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#1 |
Junior Member
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Convert a 2 column PDF into epub
Hello,
I use Calibre and it is great, but I don't see how it is possible to convert a pdf with 2 column text into a epub with 1 column. It is possible? Thanks |
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#2 |
Curmudgeon
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As I understand it (and I am not a dev) It's not possible yet, due to the limitations of the third-party PDF-handling library calibre uses. However, there is hope that may be added in the future. I certainly hope they do it!
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#3 |
Grand Sorcerer
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There is another approach you could take with multi-col PDFs. You might like to try it.
If you head over to the PDF forum there is a utility called Briss (in the Sticky section). It will allow you to convert PDF to PDF, where the output PDF is cropped to a more appropriate size for your reader. There is a GUI so you can control the cropping size. |
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#4 |
creator of calibre
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Actually code to handle multicol layouts is already in calibre's new PDF engine and (mostly) works. Its just waiting for me to finish it.
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#5 |
Curmudgeon
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Kovid, have I told you lately that I love you? In a totally straight and platonic way, of course.
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#6 |
Guru
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I've said it before, and I'll say it again. You and Calibre are the sole reasons that eReaders work the way they should. Thanks so much for all your hard work!
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#7 |
Wizard
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Currently i'm using "stanza desktop" to convert 2-column pdf to epub.
Of course until calibre offers the same feature... |
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#8 |
Junior Member
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#9 | |
Zealot
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Quote:
Beeing them pdf, each time I do a search it tooks minutes (sometimes I give up ...). So I tried to convert them from pdf to epub but the 2 columns layout produce a mixed text of words and their definitions. There is some parameter to set so calibre can handle this? thanks a lot paolo |
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#10 |
Wizard
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No - Calibre cannot handle 2 column PDF files.
In addition dictionaries tend to fail conversion regardless of the format. I think it is something to do with the number of cross-reference links that tend to be present in such items. |
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#11 | |
Wizard
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Quote:
that has removed the 2 column effect. now add that word file to calibre & convert as needed. if select+ copy all is prohibited you need to find some PDF unlock software to bypass. |
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#12 |
Zealot
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@cybmole already tried, didn't worked as produced a pattern like this
1st row: word1 truncated def of word 1 word 2 truncated def of word2 2nd row: tail of def of word1 tail of def of word 2 @ itimpi thanks ![]() |
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#13 |
Junior Member
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Google found this thread when I was looking for a solution to the same problem. After trying the recommendations here with little success, I found a freeware program that converts directly to epub with better results than the others. Here's the link - PDFMate Free PDF Converter.
Two things to be aware of before installing this. One, by default it will modify all your browsers to install a toolbar, default search, and other crapware. Prevent this by selecting Custom install and un-checking all the boxes. Two, it nags you to upgrade to the paid version every time you convert a file. If you can live with this, try it. Disclaimer: I am not associated in any way, shape, or form with PDFMate, either directly or indirectly. It gave decent results converting a two-column PDF to epub. That's all. Two more points from my experiments. One, about cybmole's technique of pasting into Word: in Adobe Reader, "Copy / Select All" gives poor results, while "Copy File to Clipboard" gives good ones. Two, when I tried using Calibre's new PDF conversion engine from the command line, I got a bunch of Python error messages. Last edited by solarcat; 01-13-2014 at 11:52 AM. Reason: typo |
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#14 |
Wizard
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[QUOTE..about cybmole's technique of pasting into Word: in Adobe Reader, "Copy / Select All" gives poor results, while "Copy File to Clipboard" gives good ones./QUOTE]
surely those 2 methods should give identical results? "copy" in windows-speak means put stuff on clipboard ??? but I ain't that interested in digging back into this ... just saying is all... |
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#15 | ||
Junior Member
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Quote:
![]() The obvious implication is that Adobe Reader distinguishes between those commands in some cases. What I observed was that with "Copy / Select All" it retained the two-column format when pasted into Word. With "Copy File to Clipboard" it did not. It very nicely made the whole document into one column. |
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