Read How You Want
Books in Formats to Suit Every Visual Need
Read How You Want: Books in Formats to Suit Every Visual Need
By Rochelle Caviness - April 27, 2009
Have you ever picked up a book and wished that you could get a copy of the same title, but in a larger font size, or with darker print? Or how about getting the book in an entirely different format such as in Braille or DAISY? Thanks to ReadHowYouWant, you actually can!
Read How You Want (RHYW) is a print-on-demand publisher, based in Australia. Their books can be ordered directly from the www.readhowyouwant.com website as well as from online retailers such as Amazon.com. RHYW currently offers thousands of unabridged books that range from bestsellers to classics, with new titles being added daily. Books are offered in a tantalizing range of formats that include five large print configurations that range from 16-24 point font sizes, as well as audio and MP3, eBooks, DAISY, and Braille formats. They also offer formats designed especially for individuals with a variety of print disabilities including dyslexia and eye-tracking problems. If none of these options suit your needs, they also offer you the option of further customizing your 'book' so that it best suits your individual reading and visual needs. For example, they give you the option of changing the word spacing, or selecting the type size, font, and color to be used in the production of your book.
In short, Read How You Want is a tremendous boon to the visually impaired community, their loved-ones, professionals working in the fields of low vision and blindness, and anyone who simply prefers to read their books in a larger than 'standard' font size.
As an avid reader, book reviewer, and VIP (visually impaired person), I've long been frustrated by the publishing industry's decision that large print, at best, equals a sixteen-point font, and nothing larger. Although you do see books printed in smaller font sizes listed as large print - including a bible I found that was advertised as being a large print edition, despite the fact that it was printed in a six-point font! By comparison, most newspaper type is printed using a ten-point font. In my mind, a six-point font is anything but large print, but that is another story. Personally, while I find large print books better than nothing, the print is usually still not big enough for me to read unaided, and I find myself in the predicament of having to use a magnifying aid in order to read a 16-point font sized large print book. Often, it is just not worth the effort. Unlike their competitors who think that one or two print sizes should suffice for everyone, Read How You Want has a unique philosophy. Each reader is unique and has unique reading requirements - so let them pick which font size or format best suits their need, and then publish the book or books they choose in the format they desire. This may seem like a simple idea, but until recently, it was a difficult feat to achieve. However, with the advent of newer print-on-demand technologies and the RHYW's tweaking of XML conversion technologies, this is now practical solution to a long-standing problem.
For those who are blind, or who are dealing with low vision, Read How You Want offers a variety of standardized large print and accessible reading options to choose from. The five large print options that you can choose from include:
- EasyRead Large, 16 Point Font Size
- EasyRead Large Bold, 16 Point Font Size
- EasyRead Super Large, 18 Point Font Size
- EasyRead Super Large, 20 Point Font Size
- EasyRead Super Large, 24 Point Font Size
You may be aware of the science of ergonomics, and the move to modify common objects from chairs to handles so that they are more comfortable to use and so that they can be used more efficiently. The folks at Read How You Want have taken ergonomics a step further and applied it to reading. For example, their large print formats have been optimized for reading ease and comfort, and in the process these formats help to reduce eye strain and to improve reading comprehension.
In addition to print editions, RHYW also offers books in a variety of other accessible formats that are downloaded directly to your computer. These formats include:
- Audio and MP3 Files
- eBooks - these are formatted to be read by various commercially available eBook readers such as the Kindle Reader, Adobe PDF e-book Reader, and MobiPocket Reader.
- DAISY - DAISY stands for Digital Accessible Information System. You need a stand-alone DAISY book reader, or a computer program that can read DAISY books, to access these files. DAISY books contain not only the text of the book, but also digital audio files of the book that allow you to listen to the book being read aloud.
- Braille books are availed in electronic Braille files (BRF). All of RHYW's Braille titles are transcribed into Grade 2 (contracted) Braille and then converted into BRF files. Once you download the BRF file, you can either emboss your new book, or read it using a refreshable Braille display. RHYW's BRF Braille files meet the standards of the Braille Authority of North America (BANA).
RHYW's 16 point font size is similar to that found in traditional large print books. However, all the books they publish have been reset to improve the overall readability of the text. Personally, I found that their 16 point, EasyRead Large Bold format to be easier to read than the regular 16 point editions, because the darker print increases the contrast between the type and the page. All the larger font sized editions (18, 20, and 24) are printed in a bold type face. It was an absolute pleasure to take a hold of a copy of 