Cannot write on PDFs anymore

Pjama · 04-26-2025, 03:22 PM

As of yesterday, Amazon has removed my ability to write in PDFs sent to my Kindle Scribe using send to kindle. Also tried using email to send. Also tried converting PDF to JPG just in case. Also tried editing PDF down to one page only and resending.

So I’m currently doing my daily Times of London crossword on my Kobo Libra 2, and my husband is doing his on PAPER!! 😂

I still use the Scribe for my study notebooks but I’m disgusted with Amazon removing this feature on the sly.

I also tried sending a PDF I sent successfully earlier in the week, and the same thing happened - a PDF that cannot be written on arrived. So it looks like this is a deliberate move on Amazon’s part.

Day by day they seem to be working to make the Kindle worse. Next move will be to get an Ellipsa or Sage when they are refreshed.

Pjama · 04-26-2025, 08:07 PM

OK, here is what I found on Reddit, which seems to have taken over from here, mostly. In case anyone else has this problem.

This worked - open the PDF on my computer, then Print as PDF, then can send that and write on it.

An extra step, which will be easy to incorporate into my daily routine.

There were various other suggestions in Reddit threads that did not work. Hope this saves someone (future me, probably!

) some time.

I notice that when the PDF is writeable, it either lists the author if there is one, or has Unknown as author. When it is not writeable on, the space where author or Unknown would be is blank.

I'm glad I can still use my Scribe for this - I also keep my invoicing records and project details in a PDF planner on it, so would be quite lost if they stopped allowing this functionality.

Pjama · 04-27-2025, 12:04 PM

Scrap that - nothing works. I hope someone else has an idea how to fix this? Or is Amazon just shutting this functionality down.

Quoth · 04-28-2025, 06:45 AM

Only Amazon required PDFs to sent via them to annotate anyway. Tomsem might know the complex KFX creation from PDF that works locally for Scribe (uses some Kindle SW, so doesn't work on Linux).

DuskyRose · 04-28-2025, 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pjama

Scrap that - nothing works. I hope someone else has an idea how to fix this? Or is Amazon just shutting this functionality down.

Mine still works. I've put hundreds of crosswords on the Scribe, so use it a lot.

Do you have the pen turned on? You have to touch the top, touch the 'settings' icon on, and turn on "Show Writing Toolbar".

Then you should either see the toolbar or the round pencil icon. Depending on if you have the whole toolbar open or not.

If you don't see the pen, it won't recognize it.

Frogm4n · 04-29-2025, 08:47 AM

You must use the original layout option when uploading a PDF that you want to be written on. Amazon has a table of formats and what writing and note features are supported.

Pjama · 04-29-2025, 09:01 AM

Here is a work around that I have got to work - I still don't understand why my original way has failed as of this past weekend.

Now I download as usual, then open the downloaded PDF, then I select Export from the drop down menu, then I export as a new PDF/A (whatever that is) and save the new PDF/A document. This then reaches my Scribe when I use Send-To. (Note that if I go to print as PDF and send that, that does not work to produce a writeable document).

So, all good for now, I just don't understand why my usual process failed to work.

Puzzles are my main use for this device - we do the London Times Cryptic on it every day, and could live without it, but our lives would be a little emptier without it.

tomsem · Today, 02:56 AM

Nothing has changed on Amazon's side of things.

Because it seems to work when you generate a new PDF from the downloaded one, there may be some issue with the PDF you are downloading that prevents it from getting converted to print replica format (one you can 'write on'). In that case you should be getting email from amazon about the conversion error, possibly that is landing in your junk mail folder.

I can imagine there may be some permissions set in the downloaded PDF that prevent direct conversion.

You can also connect via usb, browse to /documents/Downloads/Items01 and see what the file extension is. If it is '.pdf' then conversion failed and that is why you cannot write on it.

