate the great · 06-04-2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tompe

Well, the ragged right is badly done especially around "offering". It really distracts you. This is an example of why you have to hyphenate also when using ragged right.

Some of us like a ragged right.

BTW, I went in search of the font. It comes with about 7 other fonts, and cost $179.

JSWolf · 06-04-2009, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

A photocopy of what, exactly?

Do you not know what a photocopy is?

Nate the great · 06-04-2009, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Do you not know what a photocopy is?

Yes, I do. But I also looked at the attached screen shot. It doesn't look like a scanned image; it looks like digital text in an unusual font. It's quite pretty.

Why do you think it's a photocopy?

JSWolf · 06-04-2009, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Yes, I do. But I also looked at the attached screen shot. It doesn't look like a scanned image; it looks like digital text in an unusual font. It's quite pretty.

Why do you think it's a photocopy?

I didn't say it is a photocopy. I said it looks like a photocopy.

Elsi · 06-04-2009, 02:15 PM

That's the screen-capture thingy on the Kindle. It produces a very "stark" image. I agree that it has the feel of a photocopy.

Gideon · 06-04-2009, 02:46 PM

All I'm really getting at (and I know how god-awful topaz is) is how wonderfully readable it is. It's true the screenshot really takes something away but this is the most readable ebook I've came across and I was shocked to find it being a topaz file. Shocked because 90% of the topaz files I have had are almost UNREADABLE and besides the whole DRM thing the bad typography has always been my biggest complaint about topaz.

JSWolf · 06-04-2009, 02:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elsi

That's the screen-capture thingy on the Kindle. It produces a very "stark" image. I agree that it has the feel of a photocopy.

So on the actual scree, it looks a lot nicer and not so stark. Thank you for that information.

FizzyWater · 06-05-2009, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate the great

Some of us like a ragged right.

(That was the closest thing to "raising my hand" in agreement that I could find...)

06-03-2009, 05:40 AM	#1
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	Beautiful Topaz Okay... I mentioned getting a nice topaz file before. I flat out don't buy topaz when I think to check, but sometimes I forget and grab one and then it's too late (well, sometimes I return it.) I decided not to this time, and just took a look. It's the most beautiful, readable ebook I've ever seen. It made me angry the default kindle font doesn't look like this! It's one of Oxford's "Very Short Introduction" books. In this case A Very Short Introduction to Paul. But wow.. so readable and crisp! I normally prefer serif fonts but... anyway, it almost makes it worth it being a topaz file as if it wasn't, it wouldn't look like this. Attached Thumbnails

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06-03-2009, 06:04 AM	#2
tompe Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,452 Karma: 7185064 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Linköpng, Sweden Device: Kindle Voyage, Nexus 5, Kindle PW	Well, the ragged right is badly done especially around "offering". It really distracts you. This is an example of why you have to hyphenate also when using ragged right.

06-03-2009, 06:06 AM	#3
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	That really doesn't bug me. But it could be better... I'm really just infatuated with the text looking so clear and readable. Doesn't even feel like I'm reading on the Kindle!

06-03-2009, 06:45 AM	#4
Hadrien Feedbooks.com Co-Founder Posts: 2,263 Karma: 145123 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Paris, France Device: Sony PRS-t-1/350/300/500/505/600/700, Nexus S, iPad	Doesn't look very beautiful to me, but the font is nicer than the default one. Aside from the chapter header, you could easily get this sort of experience with any Mobipocket file if Amazon allowed to customize the font and line spacing.

06-04-2009, 01:09 PM	#5
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,977 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	The TOPAZ ebook in question is no longer available on the Kindle, but see Which font is this?. The answer turned out to be ITC Souvenir. An advantage of TOPAZ is that it can embed fonts, but a disadvantage is that they are not anti-aliased. Overall, ePub is much better for embedded fonts.

06-04-2009, 01:26 PM	#6
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 80,782 Karma: 150249619 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	It looks like a photocopy to me. Not all that nice.

06-04-2009, 02:15 PM	#12
Elsi Wizard Posts: 2,366 Karma: 12000 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Texas, USA Device: Kindle; Sony PRS 505; Blackberry 8700C	That's the screen-capture thingy on the Kindle. It produces a very "stark" image. I agree that it has the feel of a photocopy.

06-04-2009, 02:46 PM	#13
Gideon Wearer of Pants Posts: 1,050 Karma: 7634 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Norman, OK Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone	All I'm really getting at (and I know how god-awful topaz is) is how wonderfully readable it is. It's true the screenshot really takes something away but this is the most readable ebook I've came across and I was shocked to find it being a topaz file. Shocked because 90% of the topaz files I have had are almost UNREADABLE and besides the whole DRM thing the bad typography has always been my biggest complaint about topaz.

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