Comments on: Large Print Unwelcome on the Kindle

By: Felix Torres

Felix Torres — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 03:47:19 +0000

There is a large print font hack that works on the K2 for any book:
https://sites.google.com/a/etccreations.com/kdesignworks/Home/font-install-files
The sample pics look pretty big to me.
(The default font max size on Kindle looks to be about 14 points non-bold.)

As for other readers, the Cybooks do a good job of displaying a fairly large font size and the Hanlin V3’s (BeBook, Aztak EZReader, etc) when running OpenInkpot do a fabulous job at large print rendering; any font, any spacing, any margins, any point size up to well past 40-points, plus there is a full-screen bold option. The default ADE-based firmware has no shortage of bugs and design misteps but lack of large font display isn’t one of them; it offers at least two very large font sizes in both portrait and landscape orientation.

Options exist as long as you’re not dealing with PDFs and locked-down epubs.

By: Lynn Hubbard

Lynn Hubbard — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:05:51 +0000

I just got my large print edition of my book Things change uploaded with no problems.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002R0FRUY

By: Linda Richardson

Linda Richardson — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:59:33 +0000

There’s a technical matter that I do not understand and would appreciate your help in resolving. I must have at least 14 pt black type in my reading material. Right, I can’t really see what I’m typing now! Why isn’t it possible to change the type face on a downloaded book in Kindle? If we can change WHOutlook express, Word docs and everything else, why is it impossible, illegal, etc. to increase the size of text on the Kindle player? I — and millions of readers — really need large print as well as the lightweight feature of Kindle because of other disabilities. Isn’t there any way we can do this? Thanks a lot for your help, people.

By: Mike Perry

Mike Perry — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:39:33 +0000

Your experience doesn’t surprise me. I live in Seattle and have been trying for years to build contacts with Amazon without success.

I have passed a link to this article along to several people in the Seattle media who have contacts at Amazon, including someone who used to work there. I hope something comes of that. What you’re doing deserves assistance.

Also, feel free to visit the link attached to my name. If Inkling Books has any titles your readers might like, I’ll be happy to supply the files you need. If they like adventure, Across Asia on a Bicycle is a good choice. It’s about the Asian leg of the second bike trip around the world and the first to take the difficult route through Central Asia. It’s a fascinating tale. And if Amazon gives you any hassle, I’ll be happy to provide you with written permission to reprint it in large type, as print or an ebook.

By: Christine

Christine — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 04:29:12 +0000

Ebooks are a great option for people with less than perfect vision because it’s so simple to enlarge the text to a comfortable size. This shouldn’t require special large font ebooks, it should be built into the readers. I’m surprised to hear that any readers are limiting this possibility. I have a Cybook and the text size options are excellent, there are 12 font size options, from very small to very large. That’s one thing they’ve done well.

By: Vicki

Vicki — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 21:44:03 +0000

> The copyright exemption covers “braille, audio,
> or digital text which is exclusively for use by
> blind or other persons with disabilities.”

The key word here is exclusively. He’s taking money for an edition of a book that I could download to my Kindle and read. I wouldn’t enjoy it as much, but if it was the only Kindle edition of something I wanted to read, yeah, I’d read it.

Vicki

By: Paul Biba

Paul Biba — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 19:15:08 +0000

Amazon seems to be like Google. It is impossible to get a liver person to speak to at Google. Just no way in.

I would suggest the Foundation try their Senator or Congressperson. They may have a way in. Or contact Amazon PR.

By: Joshua Tallent of eBookArchitects.com

Joshua Tallent of eBookArchitects.com — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 17:07:47 +0000

I disagree. The copyright exemption covers “braille, audio, or digital text which is exclusively for use by blind or other persons with disabilities.” That includes large print, even if only in this context, because the large print books on the Kindle are exceeding the normal parameters for text on the screen. The books are clearly declared as being for the visually impaired, and are honestly hard to read if you are not.

The foundation has tried to get explicit permission before publishing content in the past, but they have found that most publishers won’t even give them the time of day. But when they go ahead, they have had few complaints about their work. I guess that falls under the old adage: it’s easier to get forgiveness than to seek permission.

By: Bob Martinengo

Bob Martinengo — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:36:30 +0000

Well, not to attack the Foundation’s position, as it sounds like they are performing a good service, but large print is not protected by the copyright exemption cited here (as well as in my post a few days ago). They really should be obtaining permission for the titles they convert, which would also give them stronger footing with Amazon.