Original # of pages when converting MOBI file

Dt135 · 08-02-2019, 01:32 PM

Hi,

I've been trying to convert my Kindle ebook to PDF, but everytime the number of pages and lay-out gets kind of screwed up. I've also tried some online converting websites, but the final result is always an 100+ page increase and a paragraphs that are split up between two pages etc.

Anyone who can help of give advice? I've already tried to play with the converting settings in Calibre.

theducks · 08-02-2019, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dt135

Hi,

I've been trying to convert my Kindle ebook to PDF, but everytime the number of pages and lay-out gets kind of screwed up. I've also tried some online converting websites, but the final result is always an 100+ page increase and a paragraphs that are split up between two pages etc.

Anyone who can help of give advice? I've already tried to play with the converting settings in Calibre.

Worms (this has been beat to death)
There are no single '# pages' in e-books.
If ANYTHING is different (font, spacing, weight, page size...) , the count is DIFFERENT.

The big Q : Is it all there?

jhowell · 08-02-2019, 02:15 PM

I don't know what you mean by the "original # of pages". If this is a Kindle book purchased from Amazon they will show either the number of pages in some printed edition of the book or else a KENPC (Kindle Edition Normalized Page Count) that is calculated by Amazon using undisclosed standard formatting settings. In either case there is nothing special about that specific page count.

When you convert to PDF the number of pages produced depends on a lot of factors: the page size, margins, font size, and others. If you are trying to hit a target number of pages it will be a trial and error process of changing these factors until you come close to your desired result.

Paragraphs being split across pages is common in books. You can prevent this is various ways, but the result is usually inferior to just letting the paragraphs be split. Using "page-break-inside: avoid" can prevent this, but will leave blank spaces at the bottom of pages, which look like scene breaks.

Even if you do manage to achieve your target number of pages, the actual content on each PDF page will almost certainly not match the equivalent page number in a printed edition of the book.

Dt135 · 08-02-2019, 02:36 PM

Thank you for the quick reply.

In the description on Amazon it said 302 pages, so that was my reference for how many pages it should be in pdf format.

I see that there doesn't seem to be a magic technique to maintain the same lay-out as depicted in the kindle version when converting. Thank you for the explanation jhowell.

08-02-2019, 01:32 PM	#1
Dt135 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2019 Device: none	Original # of pages when converting MOBI file Hi, I've been trying to convert my Kindle ebook to PDF, but everytime the number of pages and lay-out gets kind of screwed up. I've also tried some online converting websites, but the final result is always an 100+ page increase and a paragraphs that are split up between two pages etc. Anyone who can help of give advice? I've already tried to play with the converting settings in Calibre.

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08-02-2019, 02:15 PM	#3
jhowell Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,071 Karma: 91577715 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Charlottesville, VA Device: Kindles	I don't know what you mean by the "original # of pages". If this is a Kindle book purchased from Amazon they will show either the number of pages in some printed edition of the book or else a KENPC (Kindle Edition Normalized Page Count) that is calculated by Amazon using undisclosed standard formatting settings. In either case there is nothing special about that specific page count. When you convert to PDF the number of pages produced depends on a lot of factors: the page size, margins, font size, and others. If you are trying to hit a target number of pages it will be a trial and error process of changing these factors until you come close to your desired result. Paragraphs being split across pages is common in books. You can prevent this is various ways, but the result is usually inferior to just letting the paragraphs be split. Using "page-break-inside: avoid" can prevent this, but will leave blank spaces at the bottom of pages, which look like scene breaks. Even if you do manage to achieve your target number of pages, the actual content on each PDF page will almost certainly not match the equivalent page number in a printed edition of the book.

08-02-2019, 02:36 PM	#4
Dt135 Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2019 Device: none	Thank you for the quick reply. In the description on Amazon it said 302 pages, so that was my reference for how many pages it should be in pdf format. I see that there doesn't seem to be a magic technique to maintain the same lay-out as depicted in the kindle version when converting. Thank you for the explanation jhowell.

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