Margin Control with ePub/Mobi Conversion

ascherjim · 07-24-2009, 10:36 AM

My usual Calibre conversion is from html to Mobi (and sometimes from lit to Mobi). I prefer the Mobi format and have quite readily been able to achieve my preferred conversion with full justification and even borders (5 pt).

I have just attempted my first epub to Mobi conversion, which for the most part turned out well, except that my left margins were much, much wider than the other margins. I tried re-converting, designating the left margin as zero rather than 5 pt, but the resulting conversion turned out exactly the same.

The text looks fine, with my preferred full justification, except for that wide left margin. Is there any way I can get a conversion with even borders?

HarryT · 07-24-2009, 10:41 AM

There must be something in the HTML source which is explicitly setting the left margin. Your only option, really, is to edit the HTML and fix it.

ascherjim · 07-24-2009, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

There must be something in the HTML source which is explicitly setting the left margin. Your only option, really, is to edit the HTML and fix it.

HarryT: Thanks. How do I get to the epub html source, and what do I look for to change? This would be my first time at doing this (although I am somewhat Linux conversant).

HarryT · 07-24-2009, 10:55 AM

An ePub file is just a ZIP file. Rename it to ".zip" and you can open it with any tool that handles ZIP files.

I'm afraid you will need to be conversant with HTML in order to make the change. No getting around that. If you aren't familiar with it yourself, perhaps you know someone who is?

ascherjim · 07-24-2009, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

An ePub file is just a ZIP file. Rename it to ".zip" and you can open it with any tool that handles ZIP files.

I'm afraid you will need to be conversant with HTML in order to make the change. No getting around that. If you aren't familiar with it yourself, perhaps you know someone who is?

Harry: Thanks again. I was able to rename and unzip it, examine its contents -- and decide I'd best for now let things remain as at present. The formatting, except for the left margin, is quite as usual for my Mobi formatting. Maybe in time I'll try to learn how to manipulate html files.

ascherjim · 07-25-2009, 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ascherjim

Harry: Thanks again. I was able to rename and unzip it, examine its contents -- and decide I'd best for now let things remain as at present. The formatting, except for the left margin, is quite as usual for my Mobi formatting. Maybe in time I'll try to learn how to manipulate html files.

Harry: After a day's thinking about this, utilizing your tip to rename the epub file to a zip file, I came up with a fairly simple solution (for me) to get the left margin the way I wanted it (to match the other margins for full justification):

After extracting the html files I copied the main text to my word processor, saved it as a txt document, then had Calibre convert the txt document to Mobi. Now everything looks fine. Thanks again.

Vighnahara · 10-15-2010, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ascherjim

fter extracting the html files I copied the main text to my word processor, saved it as a txt document, then had Calibre convert the txt document to Mobi. Now everything looks fine. Thanks again.

Did this keep the chapters, etc? Or is it now just one long block? If you're going to go that route, you might be able to just convert straight from epub to text in Calibre...

DoctorOhh · 10-15-2010, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vighnahara

Did this keep the chapters, etc? Or is it now just one long block? If you're going to go that route, you might be able to just convert straight from epub to text in Calibre...

I know it sometimes gets confusing, but please refrain from answering posts well over a year old.

07-24-2009, 10:36 AM	#1
ascherjim Addict Posts: 260 Karma: 274 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Gig Harbor, Washington Device: BeBook One, PocketBook 360, Kindle Paperwhite, Kobo Aura One	Margin Control with ePub/Mobi Conversion My usual Calibre conversion is from html to Mobi (and sometimes from lit to Mobi). I prefer the Mobi format and have quite readily been able to achieve my preferred conversion with full justification and even borders (5 pt). I have just attempted my first epub to Mobi conversion, which for the most part turned out well, except that my left margins were much, much wider than the other margins. I tried re-converting, designating the left margin as zero rather than 5 pt, but the resulting conversion turned out exactly the same. The text looks fine, with my preferred full justification, except for that wide left margin. Is there any way I can get a conversion with even borders?

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07-24-2009, 10:41 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	There must be something in the HTML source which is explicitly setting the left margin. Your only option, really, is to edit the HTML and fix it.

07-24-2009, 10:55 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	An ePub file is just a ZIP file. Rename it to ".zip" and you can open it with any tool that handles ZIP files. I'm afraid you will need to be conversant with HTML in order to make the change. No getting around that. If you aren't familiar with it yourself, perhaps you know someone who is?

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