Why is Kindle not keen on PDF support?

[jian1]

It's kinda weird as if they did it on purpose... anyone knows why?

[iansoady]

AFAIK it is supported (as in: can be read) but as its format is fixed (unlike markup languages eg HTML) it doesn't flow therefore doesn't fit on the page well.

[CRussel]

It isn't the fault of Kindle (or any other eReader), but a limitation of the format. PDF is designed to provide a visually accurate representation of a page of text. Great, if all your pages are the same size and you're representing it on a device that can show a full page. PDF doesn't provide for re-flowing of text to adjust to a different size display, making it very unsatisfactory for eReaders.

[tubemonkey]

The Kindle is an ereader designed for the masses to primarily read novels. The vast majority of these people don't need PDFs. It's only a small minority that do and Amazon isn't about to waste the time and money on them.

I don't read PDFs on my Kindle, nor do I have a need to do so. The Kindle format provides me with all the reading I need. And the same goes for everyone I know who owns a Kindle.

[jian1]

We academics must be doomed as all of our textbooks, articles, research paper were in PDF djvu formats... so far I haven't found a 9.7 e-reader has great pdf support. I supposed upon graduating from PHD I would still stuck with this buggy M90.

[asciibaron]

Originally Posted by CRussel

It isn't the fault of Kindle (or any other eReader), but a limitation of the format. PDF is designed to provide a visually accurate representation of a page of text. Great, if all your pages are the same size and you're representing it on a device that can show a full page. PDF doesn't provide for re-flowing of text to adjust to a different size display, making it very unsatisfactory for eReaders.

this is exactly the issue - rescaling the page to fit the smaller display form factor reduces the page content size as well. PDF's allow the formatting and layout to be the same, thus allowing a side-bar to the content to show up exactly where the text says it is - hunting for FIG.1 is not required, it's right there to the left of the text explaining the complex concept.

an eReader would be a horrible alternative to my large format Ansel Adams books, but they are perfect for the treatise that discusses at length the images in that large format book.

[RainingLemur]

Depends on the PDF, but generally... Yeah, Kindles are terrible for PDFs.

[NoHolyGrail]

Although it's not entirely Amazon's fault, they could certainly be doing a better job with PDF support. Check out the last section of this blog for examples of simple improvements:

http://kindlecookies.blogspot.com/20...-features.html

So I think Amazon is definitely not trying very hard with PDF. While I agree it's primarily an issue for academics, I'm a graduate student (in Europe, not even Kindle's home turf) and I see a lot of other grad students using Kindles. I'm skeptical that academics represent only a negligible share of the market.

[jian1]

By Amazon's software engineering skill, it ain't that hard to come up with a working PDF working device.... at least they can do better than Onyx M90 I am currently owning which, despite being good on PDFs, is such a horrible device.

Amazon seems to have other things occupying their minds, maybe afraid of PDF overtaking their online book store market share?

[HansTWN]

Amazon has no interest in this market, unfortunately. My guess is that most people that need PDF support have settled for a tablet, even though they would prefer an e-ink device.

PDF books actually work very well on the Kindle (I have a few, including the infamous 紅樓夢) they look better than Mobi files and page turns are very quick. But for complex files like technical documents this is not the right device. I also miss taking handwritten notes, as I could on the Irex.

So I guess we better wait until large screen Mirasol devices come out, then we can get the best of everything. Or the second generation of color e-ink, from a major manufacturer.

[cHex]

The issue is not "PDF." I'm a public speaker, and I frequently save my speaking notes in PDF format specifically to load onto my Kindle so I can speak from my Kindle (i.e. using my Kindle rather than paper to display my notes).

The issue is that PDF documents typically are meant for some format other than a Kindle's 6.5x4.5 screen. Create a document in your own word processor, specify paper size 6.5x4.5, then convert that to PDF, and you'll be able to see each page in a legible size.

In other words, PDF's still have a role for devices such as a Kindle--when you want to make sure everything looks just so, and don't want people to mess up your format by changing the device's font size. The problem is trying to read documents on your 6.5x4.5 display that are intentionally being forced to retain formatting for an 8.5x11 piece of paper, not "PDF."

