PDF to EPUB ?

paieye · 02-01-2012, 02:54 AM

All of the books in which I am interested seem to be e-published in PDF only. My faithful Sony PRS 350 coped with these more than adequately until I broke it beyond repair last week.

I bought a Kobo Touch to replace it, only to find that it seems quite unable to cope with PDF. If I try to enlarge the text, the Kobo does indeed enlarge it, but the edges of the page vanish off the screen, and one must keep scrolling to read the page.

I therefore installed Calibre, thinking that this would enable me to convert the PDF files to EPUB. The right-hand column of the Calibre display tells me that it has indeed done so, but I cannot work out how to ensure that only the EPUB version of the file is copied to the Kobo.

Even then, I am not sure whether, if I can manage to copy only the EPUB version to the Kobo, that will enable the Kobo to display the file correctly.

I have asked Kobo's help-desk to advise me about this, and have mentioned that the Kobo website says that the device does not support 'reflow,' but this seems to be a question too far !

Can any kind person help ?

speakingtohe · 02-01-2012, 08:37 AM

customize the Kobo plugin to send only epubs.
Under preferences.

The device should support reflowable epub.

If the converted file reflows in calibre's viewer it should be good on Kobo.

Some PDF convert better than others, but most should be ok.

Helen

paieye · 02-01-2012, 02:02 PM

Thank you so much for that.

For the benefit of any other disappointed buyers of the Kobo Touch, here are the steps:

1. Delete each of the PDF books in the Kobo.

2. If you have not already done so, in Calibre, click on the name of a PDF-book, and convert it to EPUB.

3. Still in Calibre, click Edit Metadata, and in the top right-hand corner you will see a box showing both the PDF and the EPUB version of that book.

4. Click on the PDF-version. To the right of that window, you will see a triangle made up of green arrows -- click on that to 'Remove selected version for that book,' then click OK.

5. Switch on the Kobo, connect it to your computer, and press 'Connect' in the Kobo window.

6. Once Calibre has recognised the Kobo, click on the book that you want to send to the Kobo.

7. Do NOT click on the 'Device' icon to carry out this exercise. If you do, at any rate if your experience is like mine, the procedure will fail.

8. Instead, find 'Send to device' in the Calibre menu-bar, click that, then 'Send to Main Memory.'

9. Allow the Kobo a few seconds to complete the process.

10. In my case, I now have each of my once-PDF books, but now EPUB-books, in the Kobo.

11. In the case of 1 or more of the books, the picture on the cover is shown upside-down, but with that qualification the Kobo reads all of the EPUB-versions perfectly.

I am truly grateful to you for your help with this, without which I should have been giving what in England is a $150 ereader to the local charity-shop.

Well done !

speakingtohe · 02-01-2012, 05:24 PM

You are welcome.

7. You can customize the send to device icon by clicking little arrow at it's edge so that it will automatically send to main memory.

11. If you edit individual metadata for the books with the upside down covers, click download cover you should get a better cover. Convert the book again before sending to reader to embed the cover.

Helen

theducks · 02-01-2012, 05:30 PM

11.

You could also use the Open with Plugin to Edit the cover (Rotate 180 in the editor), Save
Then use the Modify Epub Plugin to insert the new Metadata cover into the book

paieye · 02-01-2012, 08:14 PM

My thanks to you both !

davidfor · 02-01-2012, 11:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paieye

3. Still in Calibre, click Edit Metadata, and in the top right-hand corner you will see a box showing both the PDF and the EPUB version of that book.

4. Click on the PDF-version. To the right of that window, you will see a triangle made up of green arrows -- click on that to 'Remove selected version for that book,' then click OK.

Instead of deleting the PDF, I keep them. I have the Kobo Touch plugin configured to send epubs instead of PDF. The main reason I keep them, is that I always find problems in the conversion, so I go back and reconvert with different options, or edit the epub with Sigil using the PDF as a reference.

paieye · 02-03-2012, 02:31 AM

"I have the Kobo Touch plugin configured ..." Could you kindly tell me the steps required to do that ?

speakingtohe · 02-03-2012, 02:05 PM

I believe the steps are:
Preferences
Plugins
Device interface plugins (expand)
Kobo Reader device plugin (or similar)
Uncheck all the formats you don't want
Apply

paieye · 02-05-2012, 05:24 AM

I have only just read your helpful message, Helen, my apology for the delay in replying.

