Advanced Reader Settings
Visual controls that extend the reader settings panel: line spacing and margin width for EPUB reflowable content, high-contrast themes for users with low vision, and a one-click visual reset. These controls give readers finer typographic and accessibility control during long reading sessions.
Line Spacing
We expose a line spacing control in the reader settings panel that adjusts the vertical space between lines of text in EPUB reflowable content. Readers with visual fatigue, dyslexia, or small screens benefit from increased spacing without needing to increase font size.
Options
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| Compact | Tighter line height — useful for readers who prefer dense text |
| Normal | Default spacing (system default) |
| Wide | Increased line height — recommended for accessibility and long sessions |
Behavior
- Control is visible in the reader settings panel for EPUB reflowable content only. PDF and fixed-layout EPUB do not reflow text — the control is hidden.
- Changes apply in real time as the reader selects a level.
- The selected level persists across sessions and syncs across devices.
- On anonymous sessions, the preference applies to the current session only and is not synced.
Margin Width
We expose a margin width control that adjusts the horizontal padding of the reading column in EPUB reflowable content. Readers can widen the reading column on large screens or narrow it on mobile to match their preferred line length.
Options
| Level | Description |
|---|---|
| No margins | Full-width reading area |
| Narrow | Small lateral padding |
| Normal | Default margins (system default) |
| Wide | Generous lateral padding — improves comfort on large screens |
Behavior
- Control is visible for EPUB reflowable content only — same visibility rule as line spacing.
- Changes apply in real time.
- The selected level persists and syncs across devices.
- On anonymous sessions, the preference applies to the current session only.
Visual Reset
We provide a reset button inside the visual settings panel that restores all visual preferences to their default values in a single action. This removes the friction of undoing experimentation with theme, font size, line spacing, margins, and layout one by one.
Scope of reset
The reset restores all visual settings:
| Setting | Restored to |
|---|---|
| Theme | System default |
| Font size (EPUB) | Default zoom level |
| Line spacing | Normal |
| Margin width | Normal |
| Page layout | Default layout for content type |
Reading session state — current position, highlights, and bookmarks — is not affected.
Behavior
- Button is visible across all content types (PDF, EPUB, Audiobook) since visual settings like theme apply universally.
- After pressing reset, the system applies all defaults immediately and shows clear feedback to the reader.
- The reset persists and syncs across devices.
High-Contrast Themes
We extend the reader theme selector with high-contrast palettes designed for users with low vision. These themes sit alongside the standard System, Light, and Dark options and apply to the full reader interface, including UI chrome and content rendering.
Available Themes
| Theme | Background | Text | Intended Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| High Contrast (Dark) | Black | White | Readers who need maximum contrast, targets ratios above 21:1 |
Additional high-contrast variants, including a black-on-white light variant, are planned follow-ups in the Reader Accessibility Compliance project.
Scope of Application
High-contrast themes apply uniformly to:
- Reader UI chrome (header, footer, side panels, settings, notebook)
- Reading surface for PDF and EPUB reflowable content
- Focus rings, selected states, and hover feedback on interactive elements
Fixed-layout content (scanned PDFs, fixed-layout EPUB) preserves the original publication pixels. The surrounding UI still follows the active theme.
Behavior
- Control is visible across all content types (PDF, EPUB, Audiobook) since theme applies universally.
- Changes apply in real time and no reload is required.
- The selected theme persists and syncs across devices.
- On anonymous sessions, the preference applies to the current session only.
- The theme exceeds the WCAG 2.1 AA minimum contrast ratio (4.5:1 for normal text) and supports our Reader Accessibility Compliance initiative.
Platform Availability
| Platform | Line Spacing | Margin Width | Visual Reset | High-Contrast Themes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web (Farfalla) | EPUB reflowable only | EPUB reflowable only | All content types | All content types |
| iOS (Fenice) | EPUB reflowable only | EPUB reflowable only | All content types | All content types |
| Android (Fenice) | EPUB reflowable only | EPUB reflowable only | All content types | All content types |
Related Documentation
- Reader Feature Overview - Full feature catalog with platform availability