For those who are interested, this is from Nathan W. Bingham's Amazon Kindle Tips, Tricks, and Resources:

Originally Posted by Nathan W. Bingham

Use Your Kindle for Speaking / Preaching Notes

I’ve used my Kindle to display notes when I’ve given talks and preached sermons. Despite its small screen size I’ve found it to be very practical and discreet.

The main teething problem I had was learning how to control exactly what text appeared on each page / screen. I personally like to format my paper notes in such a way as to not have dot points running over two pages. I want to avoid forgetting a sub-point, verbally close off a point, and then discover the dreaded extra sub-point when I turn over.

Here is my solution to page perfect notes for use on the Kindle when public speaking:

Create a new A5 (5.8 x 8.3 inches) document in Word or Pages. For metric users A5 is close enough to the size of the Kindle screen and it has saved me having to pull out a ruler and measure it.

Type your notes using 15pt, making use of bold, underline, and shades of grey. You may want to increase that type size depending on what your eyes are comfortable with.

Save the document as a PDF. This feature should be available to most users via the print function, but if not a quick Google search will return several free software or online alternatives.

Email or USB transfer this PDF to your Kindle.

Once it has arrived, open it, press the Aa button and set the contrast to ‘darkest’.

That’s it. Remember, once you wake your Kindle you will have ten minutes before it goes to sleep again if you don’t change pages. This should be long enough for you to get to the next page, but if not I suggest you space out your notes more when you first type them.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by cHex

The issue is not "PDF." I'm a public speaker, and I frequently save my speaking notes in PDF format specifically to load onto my Kindle so I can speak from my Kindle (i.e. using my Kindle rather than paper to display my notes).

The issue is that PDF documents typically are meant for some format other than a Kindle's 6.5x4.5 screen. Create a document in your own word processor, specify paper size 6.5x4.5, then convert that to PDF, and you'll be able to see each page in a legible size.

In other words, PDF's still have a role for devices such as a Kindle--when you want to make sure everything looks just so, and don't want people to mess up your format by changing the device's font size. The problem is trying to read documents on your 6.5x4.5 display that are intentionally being forced to retain formatting for an 8.5x11 piece of paper, not "PDF."

For those who are interested, this is from Nathan W. Bingham's Amazon Kindle Tips, Tricks, and Resources:

This is just arguing semantics. We are, of course, talking about reading pre-existing PDF documents, which were created for A4 or letter sizes. PDF is the ideal file format if documents are the exact size of your reader. But PDF can't be converted (without serious effort).

So what you need is a reader which can easily zoom in and out, and you must be able to move around the zoomed in page ("pushing" the document around). I can do it on my Irex, but it is rather slow.

[cHex]

Semantics? Maybe. But people are claiming the Kindle has no "PDF support," when in fact it displays PDF's exactly as they are formatted. What's really wanted (and not just by the Kindle community) is a way to cleanly convert PDF's to something like DOC or HTML, preserving or creating text flow, stripping headers/footers (or removing them from the text and tagging them as headers/footers), and creating and anchoring images, tables, etc.

There are PDF-to-eBook converters out there, but the tend to be anything but clean.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by cHex

Semantics? Maybe. But people are claiming the Kindle has no "PDF support," when in fact it displays PDF's exactly as they are formatted. What's really wanted (and not just by the Kindle community) is a way to cleanly convert PDF's to something like DOC or HTML, preserving or creating text flow, stripping headers/footers (or removing them from the text and tagging them as headers/footers), and creating and anchoring images, tables, etc.

There are PDF-to-eBook converters out there, but the tend to be anything but clean.

Forget the converters, they just don't work properly. You can get good results manually, but it really isn't worth the effort just to get the documents on your reader.

What would work is a reader with a 9.7" screen, Mirasol or a new generation of e-ink, that has the same refresh rate as an LCD. My guess is that we are still 1-2 years away from such a device.

[Jack Tingle]

I have sympathy for the De--er, for Adobe. They've tried and tried to get pdf creators to tag their files and make them reflowable, but no one wants to listen. I've had good results on a variety of screen sizes when the creator tags the pdf. When they don't, pdf sucks as an ebook format. It's really that simple.

Regards,
Jack Tingle