MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Hi (finally!) from the Shadow of Pike's Peak

JSWolf · 09-09-2007, 10:23 PM

The problem is going to be that you cannot tell what sort of reading device a person will have to carry around. We know that on a computer (laptop included) PDF will display fine. But what's needed otherwise is a format that has reflowable text. BBeB, MobiBocket, eReader are all formats that reflow so on a small screen, the text will look good. Another problem with PDF is font size. PDF is fixed. So even if a letter sized PDF would look good on say the iLiad with it's larger screen and higher resolution to you or me, it may not to someone who needs the larger font size you can get from a format with reflowable text. On the Sony Reader, I can use the size button to enlarge the text. If my eyes needed that, I'd have it. If you have a book in a Word document, it's very easy to then go to a reflowable format. I've taken Word documents in DOC or RTF and HTML and converted to LRF or MobiPocket formats very easily. But of course there is no DRM. DRM is a nother who problem we won't get into here.

09-09-2007, 10:23 PM	#8
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 74,254 Karma: 129333566 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	The problem is going to be that you cannot tell what sort of reading device a person will have to carry around. We know that on a computer (laptop included) PDF will display fine. But what's needed otherwise is a format that has reflowable text. BBeB, MobiBocket, eReader are all formats that reflow so on a small screen, the text will look good. Another problem with PDF is font size. PDF is fixed. So even if a letter sized PDF would look good on say the iLiad with it's larger screen and higher resolution to you or me, it may not to someone who needs the larger font size you can get from a format with reflowable text. On the Sony Reader, I can use the size button to enlarge the text. If my eyes needed that, I'd have it. If you have a book in a Word document, it's very easy to then go to a reflowable format. I've taken Word documents in DOC or RTF and HTML and converted to LRF or MobiPocket formats very easily. But of course there is no DRM. DRM is a nother who problem we won't get into here.