For more information on the original fonts, please see the README.
Learn more about how and why I made these tweaked fonts on my blog: Patching Fonts for my Kobo. I explain here why and how.
How to install
To install these fonts on your Kobo, unzip the files and drag the font files into the fonts directory at the root of your Kobo device after connecting your Kobo to your PC via USB cable. You may need to create the fonts directory.
I recommend rebooting your Kobo after installing the fonts to make sure they work correctly. A reboot is REQUIRED if you already had other versions of these fonts installed on your device, or the new versions won't be used.
FAQ
What's tweaks have been applied to these fonts?
- I've set a 20% line height (using
font-line percent 20). Some fonts rendered poorly on Kobo devices with the line height slider all the way to the left. This fixes that! - Some fonts have been renamed (using fontname.py). This way, you can keep them installed side-by-side with the original versions, if you'd like.
- Panose information has been corrected where necessary (using panosifier). This ensures that the fonts render correctly on Kobo devices.
Important: The actual glyphs (what the fonts look like) have not been modified. No design alterations have been made.
How are these fonts licensed?
- Most of these fonts are available under their original Open Font License.
- I've included a copy of the modified version of ChareInk (version 5) which I found renders italics better on my Kobo.
- Charter and XCharter are available under the original Bitstream license, which are included in their respective archives.
What are some of these variants?
- EB Garamond Absinthe is based on EB Garamond but slightly tweaked. Sourced from this MobileRead post as-is for archival purposes.
- Newsreader NV and Newsreader Thirty-Six are both versions of the Newsreader 36pt font files. NV has a 20% spacing applied, Thirty-Six uses the original spacing. Newsreader eBook is based on the 14pt font size, and may be more to your liking in terms of glyph thickness.
- NVGaramond contains a bunch of tweaks. I've linked the repository, and it too is licensed under the SIL OFL.
That's a lot of fonts! What fonts should I try first?
I personally prefer EBGaramond and XCharter. They are both very pleasant to read.