GlobalComix has announced a new update to its reader, Reader v4. The new update was driven by the reading preferences of the comic community.
Reader v4 introduces a Double-Page Reading Layout. The new reading experience is ideal for widescreen devices but is available on any type of device.
The update includes an algorithm to match internal pages together to create a two-page spread seamlessly together.
The double-page reader will be the default for browsers that are wider than 1600 pixels.
Also launched is an Improved Single-Page Reading Layout. You can now see information like crowdfunding alerts, comments, reactions, and more.
Single-Page navigation also gets upgrades allowing you to click or tap to the previous or next page. You can also do that in the Double-Page layout as well.
For mobile users, Single-Page reading uses native browser zoom for a fluid gesture experience.
There’s also now a Reading Direction Indicator as not all reading is left-to-right. This also helps the Double-Page layout reading experience by placing pages on the correct side.
The Comic Info Panel gets an improvement. It includes information about the creator and publisher, credits, releases with a progress indicator, and related titles.
Reader Settings get an upgrade. For non-vertical series you can toggle between Single-Page, Vertical Long-Strip, and new Double-Page layouts. There’s also options for preferred image sizing for traditional pages: auto, fit-to-height, and fit-to-width. Additionally, you can now invert horizontal swipe navigation on touch devices (prev./next page) from left to right and right to left in Single-Page and Double-Page layouts.
Panel-to-Panel Reader has temporarily been turned off for readers by default for interactive comics. Creators can still configure and set up panel-to-panel reader. Readers can re-enable it through settings.
New tracking data points have been added for creators. The data is being collected and will be available at a later date.
Source: Graphic Policy
