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Old 01-19-2012, 12:53 AM   #1
selfdrive
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IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH THE KINDLE PREVIEWER?

I have made a book using html and MobiPublisher. This works fine in Mobi Reader, K4PC, and using the downloaded Kindle Previewer, looks good in Kindle Fire preview, Kindle for iPhone, Kindle for iPad.

But when viewed in Kindle and Kindle DX, using the downloaded Previewer the right side and bottom of the cover is cut away. That is it does not fit in the display. Yet it fits in the other previews e.g. iPhone.

The cover is jpg 800 high 600 wide about 90kb. I have experimented with changing the ratio, making it skinnier, smaller etc, but still the same. I have tried with different covers and created different books. But always the same problem.
I note many people have internal problems with images. But this is just the cover.

I have downloaded 3 ebook samples from Kindle (at random). All have exactly the same problem as I have with my ebooks. I have also downloaded a free ebook, complete, which also has the same problem. The covers do not fit in the Kindle Previewer when the Kindle DX and Kindle are selected.

I've read elsewhere that the Kindle Previewer does not show internal images correctly when samples are downloaded. But I assumed it would show the cover correctly. Besides I have not downloaded my ebook. I want to see if it looks okay before uploading it.

Is this a Kindle Previewer problem? If so why isn't there more queries about it? That leads me to believe it is only my problem. But I have the latest Kindle previewer. I have re-downloaded it, reinstalled it twice, always with the same result.

Here is another aspect: ebooks for Kindle use the same file as mobi, with a different extension (prc). I can open files with Mobi Reader and I can also transfer them to my Cybook 3 reader, which reads Mobi/ Kindle files. When I do this, these covers are okay.

I am puzzled as to why I seem to be the only person having this problem with the Kindle Previewer. I can't find anyone else having this problem. Or is it something everyone else knows about?

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Old 01-23-2012, 11:20 PM   #2
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My new Kindle Previewer doesn't fit on my screen, which is a 21.5 iMac set to a screen res of 1680 x 1050.
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Old 01-26-2012, 08:05 AM   #3
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Selfdrive,

Yes, is the simple answer. I get the same effect when checking with Previewer 2, but all is well on K4PC, K3 Device, and KDP previewer. That's with everything, image wise, set to exactly 600x800 px.

Actual device testing is the only real absolute way to be 100% sure, and K4PC to be 99% sure.

If it looks ok on a K3/4 reader it will sail through the KDP conversion and come out exactly as you see it on the device. Usually That's why most folk are now uploading mobi only.

Kindlegen & Previwer work, but not really that well to be honest, at least compared to alternative options. Although, they are fairly accurate for layout checking.

Best of Luck
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Old 01-26-2012, 08:39 AM   #4
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Kindlegen & Previwer work, but not really that well to be honest, at least compared to alternative options.
Like any other program... there's a learning curve. Once you know what kindlegen expects for input, the output is very predictable, consistent and identical to the output from the "alternative options."

I also find that Kindle previewer usually displays exactly what I see on my Kindle (clear down to the justification glitches due to no hyphenation ability).

So saying that they don't "work well" is really sort of misleading. They work very well... if you know how to use them.
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Old 01-26-2012, 08:54 AM   #5
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Agreed
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Old 01-27-2012, 05:52 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer View Post
Like any other program... there's a learning curve. Once you know what kindlegen expects for input, the output is very predictable, consistent and identical to the output from the "alternative options."

I also find that Kindle previewer usually displays exactly what I see on my Kindle (clear down to the justification glitches due to no hyphenation ability).

So saying that they don't "work well" is really sort of misleading. They work very well... if you know how to use them.
Thanks, I am getting the idea that the downloaded Previewer is the problem. My problem is not to do with Kindlegen or text. Simply the book cover.

"The covers do not fit in the Kindle Previewer when the Kindle DX and Kindle are selected."

When you say "I also find that Kindle previewer usually displays exactly what I see on my Kindle " Do you include the cover? Or is the cover flawed?

And thank you to those who have taken the trouble to reply. I'm still surprised that more people have not queried the previewer -- or perhaps it is just the latest version that has the problem.
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Old 01-27-2012, 08:26 AM   #7
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Hey

I think there might well be an issue with the previewer; I have mentioned in a separate thread that text isn't displaying properly on the first page I open in KP.
One question: how is your cover page set up? If the image is in a <p> tag, it might be getting pushed right by the first line indent. That's all I can think of offhand.