04-26-2025, 03:22 PM	#1
Pjama Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 2347200 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: TX Device: Scribe and Libra Colour	Cannot write on PDFs anymore As of yesterday, Amazon has removed my ability to write in PDFs sent to my Kindle Scribe using send to kindle. Also tried using email to send. Also tried converting PDF to JPG just in case. Also tried editing PDF down to one page only and resending. So I’m currently doing my daily Times of London crossword on my Kobo Libra 2, and my husband is doing his on PAPER!! 😂 I still use the Scribe for my study notebooks but I’m disgusted with Amazon removing this feature on the sly. I also tried sending a PDF I sent successfully earlier in the week, and the same thing happened - a PDF that cannot be written on arrived. So it looks like this is a deliberate move on Amazon’s part. Day by day they seem to be working to make the Kindle worse. Next move will be to get an Ellipsa or Sage when they are refreshed.

04-26-2025, 08:07 PM	#2
Pjama Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 2347200 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: TX Device: Scribe and Libra Colour	OK, here is what I found on Reddit, which seems to have taken over from here, mostly. In case anyone else has this problem. This worked - open the PDF on my computer, then Print as PDF, then can send that and write on it. An extra step, which will be easy to incorporate into my daily routine. There were various other suggestions in Reddit threads that did not work. Hope this saves someone (future me, probably! ) some time. I notice that when the PDF is writeable, it either lists the author if there is one, or has Unknown as author. When it is not writeable on, the space where author or Unknown would be is blank. I'm glad I can still use my Scribe for this - I also keep my invoicing records and project details in a PDF planner on it, so would be quite lost if they stopped allowing this functionality. Last edited by Pjama; 04-26-2025 at 08:07 PM. Reason: one added to any, to make anyone

Today, 02:56 AM	#8
tomsem Grand Sorcerer Posts: 6,897 Karma: 27013865 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: USA Device: iPhone 15PM, Kindle Scribe, iPad mini 6, PocketBook InkPad Color 3	Nothing has changed on Amazon's side of things. Because it seems to work when you generate a new PDF from the downloaded one, there may be some issue with the PDF you are downloading that prevents it from getting converted to print replica format (one you can 'write on'). In that case you should be getting email from amazon about the conversion error, possibly that is landing in your junk mail folder. I can imagine there may be some permissions set in the downloaded PDF that prevent direct conversion. You can also connect via usb, browse to /documents/Downloads/Items01 and see what the file extension is. If it is '.pdf' then conversion failed and that is why you cannot write on it. Last edited by tomsem; Today at 03:21 AM.

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04-27-2025, 12:04 PM	#3
Pjama Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 2347200 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: TX Device: Scribe and Libra Colour	Scrap that - nothing works. I hope someone else has an idea how to fix this? Or is Amazon just shutting this functionality down.

04-28-2025, 06:45 AM	#4
Quoth Still reading Posts: 13,632 Karma: 103503445 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	Only Amazon required PDFs to sent via them to annotate anyway. Tomsem might know the complex KFX creation from PDF that works locally for Scribe (uses some Kindle SW, so doesn't work on Linux).

04-29-2025, 08:47 AM	#6
Frogm4n Evangelist Posts: 413 Karma: 3456807 Join Date: Jul 2023 Device: Scribe, OA2, Glo HD, PRS-350	You must use the original layout option when uploading a PDF that you want to be written on. Amazon has a table of formats and what writing and note features are supported.

04-29-2025, 09:01 AM	#7
Pjama Guru Posts: 733 Karma: 2347200 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: TX Device: Scribe and Libra Colour	Here is a work around that I have got to work - I still don't understand why my original way has failed as of this past weekend. Now I download as usual, then open the downloaded PDF, then I select Export from the drop down menu, then I export as a new PDF/A (whatever that is) and save the new PDF/A document. This then reaches my Scribe when I use Send-To. (Note that if I go to print as PDF and send that, that does not work to produce a writeable document). So, all good for now, I just don't understand why my usual process failed to work. Puzzles are my main use for this device - we do the London Times Cryptic on it every day, and could live without it, but our lives would be a little emptier without it.

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