3 ms·

>the justification and hyphenation algorithms in ePub readers are typically complete crap. IMO, ePub readers have the best justification algorithm: flush left,

by mrob 7y ago

>the justification and hyphenation algorithms in ePub readers are typically complete crap. IMO, ePub readers have the best justification algorithm: flush left, and the best hyphenation algorithm: never hyphenate. PDFs often force full justification on you, which makes it harder to read because all the line endings have the same spacing, making it easy to lose your position in the text.

Veen 7y ago
> making it easy to lose your position in the text I don't have that problem. I find find ragged-right with no hyphenation less pleasant to read and to look at. When I'm reading a novel on my Kindle, I have it set ragged-right because the Kindle doesn't justify well (just word spacing I think). Same on the web. But when I can get good justification and hyphenation, like on a properly typeset PDF or physical book, I prefer it.
IfOnlyYouKnew 7y ago
I actually doubt that "flush left only" and "no hyphenation" are the only, or even standard, options for most readers. But I think there's a synthesis possible between what you mean and what OP meant: ePub readers are somewhat better at adjusting to the reader. "Reader" here in terms of both the device and the actual human. Text can reflow, columns are used only where they make sense, and settings can be changed. PDFs are better at allowing the creator to, well, create. I know there's a hard core demographic that doesn't believe in any sort visual design. Yet there are topics and authors where choices of placement, font, color etc. are made with intent, and to good effect. Everything Tufte comes to mind. It should be possible, with something like Apple's Book Author, to create such designs that work well within the e-Book format. But I haven't seen any examples, probably because I rarely read textbooks these days and tend to buy paper copies of such books, anyway. In as far as I have seen illustrations in non-PDF formats, the results are dismal, with all sorts of sizing problems etc.

by mrob 7y ago

Veen 7y ago

> making it easy to lose your position in the text I don't have that problem. I find find ragged-right with no hyphenation less pleasant to read and to look at. When I'm reading a novel on my Kindle, I have it set ragged-right because the Kindle doesn't justify well (just word spacing I think). Same on the web. But when I can get good justification and hyphenation, like on a properly typeset PDF or physical book, I prefer it.

IfOnlyYouKnew 7y ago

I actually doubt that "flush left only" and "no hyphenation" are the only, or even standard, options for most readers. But I think there's a synthesis possible between what you mean and what OP meant: ePub readers are somewhat better at adjusting to the reader. "Reader" here in terms of both the device and the actual human. Text can reflow, columns are used only where they make sense, and settings can be changed. PDFs are better at allowing the creator to, well, create. I know there's a hard core demographic that doesn't believe in any sort visual design. Yet there are topics and authors where choices of placement, font, color etc. are made with intent, and to good effect. Everything Tufte comes to mind. It should be possible, with something like Apple's Book Author, to create such designs that work well within the e-Book format. But I haven't seen any examples, probably because I rarely read textbooks these days and tend to buy paper copies of such books, anyway. In as far as I have seen illustrations in non-PDF formats, the results are dismal, with all sorts of sizing problems etc.