NV Collection (v1.0)

Included in this release right now are my tweaked fonts and personal favorites, optimized for reading on Kobo devices.

Learn more

For more information about the fonts, screenshots and how to install them, please consult the README.

Original fonts?

The original, unmodified fonts are also included, with only one change: a 20% linegap modification, ideal for Kobo devices. Should you prefer the original Jost or EB Garamond, I've included them here. Cardo and NV Cardo should be identical and only the font name differs.

Pick the option you prefer!

More fonts

The older release may still be of interest, as I've included my initial batch of tweaked fonts mentioned in the blog post there.

(All other modified fonts remain available there, including the eBook variants discussed in my blog post about customizing fonts.)

eBook Font Collection

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.

If you found these useful, please consider starring the repository!

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.
• NV Garamond contains a bunch of tweaks. I've linked the repository, and it too is licensed under the SIL OFL.
• NV Jost is a Jost variant, with a slightly altered lowercase G and single storey a (similar to Futura, only accessible via OT feature on the original font). I've linked the repository, and it too is licensed under the SIL OFL.
• NV Cardo is a version of Cardo with 20% spacing and has been renamed so you can keep the original Cardo installed side-by-side as well.

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.