Touch Nook issues with PDF

[Lexis9784]

I just recieved my new nook and sideloaded quite a few books I had previously downloaded. I have had no issues with reading the epub books, but with the 3 PDF books I have checked, after about 15 or 20 pages, no text shows up on the rest of the pages. I have checked on my computer and they read fine on it. I have tried deleting them and reloading them, but still have the same problem. Any help would be greatly appreciated. And please don't say call customer service. I understand they will probably be able to help, but would like to see first if anyone else has had this problem or knows of a fix for it. Thanks!!

[nilux]

Hi Lexis9784,
I figured out same thing , I tested same PDF on nook touch and kindle dx(2nd generation) . nook could not show some images . when I played with Text size then it was able to show but it's not easy to read.

[paultakeda]

If your PDFs are DRM-free I'd convert them to ePub using something like Calibre. You'll lose the page formatting so if there are diagrams and columns it'll all go away, but as I mentioned in another thread, PDFs are designed to represent exact layout as specified by the creator and should not be mutable. That defeats the intent of a PDF and is the reason why PDF viewing on small screens is a hassle (the DX has a large enough screen that a PDF's typical letter-sized page sizes well on it).

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by paultakeda

If your PDFs are DRM-free I'd convert them to ePub using something like Calibre. You'll lose the page formatting so if there are diagrams and columns it'll all go away, but as I mentioned in another thread, PDFs are designed to represent exact layout as specified by the creator and should not be mutable. That defeats the intent of a PDF and is the reason why PDF viewing on small screens is a hassle (the DX has a large enough screen that a PDF's typical letter-sized page sizes well on it).

Just for the sake of clarity:

The Calibre PDF-to-ePub converter is so rudimentary that the Calibre User Guide practically advises the user not to bother. Not in so many words, of course, but...

This is not the fault of Calibre (which is a gift from the gods to us lowly mortals), but it does bear mentioning.

[paultakeda]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

Just for the sake of clarity:

The Calibre PDF-to-ePub converter is so rudimentary that the Calibre User Guide practically advises the user not to bother. Not in so many words, of course, but...

Very true. Conversion of fixed layout to free layout is always going to be trouble. At least the option gives you a shot at generating a file with a format more ideal for an e-reader.

[EldRick]

Bottom line is that none of these e-readers do PDF worth a darn, and that includes K3.

[anamardoll]

Originally Posted by EldRick

Bottom line is that none of these e-readers do PDF worth a darn, and that includes K3.

I'm very happy with my Sony PRS-950 PDF handling. But this is a matter of subjective opinion.

[trekchick]

I share your opinion. My PRS-950 does a much better job with PDF than any other e-ink device I've tried. Sony has put effort into making their PDF feature set as robust as possible, while Amazon and B&N skate by with the bare minimum.

Even my little PRS-350 handles PDFs better than you might think, especially with 2 or 3 column layouts.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by nilux

Hi Lexis9784,
I figured out same thing , I tested same PDF on nook touch and kindle dx(2nd generation) . nook could not show some images . when I played with Text size then it was able to show but it's not easy to read.

'PDF Reflow' kicks in when the text is size 3 or greater, as I understand it. At that point, some images (larger ones?) won't display.

And yes, it is annoying that more vendors don't copy more of what Sony has done with PDF. There is so much content locked up in that format, and conversion is almost always deficient.

[Lexis9784]

It wasn't an issue with text size because nothing changed from the first 20 something pages i read. I did take the advice and use callibre to change the format to epub and have had no further problems. Thanks for all the help :-)

[jocampo]

Originally Posted by EldRick

Bottom line is that none of these e-readers do PDF worth a darn, and that includes K3.

The best PDF reader I've tried is the iPad using GoodReader app.

But for being just an eink reader, Kindle 3 and Kindle DXG do a decent job, better than the Nook classic and Nook Touch. The landscape mode and the zoom, helps a lot, both features absent from Nook.

The Sony has better PDF capabilities than Kindle 3 but again, 6 inches is too small in my opinion for a PDF, that's why I still prefer an iPad for that, plus is lots of times faster turning pages and jumping among chapters.

[Solitaire1]

Originally Posted by anamardoll

I'm very happy with my Sony PRS-950 PDF handling. But this is a matter of subjective opinion.

My Sony PRS-505 and PRS-600 both handle PDFs very well as long as they are sized for the ereader's screen.

[afv011]

Originally Posted by Solitaire1

My Sony PRS-505 and PRS-600 both handle PDFs very well as long as they are sized for the ereader's screen.

That's the problem, most PDFs are A4 or 8.5x11", so look horrible on 6 inch devices. You can reflow and zoom and whatever, but 6 inches will never display those PDFs properly, regardless of make.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by trekchick

I share your opinion. My PRS-950 does a much better job with PDF than any other e-ink device I've tried. Sony has put effort into making their PDF feature set as robust as possible, while Amazon and B&N skate by with the bare minimum.

Even my little PRS-350 handles PDFs better than you might think, especially with 2 or 3 column layouts.

Actually Kindle is a little more than 'minimum'. The contrast adjustment is very useful in making small text more readable. And there is zoom/pan, annotation, landscape.

Nook has none of these, but does have PDF Reflow.

The thing I miss most on both is link support. My Pocket eDGe has this (as well as most of the above), plus the ability to extract a navigable table of contents from PDFs that have one. And you can easily open the PDF on its LCD screen for color and better zooming Unfortunately it is not very ergonomic and needs frequent recharging. And it is just weird.

Sony has the best small screen implementation for sure though.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by afv011

That's the problem, most PDFs are A4 or 8.5x11", so look horrible on 6 inch devices. You can reflow and zoom and whatever, but 6 inches will never display those PDFs properly, regardless of make.

Higher dot pitch would help (there's a 6" 1024x768 eink screen out there - iRiver Story HD - not sure it is shipping yet). That and a Fresnel lens mounted on the front.