Quote:
Originally Posted by jonathanp
Say I needed to password protect the documents, is there a better format than PDF?
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If you have to protect against printing, then password protected MOBI or "content encrypted" MOBI are the best options. However, neither one actually protects the file against very much (since the protection can easily be defeated) and password protected PDFs can't be read on some devices.
A better option is to password protect the download web page. This isn't much security either, but it keeps out the casual moocher.
If you want to go the PDF route, then two sizes are probably enough: A4 (or US 8.5x11) and A5 (or US 5.5x8.5). Most EInk devices can handle A5 PDFs ok. I'm not sure if this will work on PDAs though.
I suggest providing a standard PDF and a DRM-free MOBI, with the latter perhaps produced by importing the PDF into Windows MobiPocket Reader. The resulting MOBI isn't always perfect, but it will be ok if the original PDF is simple enough (i.e. contains text in the standard order). Note that this is exactly what the Kindle will do with a PDF - it can only read MOBI anyway. If you have HTML or RTF, then use these instead to create the MOBI, perhaps via Windows MobiPocket Creator.
If you are automatically generating the conversions, then Calibre may be your best bet. However, its only output options are LRF and ePub (with MOBI in beta test).