Quote:
Originally Posted by dwig
The converter "decoding" the PDF isn't really to blame. The root cause is in the app that built the PDF. The breaks frequently occur when the original document has some non-default letter spacing (kerning) in a word.
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What do you mean by that? Most fonts have pair kerning information, that is information about how the kerning for individual pairs of letters need to be adjusted to accommodate their exact shapes -- this information is usually made use of by quality typesetting software, but is not used by default by web browsers or word processors like MS Word (though you can turn it on) nor by most ebook software for other formats, which is why they don't look as good.
Is the default to use pair kerning, or not to use pair kerning? Using it is typographically superior, but since the exact shapes of the glyphs is not stored in the PDF, use of pair kerning probably makes it more difficult for a converter to do its job properly. But that doesn't mean there's a flaw with the software that create the PDF -- quite the contrary!
Moreover, for a variety of typographical reasons, someone might alter the kerning for typographical reasons. Kerning is often greater in titles, for example. None of this is anyone's "fault" or points to a flaw in the software. Indeed, software that is able to do is superior in my mind to that which cannot.
If someone begins arguing that people ought to forget about quality typography for the same of convenience in wrong-way conversions, well, let me just register my strong disagreement. As much as I like mobile devices for reading, the typography is usually much worse unless possibly you're reading a PDF. Let's not advocate moving software away from the possibility of providing one of their best features!
(To be clear, I'm not accusing you of arguing for that. It's just the kind of thing I've heard people suggest before...)