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Old 01-27-2012, 08:42 AM   #8
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I've noticed no issues with my covers images in the new previewer and text appears as I expect.
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Old 03-02-2012, 02:43 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by selfdrive View Post
Thanks, I am getting the idea that the downloaded Previewer is the problem. My problem is not to do with Kindlegen or text. Simply the book cover.

"The covers do not fit in the Kindle Previewer when the Kindle DX and Kindle are selected."

When you say "I also find that Kindle previewer usually displays exactly what I see on my Kindle " Do you include the cover? Or is the cover flawed?

And thank you to those who have taken the trouble to reply. I'm still surprised that more people have not queried the previewer -- or perhaps it is just the latest version that has the problem.
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Self,

I just registered for this site, when I saw your issue. I AM HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. My text is fine, but it's that darn Cover Image. I have fiddled with it on numerous occasions, changing its size and such, to no avail. Kindle Previewer does not render my Cover Image correctly for both the "Kindle" and "Kindle DX" device. I am not using KindgleGen to create my .mobi. Instead, I am using Calibre, which is Free (in case you don't know), and allows for a lot more granularity when it comes to fine-tuning.

I hate to have to buy one of these devices to actually physically test this. I have a Fire and an iPhone, and those render my image correctly, as does KP for those devices.

I am still on a quest to resolve this issue, as I do not want to publish a book that has a half-assed looking cover for some of the Kindle devices.

Frustrating !
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Old 03-02-2012, 03:32 PM   #10
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The cover image will never fill the entire screen of the Kindle Previewer when emulating the Kindle or the DX, if that's what you mean.
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Old 03-02-2012, 08:54 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by DiapDealer View Post
The cover image will never fill the entire screen of the Kindle Previewer when emulating the Kindle or the DX, if that's what you mean.
No, that's not what I mean, but I think I'm onto a solution. When I embed the cover image into my doc, and gen a .mobi from within Calibre, the image renders correctly with all devices in the Kindle Previewer. When the cover image is external to the doc, and is built thru Calibre with the additional of the cover image, then the problem manifests. Still having problems with aspect ratios and such with the embedded cover, but I'm getting closer.
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Old 03-02-2012, 10:05 PM   #12
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Old 03-03-2012, 07:51 AM   #13
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doughayman,

Welcome to the forums, by the way.

A couple of points that might be worth noting.

Firstly, always put your 3:4 (600x800) cover in the *.htm file of your epub. Try to avoid adding a cover via calibre for the reasons noted below. TIP: If it is a jpeg, don't keep resaving it while you tweak it, there will be a small, but cumlative, loss of quality.

Secondly, ensure, especially if you have changed or updated your cover in the source epub, that the correct file association is in the content.opf file. ("Tweak" option, if you right-click on the book in calibre, will let you examine these files, check the name is still exactly the same, and watch case sensitivity.) Calibre will still draw on the cover image file, but it may occassionally show incorrectly on the bookshelf.

Example of all you really need.

Your *.htm file (Cover image page)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="no"?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta content="your own info here" name="Your book file name here" />
<link href="../Styles/your own.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />

<title>Your title here</title>
</head>

<body xml:lang="EN-GB" xmlns:xml="http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace">
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="../Images/Your cover file name here.jpg" /></div>
</body>
</html>


In the content.opf file look for the cover association entry. It's the last line in the metadata section at the start of the file.

<meta name="cover" content="EXACTLY AS NOTED IN YOUR HTM FILE.jpg" />


Now, this is where most folk seem to have a prob. If you import or adjust your cover in calibre library, that image seems to be the one used during conversion...gremlins rub there hands together and get to work. If your opf association and cover image are all good, the cover should appear in the calibre library, on import, exactly as it is ratio'd (I know, not a real word) in the epub file. During conversion this file is used, unaltered.

Thirdly, each device will resize your internal cover to suit it's screen, so ratio is the critical part if you want to avoid borders. Default for Kindle e-ink, enlarged or centered for fire and apps. Note, previewer is a simple emulator, and while it functions just fine, mostly, it is no substitute for a physical device.

And here's the bit I think wil put your mind at ease. When you upload to Amazon via KDP your file is run through a conversion process, even if it is in mobi/prc format. Uploading a mobi/prc is probably the preferred way to go nowadays, as it suffers almost no alteration from your source file, but it is still "converted". This conversion process will almost always overcome any "glitches" you see in previewer. (A common one is right and bottom edges of the cover cut off slightly.)

