Has anyone figured out the correct page size for generating a pdf to eliminate the black bars on the sides. I know you can go to the hide margin options, but i find that is a little inconsistent. I would like to get an optimal page size to eliminate the black bars when using just the fit to page function.

If you make the page size 1024 x 1280 shouldn't that do it? If that also covers the status bar, nock off a few pixels.
I haven't tried it yet myself as I tend to use the "continuous page flow" as it does what you want. i.e. fills the width completely with very little edge & still leaves the status bar. It would be better if it gave a bit more of an obvious break between pages, but I suppose then it wouldn't be continuous.

Unfortunately it's not as simple as that, as I found out when I created my "Sketching Goodies" (http://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=30729).

With images it's simple: 1024x1280 pixels, Full Screen, 100% (Or Fit Page) - it's all good.

The same image, converted as lossless original size, in Adobe's own Acrobat Pro no less: Full Screen, 100%: black borders, some scaling artifacts. Using Fit Page or Hide Margins: Now it fits, but STILL some scaling artifacts... (ex.: Graph.pdf) And it's slower too, for obvious reasons.

Why??? It's a 1024x1280 image on a 1024x1280 display? Wikipedia to the rescue: "PDF graphics use a device independent Cartesian coordinate system to describe the surface of a page." (Link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pdf#Technical_overview))

In other words, it doesn't do pixel-based sizing. Everything is an approximation - the price of resolution independence...

Another reason why I personally tried to avoid this format for anything other than printing things out, which is what it was intended for. But now since it's the only properly supported format on the DR1000 I have to deal with it more, and I still don't see anything I like.

Well what about setting the page to 6.4" x 8" to allow for the status bar? Oh, I see what you mean, the pdf creation, would still make a pigs ear of it in this case, yes?

I was playing around with different page sizes and could never get the vertical black bars less than about one centimeter apiece. I was really hoping the mobipocket reader would be improved and allow for more fonts and better page configuration control, but it's basically the same as the iliad. Hopefully somebody can get epub working well on the device or a mobipocket font substitution tool.

For all it's worth: mine are 6.4" x 8" @ 160dpi

On the reader in Full Screen & Fit Page (or Hide Margins) they have 100% coverage with very few interpolation artifacts (only visible on the fine Graph paper)

Allovertheglobe, you got there first. I've just tried creating a page set to 15.5mm x 19.5mm & as you say, it works very well. Also. the continuos page mode does work very well with pdfs, it eliminates almost all the "wasted space"

This can be fixed easily.

What we need to do is asking iRex to paint the background as white by default! Forget about reformatting the pdfs! And this works both with the bottom bar and in full screen mode.

I will create a ticker. You guys should do too.

Something similar has been a part of the "Features Request" thread for a while. Since Karel from iRex has replied to that thread, reading it, iRex should be aware of it already. But by all means, reinforce the request; I'd really love to see it myself.

I realized one more thing. The margin should be painted in white and it should be able to scribble on too.

Something similar has been a part of the "Features Request" thread for a while. Since Karel from iRex has replied to that thread, reading it, iRex should be aware of it already. But by all means, reinforce the request; I'd really love to see it myself.

Would it work better if you created the page slightly larger than the screen and let the reader optimize it down to the correct size? I've often found that you get less artifacts when shrinking than with stretching (as there's more information in less area rather than the reverse.)

Mine hasn't arrived yet so I can't check it for myself.