I launch Calibre, then in the menu-bar, click Preferences, the 'Get plugins to enhance Calibre.'

There is no mention of Kobo in the list that appears, but I wonder whether choosing 'Modify ePub' might help ?

However, I wonder if what you suggest would have prevented a difficulty that I encountered in the interval before I attempted the above.

I down-loaded a PDF-file and launched Calibre. I used 'Add books' to import the file into Calibre, checked that the text of the PDF-file was complete, then converted the file to EPUB.

I now checked the EPUB-file for completeness, and find that only about the 1st 20% of the file has been converted, and the rest of the file appears simply as intermittent horizontal lines.

Why should that be happening ?

itimpi · 02-05-2012, 06:34 AM

That probably means that the PDF file was an image based file with some underlying OCR'ed text that was incomplete. During the conversion you have only picked up what OCR text was there with the images having been discarded. That is a not uncommon issue with books that have been created by scanning the paper copy.

paieye · 02-05-2012, 06:59 AM

But is there any means of overcoming the difficulty ? By the way, the PDF-file in question contained no images whatever other than the picture on the front cover, which has been faithfully reproduced in the EPUB-version.

mrmikel · 02-05-2012, 07:09 AM

Some PDFs consist only of pictures of scanned pages... So 200 page book has 200 images in it. Others, mostly newer ones, have text and pictures inside the PDF.

The US Army has several books in the Green Book series that are just like what itimpi is describing, blocks of text and images of blocks of text. There is no reason why some is text and some images of text, except perhaps that someone put Acrobat on some automatic setting and that is what it came up it.

speakingtohe · 02-05-2012, 10:12 AM

Quote:

I launch Calibre, then in the menu-bar, click Preferences, the 'Get plugins to enhance Calibre.'

Not quite.

Launch calibre
click preferences
click plugins
click little arrow beside device interface plugins (4th in list)
Scroll down to kobo reader device interface
SELECT kobo reader device interface
Click customize plugin
Heen

speakingtohe · 02-05-2012, 10:15 AM

I haven't tried it but skinnymojo has a very well done tutorial on converting scanned pdfs.

http://skinnymojo.com/media/pdfconvert.html

Helen

02-01-2012, 02:54 AM	#1
paieye Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Amazon Fire	PDF to EPUB ? All of the books in which I am interested seem to be e-published in PDF only. My faithful Sony PRS 350 coped with these more than adequately until I broke it beyond repair last week. I bought a Kobo Touch to replace it, only to find that it seems quite unable to cope with PDF. If I try to enlarge the text, the Kobo does indeed enlarge it, but the edges of the page vanish off the screen, and one must keep scrolling to read the page. I therefore installed Calibre, thinking that this would enable me to convert the PDF files to EPUB. The right-hand column of the Calibre display tells me that it has indeed done so, but I cannot work out how to ensure that only the EPUB version of the file is copied to the Kobo. Even then, I am not sure whether, if I can manage to copy only the EPUB version to the Kobo, that will enable the Kobo to display the file correctly. I have asked Kobo's help-desk to advise me about this, and have mentioned that the Kobo website says that the device does not support 'reflow,' but this seems to be a question too far ! Can any kind person help ?

02-01-2012, 02:02 PM	#3
paieye Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Amazon Fire	Thank you so much for that. For the benefit of any other disappointed buyers of the Kobo Touch, here are the steps: 1. Delete each of the PDF books in the Kobo. 2. If you have not already done so, in Calibre, click on the name of a PDF-book, and convert it to EPUB. 3. Still in Calibre, click Edit Metadata, and in the top right-hand corner you will see a box showing both the PDF and the EPUB version of that book. 4. Click on the PDF-version. To the right of that window, you will see a triangle made up of green arrows -- click on that to 'Remove selected version for that book,' then click OK. 5. Switch on the Kobo, connect it to your computer, and press 'Connect' in the Kobo window. 6. Once Calibre has recognised the Kobo, click on the book that you want to send to the Kobo. 7. Do NOT click on the 'Device' icon to carry out this exercise. If you do, at any rate if your experience is like mine, the procedure will fail. 8. Instead, find 'Send to device' in the Calibre menu-bar, click that, then 'Send to Main Memory.' 9. Allow the Kobo a few seconds to complete the process. 10. In my case, I now have each of my once-PDF books, but now EPUB-books, in the Kobo. 11. In the case of 1 or more of the books, the picture on the cover is shown upside-down, but with that qualification the Kobo reads all of the EPUB-versions perfectly. I am truly grateful to you for your help with this, without which I should have been giving what in England is a $150 ereader to the local charity-shop. Well done ! Last edited by paieye; 02-01-2012 at 04:30 PM.

