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jackie_w · 03-17-2013, 11:41 AM

I tried the first book on your list on my Kobo Glo.

Good news: Your embedded fonts are not being ignored, so the css is fine.

Bad news: Unfortunately they don't all look good. The smallcaps and dropcaps are OK but a bit too lightweight (IMO only). However the main body text and headings look terrible, with long vertical streaks. I can only assume this is something to do with the particular webfont .ttf files you've embedded. I happen to have a version of Linux Libertine as one of my sideloaded fonts. If I select it from the font menu the main body text looks fine again, which just leaves the headings as problematic. The Kobo obviously doesn't like some of your ttf files. I tried the same epub on my Sony PRS350 which displays fine - no vertical streaks at all - it's still a bit lightweight IMO.

I have to conclude that the Kobo is more picky about fonts than some other readers but the standard @font-face methods for embedded fonts do work as expected.

When publishing epubs which may be read on many different devices, font-embedding is a tricky business, so the fewer the better. IMO it's better to let each user pick their preferred font for main body text. If you're only preparing them for yourself (as I am) you just have to do a bit of trial and error about which ones look good on your own readers.

FYI - If you're only creating epubs for yourself then this recent post of mine shows how to css-reference a sideloaded font in the Kobo /fonts directory without needing to embed it. It works for fw 2.1.5 but I'm not able to test it on any later versions. Feel free to PM me with any questions.

03-17-2013, 11:41 AM	#10
jackie_w Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,212 Karma: 16534894 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo: KA1, ClaraHD, Forma, Libra2, Clara2E. PocketBook: TouchHD3	I tried the first book on your list on my Kobo Glo. Good news: Your embedded fonts are not being ignored, so the css is fine. Bad news: Unfortunately they don't all look good. The smallcaps and dropcaps are OK but a bit too lightweight (IMO only). However the main body text and headings look terrible, with long vertical streaks. I can only assume this is something to do with the particular webfont .ttf files you've embedded. I happen to have a version of Linux Libertine as one of my sideloaded fonts. If I select it from the font menu the main body text looks fine again, which just leaves the headings as problematic. The Kobo obviously doesn't like some of your ttf files. I tried the same epub on my Sony PRS350 which displays fine - no vertical streaks at all - it's still a bit lightweight IMO. I have to conclude that the Kobo is more picky about fonts than some other readers but the standard @font-face methods for embedded fonts do work as expected. When publishing epubs which may be read on many different devices, font-embedding is a tricky business, so the fewer the better. IMO it's better to let each user pick their preferred font for main body text. If you're only preparing them for yourself (as I am) you just have to do a bit of trial and error about which ones look good on your own readers. FYI - If you're only creating epubs for yourself then this recent post of mine shows how to css-reference a sideloaded font in the Kobo /fonts directory without needing to embed it. It works for fw 2.1.5 but I'm not able to test it on any later versions. Feel free to PM me with any questions.