In conclusion, if your image is the correct size/ratio and is associated correctly in the opf file, it will show and convert fine in calibre. You can upload your mobi to KDF, convert, and download a preview copy without going live (i.e. stay "Draft") So no need to worry about "half-assed" publication. You can upload as many times as you want before you go live, and even after you go live, once you spot that blatently obvious little error you've missed twenty times during proofing... Essentially, if your file is good, don't sweat it. Looking for bugs that don't actually exist is a really crap hobby...

Good luck, and always tweak/test with a copy file, just in case.
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Old 03-03-2012, 08:23 AM   #14
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Quote:
And here's the bit I think wil put your mind at ease. When you upload to Amazon via KDP your file is run through a conversion process, even if it is in mobi/prc format. Uploading a mobi/prc is probably the preferred way to go nowadays, as it suffers almost no alteration from your source file, but it is still "converted".
Just a bit of clarification. To my knowledge, uploaded mobi/prc files are not further "converted" by the KDP process. Since kindlegen (& Previewer) now produce a file that contains both the old MOBI format and the new KF8 format. Amazon will split the file into it's separate components so that they can deliver the proper format to the proper device (they don't deliver the whole uploaded file) and they strip the source from it (if it exists) before they deliver to customers. But otherwise, they're delivering the exact same mobi you uploaded to them. They do add some metadata and the DRM (if asked for), of course.

EDIT: that's with kindlegen-produced MOBIs. I have no idea what, if anything, happens to calibre-produced mobis.

Last edited by DiapDealer; 03-03-2012 at 10:14 AM.
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Old 03-03-2012, 08:56 AM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Whackatagin View Post
doughayman,

Welcome to the forums, by the way.

A couple of points that might be worth noting.

Firstly, always put your 3:4 (600x800) cover in the *.htm file of your epub. Try to avoid adding a cover via calibre for the reasons noted below. TIP: If it is a jpeg, don't keep resaving it while you tweak it, there will be a small, but cumlative, loss of quality.

Secondly, ensure, especially if you have changed or updated your cover in the source epub, that the correct file association is in the content.opf file. ("Tweak" option, if you right-click on the book in calibre, will let you examine these files, check the name is still exactly the same, and watch case sensitivity.) Calibre will still draw on the cover image file, but it may occassionally show incorrectly on the bookshelf.

Example of all you really need.

Your *.htm file (Cover image page)

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="no"?>
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd">

<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<head>
<meta content="your own info here" name="Your book file name here" />
<link href="../Styles/your own.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />

<title>Your title here</title>
</head>

<body xml:lang="EN-GB" xmlns:xml="http://www.w3.org/XML/1998/namespace">
<div style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" src="../Images/Your cover file name here.jpg" /></div>
</body>
</html>


In the content.opf file look for the cover association entry. It's the last line in the metadata section at the start of the file.

<meta name="cover" content="EXACTLY AS NOTED IN YOUR HTM FILE.jpg" />


Now, this is where most folk seem to have a prob. If you import or adjust your cover in calibre library, that image seems to be the one used during conversion...gremlins rub there hands together and get to work. If your opf association and cover image are all good, the cover should appear in the calibre library, on import, exactly as it is ratio'd (I know, not a real word) in the epub file. During conversion this file is used, unaltered.

Thirdly, each device will resize your internal cover to suit it's screen, so ratio is the critical part if you want to avoid borders. Default for Kindle e-ink, enlarged or centered for fire and apps. Note, previewer is a simple emulator, and while it functions just fine, mostly, it is no substitute for a physical device.

And here's the bit I think wil put your mind at ease. When you upload to Amazon via KDP your file is run through a conversion process, even if it is in mobi/prc format. Uploading a mobi/prc is probably the preferred way to go nowadays, as it suffers almost no alteration from your source file, but it is still "converted". This conversion process will almost always overcome any "glitches" you see in previewer. (A common one is right and bottom edges of the cover cut off slightly.)

In conclusion, if your image is the correct size/ratio and is associated correctly in the opf file, it will show and convert fine in calibre. You can upload your mobi to KDF, convert, and download a preview copy without going live (i.e. stay "Draft") So no need to worry about "half-assed" publication. You can upload as many times as you want before you go live, and even after you go live, once you spot that blatently obvious little error you've missed twenty times during proofing... Essentially, if your file is good, don't sweat it. Looking for bugs that don't actually exist is a really crap hobby...

Good luck, and always tweak/test with a copy file, just in case.
Thank you, Whackatagin, for those invaluable comments of yours. I'm getting real close, but these tips are great. Thanks again !
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