problem converting PDF to PDB

[dhdurgee]

I recently obtained a refurbished Palm m500 and thus have become interested in converting some PDF files I have for reading on that device. I have been using the web conversion site:

http://ebook.online-convert.com/convert-to-pdb

I encountered some problems with converting some files and contacted the help email about this, who indicated that Calibre was being used and that I should post my problem here. The first set of PDF files I am converting are individual articles from F&SF and there are two problems I am encountering.

The first problem is that the articles often include enlarged initial capitals at the start of paragraphs, especially the initial paragraph of a story. These initial capitals can often span several lines and it seems that the initial capital winds up attached to a word other than the first word of the paragraph.

The second problem I am encountering is with articles, specifically reviews, that are done in two column format. This is quite clear in print as there is a dividing line drawn between the columns, but the conversion output is quite jumbled. It seems to be missing the fact that the text laid out in columns below any page heading lines.

I will be happy to provide a sample PDF exhibiting both problems for you to test.

Dave

[DoctorOhh]

Originally Posted by dhdurgee

I encountered some problems with converting some files and contacted the help email about this, who indicated that Calibre was being used and that I should post my problem here. The first set of PDF files I am converting are individual articles from F&SF and there are two problems I am encountering.

I have very limited experience here but as I understand PDB it is more or less wrapper to contain text.

I would start by saving the PDF to text first. Then use Notepad++, Textify, or My TXT Cleaner extension for Open Office Writer to unwrap the text. Then try to convert the text via calibre adjusting the text input settings as necessary.

Good Luck.