Best Configuration for Converting PDF to Epub ?

omar_23 · 07-26-2014, 04:27 PM

So I have Kobo Glo and it's very very frustrating how slow it's getting when it comes to highlighting text in my books.

I only have around 20-30 books on the Kobo with a couple that have been converted from PDF to Epub using Calibre for Mac. I'm thinking that there might be something wrong with the configuration ?

Or does someone have any idea why the highlighting in my kobo is getting so damn slow ?

Lynx-lynx · 07-27-2014, 12:39 AM

Mmm ... I've just finished a non-fiction epub where I highlighted text and it worked fine, although it's always a bit fiddly.

As to speed, there wasn't any sort of delay, as I moved the highlight globe down the page the highlighting followed.

What format is the book that you're having the highlight timing problems with, and how many pages are there in the book? So was the book originally an epub, originally a kepub or is it still a kepub, was it another format and Calibre formatted to an epub?

The book I refer to was an original epub, Calibre side loaded onto my Glo, and had 722 pages, with approx 160 of those pages being references, other notes and the index.

omar_23 · 07-27-2014, 03:02 AM

Thanks for replying !!

My book is just 121 pages. Same problem with another one that 380 pages long . Both books were PDFs before I used calibre for Mac to convert them .

I just noticed that my original ePub books work well after I download them to the device through Calibre .
The problem is the ones converted to ePub from PDF . Any ideas on how to fix that ?

Lynx-lynx · 07-27-2014, 03:38 AM

Unfortunately I can't think of anything else, I don't use the pdf format or converted pdf format on my Glo (only on my tablet).

It does seem directly related to the reformat. Have you tried reading the book in it's original pdf format on the Glo?

indyglow · 07-27-2014, 04:55 AM

If wish to try something other than Calibre, there are quite a few commercial programmes to get PDF to ePUB conversion. Fine Reader 12 is what I found to be provide the most decent conversion if the PDF in question is first cropped with a free utility called Briss. The final ePUB it generates is then quite easily be edited in Calibre adding cover, css et el.

omar_23 · 07-27-2014, 08:32 PM

@Lynx yes I have , it would be too small and I'd have zoom in in every page and pan it around to see the whole page . And I don't think it'd allow me to highlight . Thanks though !

@indyglow Thanks for answering ! I just can't pay for an expensive software right now. Maybe I'll try using Briss and then use calibre to convert the file to ePub. . Do you have any other ideas ?

davidfor · 07-27-2014, 08:43 PM

@omar_23: A suggestion made for converting PDF is to use MobiPocket Creator. This will actually create a mobi file which then needs to be converted to epub. But, it seems to handle a lot of PDFs better than the calibre conversion.

Anak · 07-28-2014, 04:47 AM

Or take a look at pdf2epub from dnaml. Here you can verify and modify extracted characters and correct OCR mistakes (character recognition) for every recognized font family and font style.

http://www.pdftoepub.com/
http://www.dnaml.com/

Anak · 07-28-2014, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by indyglow

If wish to try something other than Calibre, there are quite a few commercial programmes to get PDF to ePUB conversion. Fine Reader 12 is what I found to be provide the most decent conversion if the PDF in question is first cropped with a free utility called Briss. The final ePUB it generates is then quite easily be edited in Calibre adding cover, css et el.

If you are interested in really improving the epub output and fix the most common conversion artifacts then take a look at e-Book Tools – Word add-in.

http://toxaris.nl/?page_id=96

tshering · 07-28-2014, 05:37 AM

Instead of (or in addition to) testing or even buying different softwares, you might extract the files of one of your converted epubs and try to figure out what causes the problem (slow highlighting). Epub files are zip files, you can simply unzip them. The text of the book is contained in html or xhtml files. Try to find something that looks somehow suspicious. For instance, if it is a long book and the whole text is contained in a single html file, this might perhaps already cause a performance problem. Or maybe you find that there is strange formatting, say every single letter has its own format tags, or every line is formatted as a table, or something of this kind. If you cannot do it yourself and the book is not restricted by copyright, you can post it here and maybe someone will look into it.

07-26-2014, 04:27 PM	#1
omar_23 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2014 Device: Kobo Glo	Best Configuration for Converting PDF to Epub ? So I have Kobo Glo and it's very very frustrating how slow it's getting when it comes to highlighting text in my books. I only have around 20-30 books on the Kobo with a couple that have been converted from PDF to Epub using Calibre for Mac. I'm thinking that there might be something wrong with the configuration ? Or does someone have any idea why the highlighting in my kobo is getting so damn slow ?

