Reading ebooks - do you print or squint?
 

I've been reading this forum for a while now and it's great! Thanks for the excellent info. I'd like to ask members a couple of questions:

1 : Do you read ebooks on the computer screen or do you print out a hard copy?

2 : If you're a squinter, what do you think ebook authors could do to make on-screen reading easier?

I confess I'm a squinter myself - I just can't wait to get the good oil!

James

Re: Reading ebooks - do you print or squint?
 

I'd say the ebook writers should say in the directions that if you squint, that you should change your desktop to a lower resolution so everything is bigger. There's no reason to do that to your eyes if you are having a problem.

Then I'd say they need to teach you the steps of

Move some windows so you can see a blank part of your desktop.

In the blank part of the desktop, right click and choose properties.

Then choose the settings tab.

Then change the numbers on your screen area by sliding the slider to the left.

Then choose OK and follow the directions to check if your window looks alright.

After your window looks good, re-start the ebook and read in comfort.

Great questions....
 

Hi James,

> 1 : Do you read ebooks on the computer
> screen or do you print out a hard copy?

If I'm serious about reading it, I print out a hard copy. I may also bind it (or staple it) and put it on the shelf with the other books and reports. Of course, I also keep an electronic copy on my hard drive too.

> 2 : If you're a squinter, what do you think
> ebook authors could do to make on-screen
> reading easier?

I personally really dislike those executable ebooks that don't let you print 'em. They may have great info, but it's much less accessible to me if I can't print it.

- Dien

Re: Reading ebooks - do you print or squint?
 

Ani-squinter -

> I'd say the ebook writers should say in the
> directions that if you squint, that you
> should change your desktop to a lower
> resolution so everything is bigger. There's
> no reason to do that to your eyes if you are
> having a problem.

> Then I'd say they need to teach you the
> steps of

> Move some windows so you can see a blank
> part of your desktop.

> In the blank part of the desktop, right
> click and choose properties.

> Then choose the settings tab.

> Then change the numbers on your screen area
> by sliding the slider to the left.

> Then choose OK and follow the directions to
> check if your window looks alright.

> After your window looks good, re-start the
> ebook and read in comfort.

Hmmm. I've been sitting here thinking about your post. I'm an e-book author and author of a "hard copy" course. I'm helping my wife complete her first e-book.

As I said, your post made me do some thinking. Here's what I came up with. (Read all the way to the end. You'll see the process. *g*)

1. If I sell you a car, is it my responsibility to teach you how to drive it? Of course not. Not beyond making sure you understand how the controls of *this* car function. Most dealers handle that in about 5 minutes.

2. So if it isn't my responsibility to teach you how to drive a car if I sold it to you, why is it my responsibility to teach you how to use your computer? Again, of course not. But again, it *is* my responsibility as the author/publisher to help you get the best use out of the e-book you just purchased from me.

3. Ken Evoy is the best I've seen at doing this. Every one of his e-books that I've ever seen tells you right up front exactly how to use his e-book.

4. Shouldn't we provide a better experience than our readers expect?

Conclusion: I didn't come up with one. I think you're right. I think we as publishers should do *something* to help our customers with this issue. In my wife's e-book, we are using a Times-Roman font with a size of 18 points. This should help our readers be able to better see the text. I think many e-books are published with font sizes of 10 - 14 points. So increasing font size is one thing publishers can do to make it easier for folks to read their e-books.

Rick Smith, "The Net Guerrilla"

Little lord FONT leroy
 

Sat in the chair at the bottom of the garden. He flipped open his Dell Insuperion III Deluxe with Five gig Ram and 39 terrabyte HD. Turned it on and waited for his desktop to appear.

Once the Windows 2038 Second Edition software had loaded, he clicked his Adobe Acrobat 14 reader icon. After it started he opened one of the ebooks he had bought the night before.

He started with "Biggles Flys To New York". The book's promo said it was for those with poor eye sight. But he didn't expect size 20 font. Holy cow... it was HUGE... everything on the page was THIS BIG. It was an assult on his eyes. And it made the ebook incredibly lo-o-o-o-ng. Way to long to print. In fact, it was uncomfortable to read at that font size.

So he opened up the other book he bought. It was called, Windows For FudgeMudgins (which is the word for Dummies in the future time he lives). But dang... the font was impossible to read... It looked like this even after using the Zoom feature that comes with the Acrobat Reader.

He opened the third book. It was called Debbie Learns C++++++++++. The font was this size - normal size. Ideal for printing out on paper. Easy to read on the screen. Can be zoomed in on to increase the size as seen on the screen... and doesn't make the book longer in page numbers to give a false impression. Why, the book even had normal margins instead of three inch wide margins. Which, authors claim is for notes, but which also conveniently increases the length of the book five fold.

He read the book, tried out the example code and was pleased. He leant back against the chair's back rest, closed his eyes and dreamt of a time when eBook authors would follow a standard, middle of the road approach to fonts, like those who print hard copy books do. Size 12 font is okay...

Re: Little lord FONT leroy
 

Michael -

> It was an assult on his eyes. And it made
> the ebook incredibly lo-o-o-o-ng. Way to
> long to print. In fact, it was uncomfortable
> to read at that font size.

> So he opened up the other book he bought. It
> was called, Windows For FudgeMudgins (which
> is the word for Dummies in the future time
> he lives). But dang... the font was
> impossible to read... It looked like this
> even after using the Zoom feature that comes
> with the Acrobat Reader.

> He opened the third book. It was called
> Debbie Learns C++++++++++. The font was this
> size - normal size. Ideal for printing out
> on paper. Easy to read on the screen. Can be
> zoomed in on to increase the size as seen on
> the screen... and doesn't make the book
> longer in page numbers to give a false
> impression. Why, the book even had normal
> margins instead of three inch wide margins.
> Which, authors claim is for notes, but which
> also conveniently increases the length of
> the book five fold.

> He read the book, tried out the example code
> and was pleased. He leant back against the
> chair's back rest, closed his eyes and
> dreamt of a time when eBook authors would
> follow a standard, middle of the road
> approach to fonts, like those who print hard
> copy books do. Size 12 font is okay...

And your post, of course points out the tradeoffs.

Do I make the font size larger to handle the situation that started this thread? Or do I make it size 12 as you suggested and trust that people will use the zoom in feature if it's a PDF? Ours is a PDF and it has reasonably sized margins based on comments from our reviewers.

And what about those e-books that are *not* PDF? Maybe you wouldn't buy them (I don't buy many that aren't PDF) but it looks like there are plenty of people that do judging from all the e-book compilers available.

So... we're no closer to an answer than when we started!

Rick Smith, "The Net Guerrilla"

Re: A little of both
 

> 1 : Do you read ebooks on the computer
> screen or do you print out a hard copy? 2 : If you're a squinter, what do you think
> ebook authors could do to make on-screen
> reading easier?