Convert PDF To Sony eBook Format?

Sjwdavies · 12-04-2009, 05:05 AM

Guys - apologies if this has already been asked, I tried to search for an answer but didn't have any luck.

I'm looking at buying one of these cool little things but want to know if it's possible to buy books in PDF format then some how read them on the eBook. Is this possible?

nick101 · 12-04-2009, 05:53 AM

Sony ereaders will read PDFs (as will many of the others) - no conversion needed.

The major issue is that the reader screen size doesn't necessarily fit the PDF page size. No biggie if you're looking at mainly text-based, A4/Letter pages. But if you're looking at highly diagrammatic docs, or large page sizes, the screens of most ereaders is just too small.

eksor · 12-04-2009, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sjwdavies

Guys - apologies if this has already been asked, I tried to search for an answer but didn't have any luck.

I'm looking at buying one of these cool little things but want to know if it's possible to buy books in PDF format then some how read them on the eBook. Is this possible?

You can try pdflrf or pdfread. both convert to lrf from pdf or djvu. Keep in mind that you no longer will have lines, words or letters, just images of the doc (unable to highlight then)

Another usefull tool is pdfcrop, works nicely with multicolumn docs.

Regards

Sjwdavies · 12-04-2009, 09:42 AM

So i suppose it's fair to say it's not as good as reading it from a paper copy?

Slite · 12-04-2009, 09:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sjwdavies

So i suppose it's fair to say it's not as good as reading it from a paper copy?

Nope, trying to fit an 8inch paper into a 6inch screen usually isn't a good idea. PDF in general is not a good format for e-books IMHO

Sjwdavies · 12-04-2009, 09:56 AM

Cheers.

The reason I ask is because my eyesight isn't the best, so I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on an eBook to only find it difficult to use/read the books I want to.

Thanks guys

Slite · 12-04-2009, 09:59 AM

For failing eyesight (beeing there myself) i would go with a reader that can handle epub. Most of those can display text from "Too small to even read" to "So large I get one word a page"

neilmarr · 12-05-2009, 03:42 AM

You can easily convert PDF to ePub using the free Calibre library software, SJW. You can then adjust text size to suit on your reader. Like you, my eyes ain't what they used to be, so I do that all the time on my Sony PRS-505 -- it's a much comfortable reading experience than print-on-paper books. Good luck with your choice. Neil

dejongj · 12-05-2009, 05:22 PM

Am I missing something. The only PDF's I've put on my PRS-600 are from my own word documents, and from the Apple Website in server documentation. Besides a quick crop in Acrobat to get rid of some of the excess white space they use, I seem to be able to change the font size just fine on the sony...And documents just flow just fine...

Or am I missing the point you guys/girls are making?

eksor · 12-11-2009, 08:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dejongj

Am I missing something. The only PDF's I've put on my PRS-600 are from my own word documents, and from the Apple Website in server documentation. Besides a quick crop in Acrobat to get rid of some of the excess white space they use, I seem to be able to change the font size just fine on the sony...And documents just flow just fine...

Or am I missing the point you guys/girls are making?

Yes, indeed. If you change font size on a pdf then formulas and vectorized graphics dissapear.

Regards.

JSWolf · 12-11-2009, 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sjwdavies

Guys - apologies if this has already been asked, I tried to search for an answer but didn't have any luck.

I'm looking at buying one of these cool little things but want to know if it's possible to buy books in PDF format then some how read them on the eBook. Is this possible?

It's possible to buy PDF and use them as is. But this is highly not recommended for any device with a 6" screen. Best to buy ePub which you can read as is. But if you know how to strip DRM, you can purchase other reflowable formats such as MS Reader & Mobipocket and use Calibre to convert to ePub.

sirmaru · 12-11-2009, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sjwdavies

I'm looking at buying one of these cool little things but want to know if it's possible to buy books in PDF format then some how read them on the eBook. Is this possible?

When one upgrades the Reader software to 3.1 and accesses the Sony Reader Store, one MUST enter an ID and password for the Adobe site as well as the ID and password for the Sony Reader site.

In that way the new DRM protected PDF books can be read by the new PRS 900 and the new Reader 3.1 software. If you do not have an Adobe site password, go there and register to get one (www.adobe.com).

garygibsonsf · 12-13-2009, 03:15 AM

I've previously converted PDF's to word format using the website www.pdftoword.com, with sometimes mixed results - ie, it needed extra work before really flowing properly on my 505 - but it's one way to get past it. Mind you, I didn't know you could use Calibre to convert pdf to epub and (I'm presuming) get the text to reflow, so I'm about to give that a try.

12-04-2009, 05:05 AM	#1
Sjwdavies Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	Convert PDF To Sony eBook Format? Guys - apologies if this has already been asked, I tried to search for an answer but didn't have any luck. I'm looking at buying one of these cool little things but want to know if it's possible to buy books in PDF format then some how read them on the eBook. Is this possible?

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12-04-2009, 05:53 AM	#2
nick101 Groupie Posts: 190 Karma: 1248 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Milton Keynes UK Device: Sony PRS-600 Touch, iPhone	Sony ereaders will read PDFs (as will many of the others) - no conversion needed. The major issue is that the reader screen size doesn't necessarily fit the PDF page size. No biggie if you're looking at mainly text-based, A4/Letter pages. But if you're looking at highly diagrammatic docs, or large page sizes, the screens of most ereaders is just too small.

12-04-2009, 09:42 AM	#4
Sjwdavies Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	So i suppose it's fair to say it's not as good as reading it from a paper copy?

12-04-2009, 09:56 AM	#6
Sjwdavies Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Device: none	Cheers. The reason I ask is because my eyesight isn't the best, so I wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on an eBook to only find it difficult to use/read the books I want to. Thanks guys

12-04-2009, 09:59 AM	#7
Slite Icanhasdonuts? Posts: 2,837 Karma: 532407 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Mölnbo, Sweden Device: Kobo Aura 2nd edition, Kobo Clara HD	For failing eyesight (beeing there myself) i would go with a reader that can handle epub. Most of those can display text from "Too small to even read" to "So large I get one word a page"

12-05-2009, 03:42 AM	#8
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,216 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	You can easily convert PDF to ePub using the free Calibre library software, SJW. You can then adjust text size to suit on your reader. Like you, my eyes ain't what they used to be, so I do that all the time on my Sony PRS-505 -- it's a much comfortable reading experience than print-on-paper books. Good luck with your choice. Neil

12-05-2009, 05:22 PM	#9
dejongj New at this Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: London, UK Device: Sony PRS-600	Am I missing something. The only PDF's I've put on my PRS-600 are from my own word documents, and from the Apple Website in server documentation. Besides a quick crop in Acrobat to get rid of some of the excess white space they use, I seem to be able to change the font size just fine on the sony...And documents just flow just fine... Or am I missing the point you guys/girls are making?

12-13-2009, 03:15 AM	#13
garygibsonsf Addict Posts: 321 Karma: 432192 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Glasgow, Scotland Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite	I've previously converted PDF's to word format using the website www.pdftoword.com, with sometimes mixed results - ie, it needed extra work before really flowing properly on my 505 - but it's one way to get past it. Mind you, I didn't know you could use Calibre to convert pdf to epub and (I'm presuming) get the text to reflow, so I'm about to give that a try.

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