Re:Kindle, ePub, and Amazon’s love of reinventing wheels
by dredmorbius on Wednesday May 18, 2022 @06:21AM
(#31421029)
As others have said: the problem is the device's display size.
If you compare the size of an e-reader to actual published books, you'll find that the smallest devices are roughly the size of a 4x6 index card. Most trade books measure about 9" diagonally, and in my experience, you'd want a 9" -- 10" device for most reading, possibly a 6" -- 8" minimum. Given that an actual device loses some area to bezels and controls, the translation isn't direct, and you're suffering either larger physical device dimensions or smaller screen size.
I purchased a 13.3" device specifically for use with textbooks and scans of small-font, multi-column articles. It's a bit on the large size for standard text (though can be read landscape-mode in 2-up format), but the ability to read almost anything without requiring in-page zoom and navigation (which is well-supported) is a major benefit.
The device has also convinced me that virtually all the supposed disadvantages of PDF or similar fixed-dimension document formats (e.g., DJVU) is not the document format but the display properties.
I'd recommend:
- Typical fiction or nonfiction text: 6" minimmum, 8" preferred.
- Textbooks, technical articles, old scans: 10" minimum, 13" preferred.
Comic and manga fans will also probably prefer 10" devices.
Then there's colour, though AFAIU size formats are more limited (8" and/or 10"). The fidelity is low --- more a low-saturation 1950's-era palette, though with much better resolution. Colour cuts resolution by a factor of three, so 220--300 dpi (typical of current devices) falls to about 75--100 dpi. I've not experienced this directly, so can't say what the net appearance is.
I wouldn't mind colour for some articles, mostly for graphics and visuals where colour differentiates values being presented. Though I'm rather enjoying my desaturated B&W world.
If you compare the size of an e-reader to actual published books, you'll find that the smallest devices are roughly the size of a 4x6 index card. Most trade books measure about 9" diagonally, and in my experience, you'd want a 9" -- 10" device for most reading, possibly a 6" -- 8" minimum. Given that an actual device loses some area to bezels and controls, the translation isn't direct, and you're suffering either larger physical device dimensions or smaller screen size.
I purchased a 13.3" device specifically for use with textbooks and scans of small-font, multi-column articles. It's a bit on the large size for standard text (though can be read landscape-mode in 2-up format), but the ability to read almost anything without requiring in-page zoom and navigation (which is well-supported) is a major benefit.
The device has also convinced me that virtually all the supposed disadvantages of PDF or similar fixed-dimension document formats (e.g., DJVU) is not the document format but the display properties.
I'd recommend:
- Typical fiction or nonfiction text: 6" minimmum, 8" preferred.
- Technical books, some tables / diagrams: 8" minimum, 10" preferred.
- Textbooks, technical articles, old scans: 10" minimum, 13" preferred.
Comic and manga fans will also probably prefer 10" devices.
Then there's colour, though AFAIU size formats are more limited (8" and/or 10"). The fidelity is low --- more a low-saturation 1950's-era palette, though with much better resolution. Colour cuts resolution by a factor of three, so 220--300 dpi (typical of current devices) falls to about 75--100 dpi. I've not experienced this directly, so can't say what the net appearance is.
I wouldn't mind colour for some articles, mostly for graphics and visuals where colour differentiates values being presented. Though I'm rather enjoying my desaturated B&W world.