07-27-2014, 12:39 AM	#2
Lynx-lynx Treachery of images ... Posts: 4,069 Karma: 91561091 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Australia Device: Blackberry Playbook, Sony 650, Kobo Glo, H2O, Aura One, Forma, Libra 2	Mmm ... I've just finished a non-fiction epub where I highlighted text and it worked fine, although it's always a bit fiddly. As to speed, there wasn't any sort of delay, as I moved the highlight globe down the page the highlighting followed. What format is the book that you're having the highlight timing problems with, and how many pages are there in the book? So was the book originally an epub, originally a kepub or is it still a kepub, was it another format and Calibre formatted to an epub? The book I refer to was an original epub, Calibre side loaded onto my Glo, and had 722 pages, with approx 160 of those pages being references, other notes and the index. Last edited by Lynx-lynx; 07-27-2014 at 12:41 AM.

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07-27-2014, 03:02 AM	#3
omar_23 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2014 Device: Kobo Glo	Thanks for replying !! My book is just 121 pages. Same problem with another one that 380 pages long . Both books were PDFs before I used calibre for Mac to convert them . I just noticed that my original ePub books work well after I download them to the device through Calibre . The problem is the ones converted to ePub from PDF . Any ideas on how to fix that ?

07-27-2014, 03:38 AM	#4
Lynx-lynx Treachery of images ... Posts: 4,069 Karma: 91561091 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Australia Device: Blackberry Playbook, Sony 650, Kobo Glo, H2O, Aura One, Forma, Libra 2	Unfortunately I can't think of anything else, I don't use the pdf format or converted pdf format on my Glo (only on my tablet). It does seem directly related to the reformat. Have you tried reading the book in it's original pdf format on the Glo?

07-27-2014, 04:55 AM	#5
indyglow Connoisseur Posts: 77 Karma: 101837 Join Date: Oct 2012 Device: iPad Air, Kobo Forma, Kobo Aura HD (RIP)	If wish to try something other than Calibre, there are quite a few commercial programmes to get PDF to ePUB conversion. Fine Reader 12 is what I found to be provide the most decent conversion if the PDF in question is first cropped with a free utility called Briss. The final ePUB it generates is then quite easily be edited in Calibre adding cover, css et el.

07-27-2014, 08:32 PM	#6
omar_23 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2014 Device: Kobo Glo	@Lynx yes I have , it would be too small and I'd have zoom in in every page and pan it around to see the whole page . And I don't think it'd allow me to highlight . Thanks though ! @indyglow Thanks for answering ! I just can't pay for an expensive software right now. Maybe I'll try using Briss and then use calibre to convert the file to ePub. . Do you have any other ideas ?

07-27-2014, 08:43 PM	#7
davidfor Grand Sorcerer Posts: 24,907 Karma: 47303748 Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Sydney, Australia Device: Kobo:Touch,Glo, AuraH2O, GloHD,AuraONE, ClaraHD, Libra H2O; tolinoepos	@omar_23: A suggestion made for converting PDF is to use MobiPocket Creator. This will actually create a mobi file which then needs to be converted to epub. But, it seems to handle a lot of PDFs better than the calibre conversion.

07-28-2014, 04:47 AM	#8
Anak Fanatic Posts: 598 Karma: 641742 Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: DE Device: Kobo Glo	Or take a look at pdf2epub from dnaml. Here you can verify and modify extracted characters and correct OCR mistakes (character recognition) for every recognized font family and font style. http://www.pdftoepub.com/ http://www.dnaml.com/

07-28-2014, 05:37 AM	#10
tshering Wizard Posts: 3,489 Karma: 2914715 Join Date: Jun 2012 Device: kobo touch	Instead of (or in addition to) testing or even buying different softwares, you might extract the files of one of your converted epubs and try to figure out what causes the problem (slow highlighting). Epub files are zip files, you can simply unzip them. The text of the book is contained in html or xhtml files. Try to find something that looks somehow suspicious. For instance, if it is a long book and the whole text is contained in a single html file, this might perhaps already cause a performance problem. Or maybe you find that there is strange formatting, say every single letter has its own format tags, or every line is formatted as a table, or something of this kind. If you cannot do it yourself and the book is not restricted by copyright, you can post it here and maybe someone will look into it.

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