Question about a pdf I have

mokel22 · 08-13-2011, 12:29 PM

Hey guys,
I recently started to read up on programming in Android and one of the textbooks pdfs I recently got will not function on my reader properly. When I try to read it, it will work fine up until the table of contents, but after that, all of the pages are blank

I thought maybe it was a dumb pdf, but then I opened it in PDF to Go and all of the pages were there.
May I have some insight on this problem? Is this a common occurrence, or something easily fixed? Thanks in advance guys.

rdblots · 08-13-2011, 01:17 PM

The only bell this rings is that I vaguely remember reading at some point in the archives people having issues with reading Times New Roman font when converted from microsoft word on the e-ink side. I realize this sounds like a very random issue, but apparently it's combination of something weird in microsoft word and something weird with the e-ink technology.

A couple of disclaimers: I might be mis-characterizing the problem and this may have been something that has been resolved since I read it in the archives.

Did you try highlighting the blank pages? I wonder if that would give any indication if the text is there but for some reason unseen, or if there is literally nothing on the pages.

mokel22 · 08-13-2011, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdblots

The only bell this rings is that I vaguely remember reading at some point in the archives people having issues with reading Times New Roman font when converted from microsoft word on the e-ink side. I realize this sounds like a very random issue, but apparently it's combination of something weird in microsoft word and something weird with the e-ink technology.

A couple of disclaimers: I might be mis-characterizing the problem and this may have been something that has been resolved since I read it in the archives.

Did you try highlighting the blank pages? I wonder if that would give any indication if the text is there but for some reason unseen, or if there is literally nothing on the pages.

There is literally nothing and highlighting at random spots does not bring up any highlighting of invisible text. Thank you for your input though, it is much appreciated.

syclone · 08-13-2011, 01:47 PM

You might try running the PDF thru Calibre and converting it to E-Pub.

mokel22 · 08-13-2011, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syclone

You might try running the PDF thru Calibre and converting it to E-Pub.

It works once I convert it to epub, but epub always screws up my textbooks and I end up having to flip 50 pages to get through all of the diagrams and pictures. This definitely solves the problem of reading the pages though, thank you.

If anyone had a solution that did not require converting to epub, that too would be appreciated, but for now this is usable

[edit] in addition, is there anyway to sync the books between calibre on my computer and my Edge. I've never used Calibre before becuase it did not need it until now, but I would like to know how to get the most out of it while it is here. Thanks in advance everyone.

fgruber · 08-13-2011, 02:41 PM

Try OCR in acrobat. If not then just extract the PDF as images create a new PDF with those images

ptsenter · 08-13-2011, 02:51 PM

Had exactly the same problem, and, probably, the same book. Also tried to convert to epub. Someone said there is a problem with pdf release - like newer tag - can be fixed with Adobe software. The only more-or-less acceptible solution on PE is ezPDF, which is on a wrong side of the road. I pretty much gave up reading pdfs on PE, or any small ereader for that matter.

[edit]Using calibre all the time - it recognizes eDGe. The only issue (for me) calibre saves all books under /sdcard/download and doesn't allow to use SD card.

ivanjt · 08-13-2011, 04:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mokel22

If anyone had a solution that did not require converting to epub, that too would be appreciated, but for now this is usable

A couple of thoughts
- is there some sort of DRM involved? This may be unlikely because you can convert with Calibre.
- can you read all the pages on a PC? If so then it might be the original PDF is saved using a version incompatible with the edge reader software (there used to be a 'colorspace' problem that would mess up older third party readers on Linux and OS/2).

If the second option is true then try saving the PDF as one compatible with Acrobat 5.

Something I should have asked - which book is it? I'll see if I can get it and have a look at the problem.

garyhgaryh · 08-13-2011, 04:22 PM

Android programming book? Is it free? I'd like a copy if it is...

syclone · 08-13-2011, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mokel22

[edit] in addition, is there anyway to sync the books between calibre on my computer and my Edge. I've never used Calibre before becuase it did not need it until now, but I would like to know how to get the most out of it while it is here. Thanks in advance everyone.

Calibre should show what books it has transferred to the edge when the edge is synced with calibre. If you click on the device icon it will show all the books that have been transferred over. I believe it will show other books on the edge that have not been transferred via calibre without a green check mark.

mokel22 · 08-14-2011, 01:11 PM

Thanks for the help guys. I do not have Acrobat, so those options are out. I might try to extract all of the pages as Images and put it back together again as suggested using open source pdf manipulators. In addition, thank you for the help with Calibre, I'm going to sync up the rest of my books now and try to get a nice little organized library up. I'll be back with the results of the image extraction method.
[edit] It appears that nothing wants to work with this file because it was made in Acrobat 9 or something stupid like that, on that note I'll continue trying things.

ivanjt · 08-14-2011, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mokel22

It appears that nothing wants to work with this file because it was made in Acrobat 9 or something stupid like that, on that note I'll continue trying things.

