Hello,

Following up on my earlier TTF/OTF post. That one was about getting custom fonts working. This is about making the text actually look good.

TLDR: You don't need AA anymore, the base quality of the font is great now thanks to FreeType and hinting.

Link: XPoint Release v2.2.0

I swapped the font engine for FreeType

The reader was drawing text with an old built-in font engine. On PSRAM boards (X4 Pro, and any other board with PSRAM) it now uses FreeType instead, which is what proper e-readers use. Same for you as a user: drop your .ttf or .otf into /fonts or /.fonts like before, and the text just looks better.

What changed for the better:

1. Crisp, clean letters. The old way drew text in shades of grey and then messed with it to fake it into black and white, which made small text look smudged. Now it draws straight to black and white. Sharper letters, and it does less work doing it.
2. Text lines up properly. Letters now sit neatly on the screen grid instead of wobbling slightly off it. This is most obvious on body text at the smaller reading sizes, which is where smudged text is hardest to read for a long session.
3. Faster page turns. Fonts stay loaded between pages, so turning a page no longer re-reads the font you were already looking at.

This is the release I am happiest with, because it is the one that makes an actual difference to sitting down and reading. The fonts you already use will just look better.

What else is in the fork

Nine things only my fork has, made for the X4 Pro. They are on by default, they are not in the main Crosspoint, and they stay out of your way until you want them.

1. Reading stats on the home screen. Per-book and overall stats, with a proper words-per-minute reading speed. Design credit to u/uxjulia.
2. Reading Rhythm. See your reading sessions over time: when you read, how long you read, and how your pace changed. This one made me look at my own habits differently.
3. An honest words-per-minute number. Most readers divide your word count by how long the page was on screen, which really means "how long until I got bored or interrupted." This one measures the actual time you spend on each page and smooths it out, the same way a Kindle does.
4. Reading Achievement. Your milestones over time: books finished, pages turned, time read, longest session, and the days you actually sat down and read.
5. Finished Books. A shelf of what you finished and how long each one took, so the books you gave up on stop sitting next to the ones you loved.
6. Time left in the chapter. A live "47 min left" in the status bar, based on your real reading speed. Show it on the left, the right, or hide it.
7. Time left and progress on every book cover. "42% - 2h 30m" right under each book in Recent books, so you know where you left off without opening anything.
8. Frontlight side-swipe gestures (frontlight-equipped devices only): while reading, swipe up and down on the edges of the screen. Left edge changes the colour temperature (up is warmer, down is cooler), right edge changes brightness (up is brighter, down is dimmer), and sliding all the way down on the right turns the light off. Works whether or not you have touch controls on, and you can switch it off in Settings → Display.
9. Configurable Home button. Short press, double press, and long press are three separate actions you can each choose in Settings → Controls.

Credit where it is due: the stats card design is u/uxjulia's CrossInk, and the Reading Rhythm, Reading Achievement, and Finished Books screens are ported from u/Sichroteph's YACP.

One more thing worth knowing: every release ships with a signed file that the device checks before it installs anything, so a corrupted or tampered update gets rejected instead of installed.

Dropped my x3 on the pavement today and cracked the back glass so I went through the scrap bin and found some 1/16" acrylic that I could laser cut to replace it with. Ended up sanding the edges to make it feel a bit better in the hand (it really needs something closer to 1/32"). So far everything is working, dinged up the battery a tad when removing the back glass though.

If anyone wants the dxf file let me know, doubt anyone with access to a laser cutter doesn't have access to calipers. Only took a couple minutes to measure everything out.

I wanted to share font and size comparisons on x4 classic to some books and magazines.

font - NotoSerifExtended 12pt
line spacing - normal
no anti-aliasing

crosspoint 1.6.5

I was afraid of the lack of a backlight, but in pole light or under a night lamp, it is more than enough for good reading. I really do not remember my Kindle screen having so much contrast and light reflection; maybe I got addicted to the backlight, haha.

I just ordered this device & was originally considering getting a standard magnetic fold close case but after reading reviews and why I’ve held off on getting this device leaning more towards considering getting a 3d printed one… here are the options I’ve been considering

just purchased my x3 this morning, I'm so excited 🙂

I'm using the inkdash app to make my back cover and damn, I love how the xteink falls close to the edges.
I wish I had the x3 to test it.

For anyone who might be interested, you need to flash the crossink with tessarae client and follow the steps to configure.

https://github.com/dmellok/CrossInk/releases/tag/v1.6.0-tesserae.2

https://apps.apple.com/br/app/inkdash/id6813217453?l=en-GB

Which phone do you guys like the best when putting the xteink on the back?

got through some books and now starting manga (oyasumi punpun)

definitely love this device as someone who is trying to be less on their phone and get back into reading; it’s so handy.

Something I've wanted for a while: readme.club right on the reader itself, not on the phone next to it. It's ready now ❤️

• News section with photos, saved offline. New articles show in bold, and you pick up where you stopped.
• Our guides on a bookshelf by brand, with a table of contents. They work with Wi-Fi off.
• Your wallpapers: the 4,000+ you've shared, filtered to the ones that fit your screen. One tap saves the original.

Everything is made for e-ink: pages instead of scrolling, minutes left in the footer, no animations, a refresh every few pages against ghosting, and no link that leaves the app.

It weighs about 200 KB and needs no account, no tracking and no Google Play Services. Updates install from inside the app. Not made for just one device.

I built it on the Xteink S4, but it's made for any Android 11+ e-ink device. The layout grows with the screen, and the wallpaper gallery recognises your device to show only the sizes that fit.

It already runs on the Xteink S4 (running Android 11) and the Mudita Kompakt (running Android 12), and I'd love to grow that list. If you have an Android e-reader, install it and tell me how it goes. There's a short form on the site, no account needed, and every device that works goes on the "Tested on" list.

(Kindle and Kobo don't run Android, sorry.)

Download and install steps: https://www.readme.club/app

It's free and open source (GPL-3.0), so ideas, bugs and pull requests are all welcome. I'll be in the comments.

i’ve had the x4 classic for about 3 weeks now, and i can confidently say it is one of my favorite purchases ever

i expected a decently built device feeling similar to a kindle, but i was pleasantly surprised with the solid feel of the device. i have seen many horror stories of the screen getting damaged, but keeping it in my pocket with my phone has been no issue at all

let’s start with the obvious. will i read more by buying one?

simple answer. yes.

i have had a kindle, and paper books all my life. i used to fall asleep reading books as a kid, but once i got a phone, you know how it goes. with the x4, it has exceeded my expectations with how comfortable it is in my hand, and how often i reach for it to read rather than my phone.

my screen time has been cut in half, and i have finally finished a book, something i haven’t done in YEARS. my love for reading is absolutely back, falling asleep reading, reading while eating, it has been amazing. the ease with which you can upload books is amazing. the stock software is clean and optimized. i don’t mind the pogo charging at all.

10/10

On paper x4 can last up to 14 days with 1-3 hrs reading time. Mine's now down to 29% but i am just using it for 5 or 6 days. Any ideas or ways to maximize battery life? Happy weekend!

Apartment Maintenance Manager here. During the day I manage to scratch some time to read insconspicously in between work orders and meeting or even IN meetings. I love it! I’m trying to finish “The City and its Uncertain Walls”.