MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - PRS-T2 Best way to read .pdf files?

Jasmine GreenTea · 07-31-2014, 03:36 AM

One of the advantages of the Sony T2 (which was an important factor in my decision to buy it) is that it can REFLOW the PDF files.

Forget about zooming! All you have to do is to increase the font size, the same way you would do in an epub file. Past a certain value (it's the 2rd font size), your ereader will stop showing the lines of the text the way they were conceived its creator and will get into the REFLOW mode. This mode has one huge advantage over text zooming: the text fills your screen width but it no longer stretches beyond its edges (as it does in zooming mode). Each line is fitted within your screen width, and that regardless of the fot size you may choose.

Of course, this mode only works with PDFs that consist of real text, and not of images (like in the case of a a scanned page that was not OCR-ed).

Occasionally, depending on the original formatiing of your pdf file, you experience a few problems:
- the header of the pdf file and the page number is never recognized as such, so it will appear ion top of your pages.
- every new page starts on a new screen (that is, there is no "page reflow")
- footnotes will sometimes venish completely,
- sometimes, on complex pages (pages with footnotes) you might lose the last 2-3 lines of text. In that case, I noticed that, if I change the font size (increasing or decreasing it), I could eventually recover that page end.

On some pdf files (maybe one in 10 in my experience) the reflow mode does not work as it should. The font can be enlarged, but the line ends ("carriage returns") remain where they were in the pdf file.

Despite these flaws, Sony's "line reflow" is a major boon, and I am surprised that Sony did not advertise as much as it should.

... I am checking now with a few pdf files various font sizes:
When I open the pdf file, and I then check the font size, I see it defaults to font size 2 -- and the viewing mode is normal (margins, header and all).

Font size 1: - very small text REFLOWED
Font size 2: - Normal view (margins, header, footnotes, like a usual pdf)
Font size 3: - REFLOWED, smallish fonts
Font sizes 4 to 8: - REFLOWED - increasingly large fonts

So, it appears that changing to any font size beyond the default font size 2 causes the pdf file to be shown with lines reflowed.

07-31-2014, 03:36 AM	#8
Jasmine GreenTea Enthusiast Posts: 28 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2012 Device: Kobo Elipsa E2, Kobo Aura H20 ed 2, Kobo Clara, Sony PRS T2 & T3	Try PDF reflow! One of the advantages of the Sony T2 (which was an important factor in my decision to buy it) is that it can REFLOW the PDF files. Forget about zooming! All you have to do is to increase the font size, the same way you would do in an epub file. Past a certain value (it's the 2rd font size), your ereader will stop showing the lines of the text the way they were conceived its creator and will get into the REFLOW mode. This mode has one huge advantage over text zooming: the text fills your screen width but it no longer stretches beyond its edges (as it does in zooming mode). Each line is fitted within your screen width, and that regardless of the fot size you may choose. Of course, this mode only works with PDFs that consist of real text, and not of images (like in the case of a a scanned page that was not OCR-ed). Occasionally, depending on the original formatiing of your pdf file, you experience a few problems: - the header of the pdf file and the page number is never recognized as such, so it will appear ion top of your pages. - every new page starts on a new screen (that is, there is no "page reflow") - footnotes will sometimes venish completely, - sometimes, on complex pages (pages with footnotes) you might lose the last 2-3 lines of text. In that case, I noticed that, if I change the font size (increasing or decreasing it), I could eventually recover that page end. On some pdf files (maybe one in 10 in my experience) the reflow mode does not work as it should. The font can be enlarged, but the line ends ("carriage returns") remain where they were in the pdf file. Despite these flaws, Sony's "line reflow" is a major boon, and I am surprised that Sony did not advertise as much as it should. ... I am checking now with a few pdf files various font sizes: When I open the pdf file, and I then check the font size, I see it defaults to font size 2 -- and the viewing mode is normal (margins, header and all). Font size 1: - very small text REFLOWED Font size 2: - Normal view (margins, header, footnotes, like a usual pdf) Font size 3: - REFLOWED, smallish fonts Font sizes 4 to 8: - REFLOWED - increasingly large fonts So, it appears that changing to any font size beyond the default font size 2 causes the pdf file to be shown with lines reflowed. Last edited by Jasmine GreenTea; 07-31-2014 at 03:38 AM.