Practical comics guide
Read comics and manga in Lectern
Lectern opens common comic archives, switches to right-to-left manga order when ComicInfo.xml contains <Manga>YesAndRightToLeft</Manga>, and shows detected webtoon strips without gaps in continuous scroll.
The short answer
Lectern opens CBZ, CBR, CB7 and CBT archives with JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP and AVIF pages. Turn on manga mode for right-to-left reading, switch to continuous scroll for tall webtoon strips, and use the comic viewer's own settings sheet (the gear icon) for fit, zoom and pan.
Formats Lectern opens
| Archive | Support |
|---|---|
| CBZ | Always works |
| CB7 | Always works |
| CBT | Always works (plain, uncompressed TAR) |
| CBR | Works for most files. A CBR compressed with modern RAR5 compression is not supported; Lectern asks you to convert it to CBZ |
Page images can be JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, BMP or AVIF. HEIC and HEIF pages need Android 9 or newer; on older versions of Android that page shows as unavailable instead of a picture.
Manga reading order
Turn on Manga mode (right → left) in the comic viewer's settings sheet, under Preferences, to swipe from right to left. Automatic right-to-left reading requires the exact <Manga>YesAndRightToLeft</Manga> value in ComicInfo.xml. <Manga>Yes</Manga> alone does not switch the reading direction.
The comic viewer has its own settings sheet. It is separate from the ebook reader’s Type, Display, Focus, Audio and Advanced tabs. When a comic opens, tap the page to reveal the controls, then tap the gear icon.
Tall webtoon strips
Switch the view to Continuous scroll for a strip that reads top to bottom. In Continuous scroll, Lectern recognises webtoons from the proportions of the first pages and shows those strips without gaps automatically. For other comics, open comic settings and set Space between pages to 0 dp.
Fit, zoom and pan
Pages at full width stretches pages edge to edge in continuous scroll; it is on automatically for a detected webtoon. In page-by-page mode, a page always fits the screen and this setting has no effect.
In page-by-page mode, Allow zoom (pinch) turns pinch-to-zoom on or off. With zoom allowed, two more switches appear: Lock horizontal panning and Lock vertical panning, useful when you only want to pan in one direction across a wide panel.
Covers
For a CBZ, Lectern uses the first readable image in file-name order inside the archive, regardless of archive entry order. For CBR, CB7 and CBT, it uses the actual first page in reading order.
Getting comics onto your phone
CBZ, CBR, CB7 and CBT files move into Lectern the same way any ebook does: drop them into a library folder or send them over your own network. See the Wi-Fi transfer guide for the cable-free route. If you keep comics in their own folder, you can also limit that folder to comics only when you add it, so an ebook folder and a comics folder stay separate in your library.
Frequently asked
Does Lectern open every CBR file?
Most of them. A CBR that uses modern RAR5 compression is not supported; Lectern shows a message asking you to convert it to CBZ, which any archive tool can do.
Do HEIC and HEIF comic pages work on every phone?
Only on Android 9 (API 28) or newer. On an older version of Android, a HEIC or HEIF page shows as unavailable instead of rendering.
Is there a dedicated webtoon mode?
In Continuous scroll, Lectern recognises webtoons from the proportions of the first pages and shows those strips without gaps automatically. For other comics, open comic settings and set Space between pages to 0 dp.
Are comic settings in the same sheet as the ebook reader settings?
When a comic opens, tap the page to reveal the controls, then tap the gear icon for comic settings.
Keep reading
Related guides
Your comics and manga, read your way
Open a CBZ, CBR, CB7 or CBT file and Lectern handles the rest, from cover to reading order.
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