09-10-2013, 07:58 AM | #31 | |
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Majority of belletristic/fiction is in A5 or smaller format (150 mm page width) anyway, so after margin cropping it fits 120 mm of 6" reader in landscape mode just fine. The same goes for A4 format and 10" readers like Kindle Dx. I read a lot of scanned pdf's on my e-ink readers without any problem, with search, higlighting, handwriting etc. options included, rather than converting them to epub/mobi, because i want the exact pdf on my reader as it is on paper (exact pdf image with OCR layer in background). If I'm not satisfied with my 6" Sony's native cropping/landscape mode or reflowing of particular textual pdf I simply convert them with k2pdfopt or other apps to fit 6" screen in landscape mode or use Kindle dx or Kindle 3 (with kindlepdfviewer or Duokan installed). Those with rooted android readers can use some good pdf reader for cropping/zooming in landscape mode. k2pdfopt app can even reflow pdf scans (images) and we can then change letter size on 6" reader by changing dpi resolution in k2pdfopt. So, for those who really want to read pdf's on 6" e-ink readers the situation is not that bad at all. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...&postcount=440 https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...98&postcount=8 Last edited by markom; 09-10-2013 at 09:30 AM. |
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09-10-2013, 11:12 AM | #32 |
Bujavid tekikin
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I tried the k2pdfopt software last night on my phone, with a PDF that had a fairly simple layout. The results were much better than an unmodified PDF, but still not that great on my Galaxy Note, with a 5.3" screen. Still even with k2pdfopt readability of PDF files is still nowhere near that of an ePub.
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09-10-2013, 03:09 PM | #33 | |
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Now I'm sure I could jump through the hoops, you mention, but it doesn't seem worth it when I have other epubs waiting, so I put the pdfs on the backburner or read them on my computer. |
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09-11-2013, 04:16 AM | #34 |
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My own experience is that I prefer PDFs when I'm making my own ebooks, but EPUB when purchasing ebooks produced by others. Since the ebook creator has to deal with so many screen options when producing an ebook, EPUB allows him/her to create one ebook that can be acceptably viewed on any ebook reader. That is something that is difficult, if not impossible, with PDF.
The reason that I prefer PDF when making my own ebooks is that I can format them specifically for my ereader and they will look exactly on my ebook reader as intended. Plus, I use OpenOffice to make my ebooks and I've found using it to make a PDF ebook is much easier than using it to make an EPUB ebook. Plus, reformatting them for different screen sizes is just a matter of changing the page size in the source document. However, if I was creating an ebook for others I would format it as an EPUB for the reasons in the first paragraph. PDF is good for certain uses, but not for ebooks meant to be used on all ebook readers. |
09-11-2013, 07:58 AM | #35 | |
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09-12-2013, 12:59 PM | #36 |
Plan B Is Now In Force
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I prefer not to read in landscape mode; I find it cumbersome.
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09-12-2013, 01:08 PM | #37 |
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I'd definitely encourage them to go with ePub/mobi. The whole PDF experience on tablets sucks. They don't even convert very good in Calibre most of the time (end up with headers/footers/page numbers stuck all through the text and it's not worth the effort to get rid of them all). I'd rather have a print copy if PDF is my only digital option.
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09-12-2013, 01:13 PM | #38 |
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Epub's fine for most fiction and a lot of nonfiction. It handles text (even a lot of non-Roman script) and illustrations very well. But as long as formatting/font support is so limited in epub, PDF will have its uses. I have a large quantity of math books and papers on my device that would be impossible in epub. And the Story HD's resolution and zoom levels mean I can read them great. But I understand most e-ink readers don't handle PDF well.
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09-12-2013, 01:20 PM | #39 |
Bujavid tekikin
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I guess that when you're reading something, the question becomes what's more important-- the text or the layout? Myself, I don't really care unless the layout was really important-- otherwise the capability for reflowable text trumps all. I really can't think of any book where the spatial layout is absolutely crucial though, unless it's House of Leaves or something.
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09-13-2013, 06:48 AM | #40 |
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Yeah, that would be right. Living in the past and not adapting quickly to more forward thinking formats basically sums Microsoft up! Hence they are so far behind in the mobile computing revolution. (But that is a discussion for another place.)
PDFs have their place for documents and being read on PC monitors, but generally the smaller the screen, the less functional they become. So EPUB is the way forward for e-reading. I suppose in an ideal world, you'd produce something in a couple of formats to give people with different devices some choice, but even so, I can see more and more people choosing to avoid using PDFs as Kindles/e-readers, tablets and big screen smartphones take over the world! |
09-13-2013, 07:01 AM | #41 |
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From my perspective as a customer, the difference between epub and PDF is simple:
If it's PDF, I won't buy it. |
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