Converting HTML => PDF: text and image flow/whitespace issue

py_make_book · 05-28-2025, 10:52 AM

I am converting HTML to PDF using Calibre. I have a bunch of 2:3 aspect ratio (portrait mode) images in the book. Because my PDF is also 2:3 aspect ratio, the images almost always take a full page to themselves.

That isn't a problem in itself, but it creates a problem where there is often tons of white space on the page before the image. Often a page preceding an image might only have a few sentences or paragraphs before the image essentially creates a new page break.

Is there a way Calibre can "reflow" the text that comes after the image so that it fills up the white space before it? For my application it's not critical that the image goes exactly where it is, it can move around a bit relative to the text to fix this issue. But I did not see any such options in the documentation. Thanks.

kovidgoyal · 05-28-2025, 10:55 AM

There isn't any such option conversion basically uses the print to pdf function of chromium, so it's limited to the capabilities of css and html. As far as I know css has no such function.

py_make_book · 05-28-2025, 11:34 AM

Thanks for the quick response, Kovid. That's too bad, but it makes sense. I'll keep thinking about this problem.

I appreciate you and your hard work on Calibre (just sent a donation :-))
Have a good one..

rjwse@aol.com · 05-29-2025, 10:51 AM

By using CSS you can make changes so that zero blank space appears before the full page image. If you reduce the size of the image, both width and height are reduced in proportion. Doing this now produces blank space to the right side of the image. However, by leaving a margin to the right of the image text that is normally after the image is now to the right of the image. This behaves well in ebook readers when you change view from one, two, or more columns. Many ebook reading programs let you tap on an image and the image will temporarily fill the screen. You can also set the image to float right instead of left. In this case the text will be to the left of the image.

Quoth · 05-31-2025, 02:16 PM

However, style/formatting in a word processor for PDF works well. No need for InDesign or other expensive Adobe tools.

PDFs are electronic, but fixed layout and fixed page size target, not real ebooks. MS Word & LO Writer have been fine for a decade for doing this, unless it's very complicated, in which case the HTML & CSS route is crazy.

05-28-2025, 10:52 AM	#1
py_make_book Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2022 Device: none	Converting HTML => PDF: text and image flow/whitespace issue I am converting HTML to PDF using Calibre. I have a bunch of 2:3 aspect ratio (portrait mode) images in the book. Because my PDF is also 2:3 aspect ratio, the images almost always take a full page to themselves. That isn't a problem in itself, but it creates a problem where there is often tons of white space on the page before the image. Often a page preceding an image might only have a few sentences or paragraphs before the image essentially creates a new page break. Is there a way Calibre can "reflow" the text that comes after the image so that it fills up the white space before it? For my application it's not critical that the image goes exactly where it is, it can move around a bit relative to the text to fix this issue. But I did not see any such options in the documentation. Thanks.

05-28-2025, 11:34 AM	#3
py_make_book Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2022 Device: none	Thanks for the quick response, Kovid. That's too bad, but it makes sense. I'll keep thinking about this problem. I appreciate you and your hard work on Calibre (just sent a donation :-)) Have a good one.. Last edited by py_make_book; 05-28-2025 at 11:35 AM. Reason: unicode emojis apparently don't work

05-29-2025, 10:51 AM	#4
rjwse@aol.com Addict Posts: 317 Karma: 2228060 Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: LaVernia, Texas Device: kindle epub readers on android	image control By using CSS you can make changes so that zero blank space appears before the full page image. If you reduce the size of the image, both width and height are reduced in proportion. Doing this now produces blank space to the right side of the image. However, by leaving a margin to the right of the image text that is normally after the image is now to the right of the image. This behaves well in ebook readers when you change view from one, two, or more columns. Many ebook reading programs let you tap on an image and the image will temporarily fill the screen. You can also set the image to float right instead of left. In this case the text will be to the left of the image. Attached Thumbnails

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Free PDF converter from multi-column PDF to 'text flow'?	avid01	PDF	4	01-07-2014 08:17 AM
Pdf to html without losing text over image	MadTom	Conversion	1	11-14-2013 09:41 AM
Did you encounter a same problem about converting PDF to text/word/image	Ivymin	PDF	3	11-29-2011 08:45 PM
HTML to EPUB Inline Text/Image Issue	HoushaSen	Conversion	2	07-02-2011 08:03 PM
PRS-350 Landscape mode text flow issue	skypilotpete	Sony Reader	2	03-25-2011 03:35 AM

05-28-2025, 10:55 AM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,251 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	There isn't any such option conversion basically uses the print to pdf function of chromium, so it's limited to the capabilities of css and html. As far as I know css has no such function.

05-31-2025, 02:16 PM	#5
Quoth Still reading Posts: 13,814 Karma: 103895653 Join Date: Jun 2017 Location: Ireland Device: All 4 Kinds: epub eink, Kindle, android eink, NxtPaper	However, style/formatting in a word processor for PDF works well. No need for InDesign or other expensive Adobe tools. PDFs are electronic, but fixed layout and fixed page size target, not real ebooks. MS Word & LO Writer have been fine for a decade for doing this, unless it's very complicated, in which case the HTML & CSS route is crazy.

Advert

Advert