Calibre/Kobo help, please

tsaxed · 08-12-2011, 12:22 PM

I need a quick and easy to follow fix for getting ebooks onto my Kobo using Calibre. I've searched and searched and have been unable to find the answer.

I used to buy at least a dozen books a month, but with finances the way they are, and my handicaps, it has been very tough. I saved up and bought a Kobo. If I could read pdf files, that would solve all of my problems. However, the font is too small, and when I adjust it on the device, I have to use the side to side and up and down arrows to read it. It's a horrible way to read. If someone knows of a fix for that, please let me know.

I love Calibre, however, have been having problems with converted epubs freezing my device. I stopped converting pdf files to epubs and went strictly to downloading epubs. Now those are freezing the device and not showing up either. I have been downloading free books that people have kindly posted due to lack of finances, so I don't know if that is the problem.

Again, I have searched and searched and haven't been able to fix the problem myself, so if someone could kindly post a simple fix, I would be very grateful. Hopefully when I get back on my feet, I can be of help to someone like me and post my books for them to read, so we can all relax with a good book after a hard day's work.

itimpi · 08-12-2011, 12:44 PM

I do not think there is a definitive answer to this as the Kobo firmware appears to be prone to freezing.

One thing that I have seen reported as helping reduce the likelihood of a freeze is reducing the maximum size of the individual HTML files inside an ePub. This is set in Calibre under Prefernces->Conversion->Output Options ->ePub, and the default value is normally 260KB (many readers require it to be less than 300KB). You could try taking a problem ePub and do an ePub->ePub comversion with this value set to something like 200KB (or even 150KB) to see if that helps. With the latest Calibre you wil find that your existing Epub is renamed as Original_ePub so that it is not overwritten in an ePub-ePub conversion (as used to be the case).

I do not have a Kobo myself so cannot test this out. If you attempt this then please report back as to whether it helped or not.

tsaxed · 08-12-2011, 01:17 PM

I tried changing to 200 but that didn't work (book still won't load and freezes). I'll try smaller numbers, and if something works, I'll post it. Thanks for the help.

itimpi · 08-12-2011, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsaxed

I tried changing to 200 but that didn't work (book still won't load and freezes). I'll try smaller numbers, and if something works, I'll post it. Thanks for the help.

Just a point to note - if you have previously converted a book then the settings that were used at that time are remembered and re-used for new conversions of that book unless you click the Restore Defaults button. Just mentioning this to make sure that you are getting the setting actually used! You can always check by looking at the ePub output settings for that particular conversion.

Manichean · 08-12-2011, 01:59 PM

Moderator Notice
Moved to correct subforum.

alansplace · 08-12-2011, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manichean

Moved to correct subforum.

wouldn't it be a good idea to include the (sub)forum's name in your post?

tsaxed · 08-12-2011, 03:20 PM

Sorry, new to the forum...thought I was there

Manichean · 08-13-2011, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alansplace

wouldn't it be a good idea to include the (sub)forum's name in your post?

Why? It's right there on top of the page.

tsaxed · 08-13-2011, 12:51 PM

Hmmm...I wouldn't normally waste time replying, but people who take themselves too seriously and have nothing better to do with their time than harrass people by trolling forums irritate me. Get over yourself.

Manichean · 08-13-2011, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsaxed

Hmmm...I wouldn't normally waste time replying, but people who take themselves too seriously and have nothing better to do with their time than harrass people by trolling forums irritate me. Get over yourself.

Wait, what? It's called moderating, not trolling. I always post a notice when I'm moving a thread so that the original poster may notice that it's been moved (it's easy to miss due to thread subscriptions) and post in the right place next time. I don't see the need to post which forum I moved the post to, because it can clearly be read on the top of the page, which is what I wrote in my last post.
What part of the above do you consider trolling, exactly?

theducks · 08-13-2011, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsaxed

Hmmm...I wouldn't normally waste time replying, but people who take themselves too seriously and have nothing better to do with their time than harrass people by trolling forums irritate me. Get over yourself.

You made your choice of a reading device knowing your needs and ask for help recovering from the limitations of your choice.

Now you abuse the forum help who took the time to move your misplaced post to the appropriate section. Each of the volunteers here monitor sections that they can help with (we are not all experts in everything about Calibre usage) .
I suggest you read each (sub-)forum topic synopsis before you post messages into it.

DoctorOhh · 08-14-2011, 02:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsaxed

Hmmm...I wouldn't normally waste time replying, but people who take themselves too seriously and have nothing better to do with their time than harrass people by trolling forums irritate me. Get over yourself.

Off Topic. It's not clear to me who you are replying to alansplace or Manichean, either way if you expect help you need to check your attitude at the door.

Back on Topic. Have you updated the firmware in your Kobo?

tsaxed · 08-14-2011, 12:14 PM

jeez....feel free to express your opinions, but I can't express mine. I appreciate the moderators who take care of these forums, making it easier for all of us. I was actually replying to Manichean's original post, which everyone has now decided to get involved with by paying attention to something, ahem, totally off topic and replying to. Why bother when we all have something better to do, really? That said, now I've been goaded into wasting my time responding to that too. Just human nature, I suppose, as it is to forgive and forget. After all, the idea behind this forum is to help each other with our individual knowledge, not razz people for posting in the wrong forum.

On that note, I haven't updated the firmware, and would appreciate any tips on doing so. When I bought the device, there were no vast quantities of research put into things such as firmware, reading capabilities, etc. As a consumer, I just assumed that a book reader that had good reviews that was a good bargain price-wise might suit my needs. One can only hope, after all, that the products we buy live up to their reputations.

