Less than a month after its previous 8.3 update, Calibre, the beloved open-source e-book management software, has rolled out version 8.4, with some quality-of-life changes that long-time users—and especially Kobo owners—will notice right away.
First up, there’s a brand-new option in the KEPUB output driver. When enabled, Calibre generates files with tighter text justification, which looks great on Kobo readers; the trade-off is small “gaps” in highlight overlays when you mark text. In other words, if ragged right edges have been bugging you, the fix is a checkbox away.
Moreover, the built-in e-book viewer isn’t standing still. Background images defined in Preferences > Styles can now extend beneath the page margins, letting illustrated or textured backdrops flow edge-to-edge for a sleeker, magazine-like vibe.
Apart from that, Calibre 8.4 spends much of its changelog mopping up bugs introduced over the last few cycles:
- A regression that broke the “Show book in main Calibre program” link is gone. No more hunting through your library to locate the title you just opened.
- News-feed aficionados will appreciate that Next/Previous article links now work even when an item fails to download.
- Rather than silently refusing to respond, the viewer now pops up an error if an internal file is missing. Likewise, giant EPUBs with dozens of HTML chunks see more reliable intra-book link handling.
- Wayland desktop users on Linux get a workaround for a Qt bug that hid the Layout button’s menu.
- Behind the scenes, Calibre prevents a rare recursive loop that could occur if the system wipes the app’s temporary folder during runtime.
Lastly, Calibre’s integrated news downloader also gains content. Frieze Magazine joins the lineup of built-in recipes, while existing sources—from NYTimes Book Review to The Economist Espresso—receive tune-ups for layout or login changes.
Check out the changelog for more details and the complete list of novelties in the Calibre 8.4 open-source eBook management tool.