02-05-2012, 05:24 AM	#10
paieye Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Amazon Fire	I have only just read your helpful message, Helen, my apology for the delay in replying. I launch Calibre, then in the menu-bar, click Preferences, the 'Get plugins to enhance Calibre.' There is no mention of Kobo in the list that appears, but I wonder whether choosing 'Modify ePub' might help ? However, I wonder if what you suggest would have prevented a difficulty that I encountered in the interval before I attempted the above. I down-loaded a PDF-file and launched Calibre. I used 'Add books' to import the file into Calibre, checked that the text of the PDF-file was complete, then converted the file to EPUB. I now checked the EPUB-file for completeness, and find that only about the 1st 20% of the file has been converted, and the rest of the file appears simply as intermittent horizontal lines. Why should that be happening ? Last edited by paieye; 02-05-2012 at 06:45 AM.

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02-01-2012, 08:37 AM	#2
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	customize the Kobo plugin to send only epubs. Under preferences. The device should support reflowable epub. If the converted file reflows in calibre's viewer it should be good on Kobo. Some PDF convert better than others, but most should be ok. Helen

02-01-2012, 05:24 PM	#4
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	You are welcome. 7. You can customize the send to device icon by clicking little arrow at it's edge so that it will automatically send to main memory. 11. If you edit individual metadata for the books with the upside down covers, click download cover you should get a better cover. Convert the book again before sending to reader to embed the cover. Helen

02-01-2012, 05:30 PM	#5
theducks Well trained by Cats Posts: 29,763 Karma: 54401244 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: The Central Coast of California Device: Kobo Libra2,Kobo Aura2v1, K4NT(Fixed: New Bat.), Galaxy Tab A	11. You could also use the Open with Plugin to Edit the cover (Rotate 180 in the editor), Save Then use the Modify Epub Plugin to insert the new Metadata cover into the book

02-01-2012, 08:14 PM	#6
paieye Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Amazon Fire	My thanks to you both !

02-03-2012, 02:31 AM	#8
paieye Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Amazon Fire	"I have the Kobo Touch plugin configured ..." Could you kindly tell me the steps required to do that ?

02-03-2012, 02:05 PM	#9
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	I believe the steps are: Preferences Plugins Device interface plugins (expand) Kobo Reader device plugin (or similar) Uncheck all the formats you don't want Apply

02-05-2012, 06:34 AM	#11
itimpi Wizard Posts: 4,552 Karma: 950151 Join Date: Nov 2008 Device: Sony PRS-950, iphone/ipad (Marvin/iBooks/QuickReader)	That probably means that the PDF file was an image based file with some underlying OCR'ed text that was incomplete. During the conversion you have only picked up what OCR text was there with the images having been discarded. That is a not uncommon issue with books that have been created by scanning the paper copy.

02-05-2012, 06:59 AM	#12
paieye Connoisseur Posts: 59 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Amazon Fire	But is there any means of overcoming the difficulty ? By the way, the PDF-file in question contained no images whatever other than the picture on the front cover, which has been faithfully reproduced in the EPUB-version.

02-05-2012, 07:09 AM	#13
mrmikel Color me gone Posts: 2,089 Karma: 1445295 Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Central Oregon Coast Device: PRS-300	Some PDFs consist only of pictures of scanned pages... So 200 page book has 200 images in it. Others, mostly newer ones, have text and pictures inside the PDF. The US Army has several books in the Green Book series that are just like what itimpi is describing, blocks of text and images of blocks of text. There is no reason why some is text and some images of text, except perhaps that someone put Acrobat on some automatic setting and that is what it came up it.

02-05-2012, 10:15 AM	#15
speakingtohe Wizard Posts: 4,812 Karma: 26912940 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: sony PRS-T1 and T3, Kobo Mini and Aura HD, Tablet	I haven't tried it but skinnymojo has a very well done tutorial on converting scanned pdfs. http://skinnymojo.com/media/pdfconvert.html Helen