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ProfJulie · 01-10-2009, 10:24 AM

I'm sorry you've had such a frustrating and disappointing experience. The problem is that you want to read DRMed PDF books from your library on a device that cannot read PDF books and cannot be activated to read DRMed PDF books.

DRMed PDF files are closed pretty tightly and none of the tools that can be used with other formats to change them to a more compatible format for your reading device will work on DRMed PDF files.

I own a Cybook Gen3 and that reader can read mobipocket formatted books and can be activated to read DRMed mobipocket books from the library - my library offers books in the PDF format and in mobipocket format....so I can check the mobipocket books out and read them on my Cybook Gen3. If I checkout a PDF formatted book from the library, I have to read it on my computer or my Pocket PC - both have Adobe Reader installed on them and both devices have been activated through Adobe's website to read DRMed PDF files.

The PDF format is not an ideal format for eBooks and, even though several eInk devices purport to read PDF formatted books (including the Cybook Gen3), the eInk readers do not provide the full functionality of Adobe Reader on the devices. Probably the Illiad is the best and most compatible device for reading PDF files and I think Sony has added more PDF capabilities to some of their readers, but I don't know if any of these readers can handle DRMed PDF files (perhaps Sony can - I don't have a Sony reader so I don't know for sure - but reading through the Sony forums will probably provide the answer).

I avoid PDF formatted files as much as possible - it is just too much of a hassle to format even non-DRMed files to a nice format for reading on my eInk reader .

01-10-2009, 10:24 AM	#10
ProfJulie Evangelist Posts: 423 Karma: 890 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: USA Device: whatever	I'm sorry you've had such a frustrating and disappointing experience. The problem is that you want to read DRMed PDF books from your library on a device that cannot read PDF books and cannot be activated to read DRMed PDF books. DRMed PDF files are closed pretty tightly and none of the tools that can be used with other formats to change them to a more compatible format for your reading device will work on DRMed PDF files. I own a Cybook Gen3 and that reader can read mobipocket formatted books and can be activated to read DRMed mobipocket books from the library - my library offers books in the PDF format and in mobipocket format....so I can check the mobipocket books out and read them on my Cybook Gen3. If I checkout a PDF formatted book from the library, I have to read it on my computer or my Pocket PC - both have Adobe Reader installed on them and both devices have been activated through Adobe's website to read DRMed PDF files. The PDF format is not an ideal format for eBooks and, even though several eInk devices purport to read PDF formatted books (including the Cybook Gen3), the eInk readers do not provide the full functionality of Adobe Reader on the devices. Probably the Illiad is the best and most compatible device for reading PDF files and I think Sony has added more PDF capabilities to some of their readers, but I don't know if any of these readers can handle DRMed PDF files (perhaps Sony can - I don't have a Sony reader so I don't know for sure - but reading through the Sony forums will probably provide the answer). I avoid PDF formatted files as much as possible - it is just too much of a hassle to format even non-DRMed files to a nice format for reading on my eInk reader .