We've come across a few like that but with judicious use of ghostscript and a few other tools we have on OS/2, we've been able to turn them into something that can be used no matter what reader is used.

If you are really stuck PM me and I'll see what I can do.

mokel22 · 08-14-2011, 06:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ivanjt

We've come across a few like that but with judicious use of ghostscript and a few other tools we have on OS/2, we've been able to turn them into something that can be used no matter what reader is used.

If you are really stuck PM me and I'll see what I can do.

I'll just deal with the epub and use ezpdf when i'm not reading outside. Thank you though Ivanjt.

Filark · 08-14-2011, 09:44 PM

Good luck with Calibre, Mokel! I think it's a terrific program, and I'm not alone!

ivanjt · 08-15-2011, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mokel22

I'll just deal with the epub and use ezpdf when i'm not reading outside. Thank you though Ivanjt.

The main thing is that you can work round it.

08-13-2011, 12:29 PM	#1
mokel22 Zealot Posts: 147 Karma: 22 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: USA (Poconos, PA) Device: Entourage Edge	Question about a pdf I have Hey guys, I recently started to read up on programming in Android and one of the textbooks pdfs I recently got will not function on my reader properly. When I try to read it, it will work fine up until the table of contents, but after that, all of the pages are blank I thought maybe it was a dumb pdf, but then I opened it in PDF to Go and all of the pages were there. May I have some insight on this problem? Is this a common occurrence, or something easily fixed? Thanks in advance guys.

08-13-2011, 02:51 PM	#7
ptsenter Addict Posts: 285 Karma: 88 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kobo eReader Wireless	Had exactly the same problem, and, probably, the same book. Also tried to convert to epub. Someone said there is a problem with pdf release - like newer tag - can be fixed with Adobe software. The only more-or-less acceptible solution on PE is ezPDF, which is on a wrong side of the road. I pretty much gave up reading pdfs on PE, or any small ereader for that matter. [edit]Using calibre all the time - it recognizes eDGe. The only issue (for me) calibre saves all books under /sdcard/download and doesn't allow to use SD card. Last edited by ptsenter; 08-13-2011 at 02:57 PM.

08-14-2011, 01:11 PM	#11
mokel22 Zealot Posts: 147 Karma: 22 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: USA (Poconos, PA) Device: Entourage Edge	Thanks for the help guys. I do not have Acrobat, so those options are out. I might try to extract all of the pages as Images and put it back together again as suggested using open source pdf manipulators. In addition, thank you for the help with Calibre, I'm going to sync up the rest of my books now and try to get a nice little organized library up. I'll be back with the results of the image extraction method. [edit] It appears that nothing wants to work with this file because it was made in Acrobat 9 or something stupid like that, on that note I'll continue trying things. Last edited by mokel22; 08-14-2011 at 01:38 PM.

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08-13-2011, 01:17 PM	#2
rdblots Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: pocket edge, full sized edge	The only bell this rings is that I vaguely remember reading at some point in the archives people having issues with reading Times New Roman font when converted from microsoft word on the e-ink side. I realize this sounds like a very random issue, but apparently it's combination of something weird in microsoft word and something weird with the e-ink technology. A couple of disclaimers: I might be mis-characterizing the problem and this may have been something that has been resolved since I read it in the archives. Did you try highlighting the blank pages? I wonder if that would give any indication if the text is there but for some reason unseen, or if there is literally nothing on the pages.

08-13-2011, 01:47 PM	#4
syclone Zealot Posts: 109 Karma: 536 Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NY Device: Entourage Pocket Edge iPhone 4S IPad 1 iPad 2 Nook Touch 4 Palm Pilot	You might try running the PDF thru Calibre and converting it to E-Pub.

08-13-2011, 02:41 PM	#6
fgruber Academic Posts: 103 Karma: 540716 Join Date: Mar 2010 Device: Onyx Boox Note Plus	Try OCR in acrobat. If not then just extract the PDF as images create a new PDF with those images

08-13-2011, 04:22 PM	#9
garyhgaryh Zealot Posts: 137 Karma: 13 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: California Device: Entourage Pocket Edge	Android programming book? Is it free? I'd like a copy if it is...

08-14-2011, 09:44 PM	#14
Filark Armed with a smile :) Posts: 1,421 Karma: 2463560 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: California, USA Device: enTourage eDGe & Pocket eDGe, Samsung Galaxy Note II	Good luck with Calibre, Mokel! I think it's a terrific program, and I'm not alone!