Which eINK reader is the best at handling PDF files (ie, textbooks)?

[Rizla]

You already have the best 6" e-ink pdf reader: the prs-650.

But you must Install prs+. This hugely increases the pdf handling capabilities and without it the 650 pdf abilities are let down by poor software (nice one sony!). Read up about the options and explore the various settings under the prs+ settings.

Generally pdfs are best read in landscape mode, but if necessary, zooming is pretty manageable with prs+.

Occasionally I find a pdf that is not quite readable, but 90% of pdfs are acceptable.

[mod186k1]

Even PRS-650 can't handle the PDF posted by prconnor.

For who want to test the incriminated pdf page on his eReader I extracted this page:

problem.pdf

[eLiNK]

Originally Posted by mod186k1

Even PRS-650 can't handle the PDF posted by prconnor.

For who want to test the incriminated pdf page on his eReader I extracted this page:

Attachment 92216

the same problem with the native pdf viewer in KDX but not with kpdfviewer.

[mod186k1]

Jerry from Ectaco forum said me that the PDF document contained image masks that were not downsampled.

It seems that the "image masks" are a way Acrobat has of producing holes inside of transparent objects for other objects to shine through.

They tried to reoptimize without success.

Anyway he will pass this problem to the technical staff.

As workaround he suggests to convert it in jpeg but I think it is not a good think. I instead prefer to do:

pdf2ps problem.pdf p.ps
ps2pdf p.ps without-problem.pdf
rm p.ps

New "without-problem.pdf" will be bigger than "problem.pdf" but it will be a pdf with text and image and not simply a image-only pdf (so you can perform a text-search, for example)

[Namekuseijin]

Originally Posted by mod186k1

Even PRS-650 can't handle the PDF posted by prconnor.

For who want to test the incriminated pdf page on his eReader I extracted this page:

Attachment 92216

oh, in that case, you don't wanna read, you wanna see images. A tablet is best, sure.

textual PDFs are pretty readable in 6" in landscape mode, though.

[Lord Mahoney]

A little birdie told me that you should wait for an announcement from Barnes & Noble next month. You didn't hear it from me.

[prconnor]

Originally Posted by mod186k1

Anyway he will pass this problem to the technical staff.

Thank you for elevating awareness of this issue.

Originally Posted by mod186k1

I instead prefer to do:

pdf2ps problem.pdf p.ps
ps2pdf p.ps without-problem.pdf
rm p.ps

This process takes really long on my low power PC. I killed it after four hours still on the first command. The original 6.4 MB .pdf file had become a 1.5GB .ps file. I presume it would have become much smaller again by the time it became a .pdf again, but the time involved was excessive. I could have simply read the whole file on my PC in as much time.

Still I thank you kindly for this suggestion. I am excited at the prospect of reading these files with all images visible.

Cheers.

[rlowe]

Nook HD or Kindle Fire HD would be a great option. eInk isn't good enough to handle the PDFs IMHO. Let's just wait until next month my friend

[Fif23]

I read text PDF's all the time on my 650.
I read nothing but text PDF's to be honest.

Just throw it in and hit the reflow....

If you are talking about tables, and instances where the reflow doesn't work then NO IPAD WILL WORK ALSO.

I want to meet the person who sat down to read 650 scientific pages on an iPad without a reflow.


These are the books I buy hardcover and enjoy...

[chexmix]

I am waffling between a tablet and something like the Onyx M92 for (mostly graphic-y, academic PDFs, myself.

For those in this thread who have suggested tablets for PDFs: do you believe the oft-touted eyestrain difference between a tablet and a dedicated e-reader (e-ink) is nonexistent, or so small as to be ignorable?

That's not at all a challenge, it really is just a question. I'm 51 -- my eyes are not what they used to be and they easily tire. I have had a 1st generation Kindle for a few years and recently I have been using it a LOT -- and have experienced no noticeable eyestrain (beyond what I'd get from reading a paper book, that is). But my eyes start to spontaneously dry out when I so much as think about reading from a lit LCD, instead. I find I can't read much from my laptops' screens. But perhaps its all just placebo effect?

I've read conflicting reports ... would be interested in hearing more opinions on this even if that just means more conflicting reports. :^)

Thanks,

Glenn

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by chexmix

For those in this thread who have suggested tablets for PDFs: do you believe the oft-touted eyestrain difference between a tablet and a dedicated e-reader (e-ink) is nonexistent, or so small as to be ignorable?

Neither, for me. I do experience problems with eyestrain on back lit LCD screens, but reading certain PDFs on eink is a pain of its own. It's a matter of being able to see the info on the screen the way I need to (and annotate easily), which in some cases is only feasible on a tablet or computer. It's a trade off but ultimately reading on the tablet is more productive, even having to take frequent breaks to relieve my eyes. But it really depends on the PDF content and what I need to do with it.