That said, if someone has a helpful answer, please reply. If not, find something better to do, perhaps help someone else in the true spirit of this forum, and leave my original accidental post to the wrong forum alone. We're all human and make mistakes, or at least I am, and I'm not too embarrassed to admit that.

Thanks again to the moderator for making this forum easier for all of us to use. Didn't mean to offend....I just don't understand the idea of wasting time that I could be enjoying books making comments that don't pertain to me. Silly of me, obviously, since a few others now have felt the need to get involved in something so trivial.

theducks · 08-14-2011, 12:49 PM

@tsaxed
You need to visit Kobo or ask in the Kobo forum how to use/update your device. These are NOT Calibre specific questions.
Calibre manages Books, not devices (Device connectivity is supplied for many devices).

Manichean · 08-14-2011, 01:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tsaxed

I was actually replying to Manichean's original post, which everyone has now decided to get involved with by paying attention to something, ahem, totally off topic and replying to.

I would still like to know what part of my actions you consider "trolling". I moved the thread, posted a notice about it in order that you might notice the move, and when asked to include the forum I moved the thread to in my notice, I stated the reason why I didn't include that. Where, exactly, did I start trolling in your opinion?

08-12-2011, 12:22 PM	#1
tsaxed Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: kobo	Calibre/Kobo help, please I need a quick and easy to follow fix for getting ebooks onto my Kobo using Calibre. I've searched and searched and have been unable to find the answer. I used to buy at least a dozen books a month, but with finances the way they are, and my handicaps, it has been very tough. I saved up and bought a Kobo. If I could read pdf files, that would solve all of my problems. However, the font is too small, and when I adjust it on the device, I have to use the side to side and up and down arrows to read it. It's a horrible way to read. If someone knows of a fix for that, please let me know. I love Calibre, however, have been having problems with converted epubs freezing my device. I stopped converting pdf files to epubs and went strictly to downloading epubs. Now those are freezing the device and not showing up either. I have been downloading free books that people have kindly posted due to lack of finances, so I don't know if that is the problem. Again, I have searched and searched and haven't been able to fix the problem myself, so if someone could kindly post a simple fix, I would be very grateful. Hopefully when I get back on my feet, I can be of help to someone like me and post my books for them to read, so we can all relax with a good book after a hard day's work.

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08-12-2011, 12:44 PM	#2
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,552 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	I do not think there is a definitive answer to this as the Kobo firmware appears to be prone to freezing. One thing that I have seen reported as helping reduce the likelihood of a freeze is reducing the maximum size of the individual HTML files inside an ePub. This is set in Calibre under Prefernces->Conversion->Output Options ->ePub, and the default value is normally 260KB (many readers require it to be less than 300KB). You could try taking a problem ePub and do an ePub->ePub comversion with this value set to something like 200KB (or even 150KB) to see if that helps. With the latest Calibre you wil find that your existing Epub is renamed as Original_ePub so that it is not overwritten in an ePub-ePub conversion (as used to be the case). I do not have a Kobo myself so cannot test this out. If you attempt this then please report back as to whether it helped or not.

08-12-2011, 01:17 PM	#3
tsaxed Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: kobo	I tried changing to 200 but that didn't work (book still won't load and freezes). I'll try smaller numbers, and if something works, I'll post it. Thanks for the help.

08-12-2011, 01:59 PM	#5
Manichean Wizard Posts: 3,130 Karma: 91256 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Germany Device: Cybook Gen3	Moderator Notice Moved to correct subforum.

08-12-2011, 03:20 PM	#7
tsaxed Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: kobo	Sorry, new to the forum...thought I was there

08-13-2011, 12:51 PM	#9
tsaxed Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: kobo	Hmmm...I wouldn't normally waste time replying, but people who take themselves too seriously and have nothing better to do with their time than harrass people by trolling forums irritate me. Get over yourself.

08-14-2011, 12:14 PM	#13
tsaxed Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: kobo	jeez....feel free to express your opinions, but I can't express mine. I appreciate the moderators who take care of these forums, making it easier for all of us. I was actually replying to Manichean's original post, which everyone has now decided to get involved with by paying attention to something, ahem, totally off topic and replying to. Why bother when we all have something better to do, really? That said, now I've been goaded into wasting my time responding to that too. Just human nature, I suppose, as it is to forgive and forget. After all, the idea behind this forum is to help each other with our individual knowledge, not razz people for posting in the wrong forum. On that note, I haven't updated the firmware, and would appreciate any tips on doing so. When I bought the device, there were no vast quantities of research put into things such as firmware, reading capabilities, etc. As a consumer, I just assumed that a book reader that had good reviews that was a good bargain price-wise might suit my needs. One can only hope, after all, that the products we buy live up to their reputations. That said, if someone has a helpful answer, please reply. If not, find something better to do, perhaps help someone else in the true spirit of this forum, and leave my original accidental post to the wrong forum alone. We're all human and make mistakes, or at least I am, and I'm not too embarrassed to admit that. Thanks again to the moderator for making this forum easier for all of us to use. Didn't mean to offend....I just don't understand the idea of wasting time that I could be enjoying books making comments that don't pertain to me. Silly of me, obviously, since a few others now have felt the need to get involved in something so trivial.

08-14-2011, 12:49 PM	#14
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,813 Karma: 54830978 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	@tsaxed You need to visit Kobo or ask in the Kobo forum how to use/update your device. These are NOT Calibre specific questions. Calibre manages Books, not devices (Device connectivity is supplied for many devices).