EPub pagination

[ccowie]

Even though I'm told I should be using primarily Epub files with my Sony 505 I still convert most to LRF because my Epub files won't paginate properly.
For some strange reason I actually like to see how many pages there are in the book I'm reading and move through them one at a time. I also like to have it repaginate when I change font sizes.
With my Epub files I get page numbers like 4-5 etc. Is there a way to correct this?

[toddos]

That's just how Sony renders epub. I don't know if it's reading the Adobe page-map extension in the .ncx file in the epub or if it's calculating the paging itself. See if your epubs page a pageList entry in the .ncx and maybe try removing that?

If you're not aware, epub files are just zip files. You can rename a .epub to .zip and then open it with your favorite zip archive tool. You can then change contents manually, rezip, rename .epub and you'll have an edited book.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by ccowie

Even though I'm told I should be using primarily Epub files with my Sony 505 I still convert most to LRF because my Epub files won't paginate properly.

You should use whatever format you prefer. In your case you seem to enjoy the features of lrf files over the features of epub files. There is nothing wrong with using LRF files as the format of choice for your device.

Originally Posted by ccowie

For some strange reason I actually like to see how many pages there are in the book I'm reading and move through them one at a time. I also like to have it repaginate when I change font sizes.

I prefer to see how many pages I have left, not how many screens I have left. The pages represented by epub don't equate to a printed book but they give me a better sense of a real book then seeing 2700 pages for a book that is around 400 pages simply because I changed the font size.

I also switched to epub because there were many times that my reader would reboot during pagination when switching font sizes. I grew tired of this happening so I changed formats.

Originally Posted by ccowie

With my Epub files I get page numbers like 4-5 etc. Is there a way to correct this?

This is by design. Adobe's Epub renderer in the 505 assigns 1 page for every 1024 bytes of information. The concept being that if an entire reading club or class had the same reader and the same version of the ebook then no matter what font size they chose they could all refer to the same page in the book and they would all know what was being referred to.

So you get the 4-5 down at the bottom when page 5 is starting on the screen you're on. To avoid reading glasses I use a larger font and it takes around 8 screens to get through 1 page. About every 8 or 9th screen I get a dual page like 4-5 down at the bottom to let me know a new page is starting on that screen.

The bottom line though is no one should be telling you that you "should be using primarily Epub files" as you indicated. The Sony 505 can use multiple formats, I think LRF is the cleanest looking format.

But for various reasons (some not discussed here) I chose epub as my format of choice.

Use LRF and enjoy your reader.

[ccowie]

Thanks for your replies. They have explained a lot.
I've also had problems with my 505 rebooting when repaginating and didn't realize that was the problem.
Assigning so many pages/kb also makes sense, although for some inexplicable reason I still prefer to see a page number/screen.
I think I'll use LRFs for the books that don't crap out when repaginating and get over my pagination neurosis with those that do. I'll also try Toddos' suggestion.

[ccowie]

Had no luck trying to rename an epub file with a zip extension.
Also, not sure how to find the ncx file.

[Starson17]

Originally Posted by ccowie

Had no luck trying to rename an epub file with a zip extension.

Select the file, right click, choose rename, add ".zip" to the end of the name - after ".epub". In Windows you may have to turn on the option that shows file extensions.

Also, not sure how to find the ncx file.

Once you have the file renamed as a zip, open it and you will see that file.

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Starson17

Select the file, right click, choose rename, add ".zip" to the end of the name - after ".epub". In Windows you may have to turn on the option that shows file extensions.



Once you have the file renamed as a zip, open it and you will see that file.

In windows, you have to have explorer set show extensions or do it from the command prompt.

you can change mybook.epub to mybook.epub.zip

[ccowie]

Originally Posted by toddos

See if your epubs page a pageList entry in the .ncx and maybe try removing that?.

I couldn't find this. I removed a couple something else that sounded as though it pertained to pagination, but there was no effect.

If there is anything else you can think of I'd appreciate it. I'd really like to have it the way the LRFs worked but without the headaches of shutting down etc. that my LRFs are increasingly causing.

[itimpi]

I am not sure you can remove these page numbers on the PRS-505 - I think it is a 'feature' of the ePub rendering software that the Sony is using.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by dwanthny

This is by design.

I guess I should have been more forceful. The only way to eliminate the numbers is via a firmware upgrade which currently doesn't exist and Sony has no plans for.

[jayh3]

The pages shown in Epub format are the original book pages, (not measured in bytes). Most of my Epubs actually have the page # shown on the left margin in very small gray font. I don't think you can remove them.

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by jayh3

The pages shown in Epub format are the original book pages, (not measured in bytes).

First, try to refrain from answering 6 month old posts.

Second, if you do answer 6 month old threads make sure you are correct.

The following excerpt is from Adobe's EPUB Best Practices found on Adobe Developer Connection's Digital Publishing Technology Center page.

Synthetic page names
When page map is not available in the document, Adobe Digital Editions will synthesize a page-map based on the document content. The approach used is the following:

• Determine a compressed byte length of each resource which is referenced in the spine, subtracting any known encryption overhead (IV size)
• Assume that there is a page for each 1024 bytes in each resource, rounding up to the nearest whole number of pages for each resource
• To map page breaks into a resource, use the number of pages for the resource as determined in step 2, count the number of Unicode characters in the resource; distribute synthetic page breaks in the resource evenly between the characters by dividing the number of characters by the number of pages; if the number of characters don’t divide evenly among the pages, round the number of characters per page up and let the last “page” contain less characters than the rest.

Your 505 uses ADE's ePub renderer and in the vast majority books the page numbers are generated based on the number of bytes in the book. I have yet to purchase a epub that used a template.xpgt file to designate actual page numbers.

Originally Posted by jayh3

Most of my Epubs actually have the page # shown on the left margin in very small gray font. I don't think you can remove them.

The page numbers in standard english 505s are in the right hand margin. This is a creation of the version of ADE renderer used on your reader. There are newer Sony devices that have removed the page number from ADE renderer.