Getting started
From a new reader to the first book. It takes about ten minutes.
What you need
- An Xteink X4 or X4 Pro. (Other readers are experimental: see the install page. On an Android phone or tablet you install an app instead.)
- A computer with Chrome, Edge or Opera, and a USB-C cable that carries data. Some cables only charge.
- A microSD card formatted as FAT32.
PaperPaw is a beta, made for testing. Keep a copy of your books.
Put PaperPaw on your reader
On your computer, open the install page and press OK, I understand.
Choose your reader. Plug the cable in and switch the reader on. Press the connect button and pick USB JTAG/serial debug unit in the list.
Press Save a backup. It takes about two minutes. Keep the file: it is your way back to the firmware the reader came with. A reader that already runs PaperPaw needs no backup.
Choose the version and the plugins (the basic selection is a good start), then press Write PaperPaw. This takes about five minutes. Keep the cable plugged in and the page open and in front.
The reader restarts by itself when it is done. If the screen does not change, unplug the cable once and plug it in again.
Your backup stays on your computer. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Prepare the memory card
The card must be formatted as FAT32. Cards formatted as exFAT (how many cards of 64 GB and more are sold) do not work yet: format them as FAT32 on a computer first.
Put your books in the folder books on the card. PaperPaw makes it at the first start. Folders inside it are fine.
Put the card in before you start the reader. If you swap the card later, restart the reader: PaperPaw reads the card it started with.
The first start: the setup guide
At the first start PaperPaw asks a few questions, one screen each. Press Next to go on, Back to go back, or Skip to leave the guide. You can open it again later in the settings, under Set up PaperPaw.
- Language.
- Button layout. Only on readers that have buttons and no touch screen, such as the X4.
- Font size. You can change it for every book later.
- Time zone. Only if your reader needs it.
- Wi-Fi. Join your network to get books from catalogues, keep your place in a book on all your devices and set the clock. You can set it up with your phone.
- Add more. Optional plugins: reading statistics, home widgets, a wireless library and progress sync. They are downloaded over Wi-Fi in the background and start at the next start.
- Screen lock. Off unless you choose it.
The last screen says Start reading.
The buttons of the X4
| Button | Press | Hold |
|---|---|---|
| Back (front, left) | Goes back | Goes home |
| Select (front) | Opens the highlighted item. In a book: opens the reading menu | On the home screen: opens the main menu with the settings. In a book: sets or removes a bookmark |
| Left and Right (front) | Move through a list. In a book: back and forward | Right: opens the quick panel |
| Two keys on the side | Previous page (upper), next page (lower) | Nothing, unless you turn on Hold for next chapter |
| Power | Puts the reader to sleep. Press again to wake it | Opens a small menu: Sleep, Switch off, Restart |
The X4 Pro also has a touch screen and a Home key. Tap the left of a page to go back and the right to go forward.
The home screen
The home screen is made of pages of small windows (widgets) and tools. The first page shows the clock, Continue reading and Recently read; the second page holds all the tools.
To change it, hold the home screen, or choose Edit home screen in the main menu. You can add widgets there.
More plugins and updates
Open More plugins in the tools to add features. It needs Wi-Fi. Press Install, Update or Remove. A plugin with code asks first and starts after a restart. The setting Community plugins (off at first) also shows plugins that others publish. The store marks them Unreviewed.
To update PaperPaw, open Update in the settings and press Search online, then Download. The install takes about a minute and the reader restarts. Your books, settings and place in each book stay. A low battery blocks it: charge to 20 % or plug the reader in.
Updates do not look for a beta by themselves unless your reader already runs one.
Not answered here? Ask us