Epub to Mobi Questions

SteveK · 07-01-2011, 09:54 PM

I recently purchased a Kindle 3 after my Sony 505 died. I've only converted a handful of books from EPUB to Mobi to transfer to my new Kindle, but I have experienced some unexpected problems.

For example, the illustrations in the original EPUB edition of one book somehow got "lost" in the Mobi conversion. Also, one book which was properly formatted in EPUB, including left and right paragraph indentations for lengthy quotes, lost the quotation indents in the Mobi version.

Is this a function of the EPUB to Mobi conversion within Calibre, or can the Kindle not handle the left/right paragraph indents of a quotation? Or is there some setting within Calibre I need to use to preserve formatting and illlustrations?

Prior to getting my Kindle, I always converted to EPUB and never had any problems. With converting to Mobi, my first attempts were less successful. Do I need to alter the settings in some way?

Thanks in advance for any response.

SteveK

dwig · 07-02-2011, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveK

...the illustrations in the original EPUB edition of one book somehow got "lost" in the Mobi conversion. ...

Most of the time, images will convert well. There are some image formats that EPUB supports that are not supported in MOBI and that Calibre can't convert. These will get "lost". Also, some image alignment/placement methods (e.g. wrapping text around an image, ...) that are supported in EPUB are not supported in MOBI. The resulting MOBI will display the images and text with different alignment.

Quote:

...one book which was properly formatted in EPUB, including left and right paragraph indentations for lengthy quotes, lost the quotation indents in the Mobi version...

MOBI doesn't have support for the method often used for left & right indentations in EPUB. This formatting will, as a result, get omitted in conversion with Calibre. Quotations should be indented using <blockquote></blockquote> tags in files that are to be converted to MOBI. The text will then be indented on the left, but not the right.

SteveK · 07-02-2011, 09:30 AM

Thanks, Dwig. I never realized how important the left and right indentations are. Having written numerous research papers when I was in college, I obviously have used them frequently and am accustomed to seeing them used properly in books. To see lengthy quotations having the same margins as the regular text takes some adjustment, as it can be difficult to separate the author's text from the text he's quoting. Unfortunately, the book has MANY quotations, so I suppose I'll either read it in EPUB on my Sony or just accept the lack of proper formatting on my Kindle.

Regarding illustrations, fortunately the book I converted is only lightly illustrated so the lack of illustrations isn't a major factor. I must admit it's strange, however, to see an illustration credit but not the illustration!

I certainly hope Kindle accepts EPUB someday, but I'm quite sure they never will.

Thanks again for your information.

SteveK

07-01-2011, 09:54 PM	#1
SteveK Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1017902 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Kindle PW, PW2, Kindle3, Kobo Glo, tablets, phone	Epub to Mobi Questions I recently purchased a Kindle 3 after my Sony 505 died. I've only converted a handful of books from EPUB to Mobi to transfer to my new Kindle, but I have experienced some unexpected problems. For example, the illustrations in the original EPUB edition of one book somehow got "lost" in the Mobi conversion. Also, one book which was properly formatted in EPUB, including left and right paragraph indentations for lengthy quotes, lost the quotation indents in the Mobi version. Is this a function of the EPUB to Mobi conversion within Calibre, or can the Kindle not handle the left/right paragraph indents of a quotation? Or is there some setting within Calibre I need to use to preserve formatting and illlustrations? Prior to getting my Kindle, I always converted to EPUB and never had any problems. With converting to Mobi, my first attempts were less successful. Do I need to alter the settings in some way? Thanks in advance for any response. SteveK

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07-02-2011, 09:30 AM	#3
SteveK Addict Posts: 272 Karma: 1017902 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Kindle PW, PW2, Kindle3, Kobo Glo, tablets, phone	Thanks, Dwig. I never realized how important the left and right indentations are. Having written numerous research papers when I was in college, I obviously have used them frequently and am accustomed to seeing them used properly in books. To see lengthy quotations having the same margins as the regular text takes some adjustment, as it can be difficult to separate the author's text from the text he's quoting. Unfortunately, the book has MANY quotations, so I suppose I'll either read it in EPUB on my Sony or just accept the lack of proper formatting on my Kindle. Regarding illustrations, fortunately the book I converted is only lightly illustrated so the lack of illustrations isn't a major factor. I must admit it's strange, however, to see an illustration credit but not the illustration! I certainly hope Kindle accepts EPUB someday, but I'm quite sure they never will. Thanks again for your information. SteveK