PDF Legibility?

ylsul · 03-14-2007, 11:13 AM

Hi!
I'm sooo close to plonking down some cash and getting a Sony Reader. I would like to use the reader to read pdf files -- Journals nowadays distribute their articles in pdf format, which I usually download to my computer and read offline.

I've read that pdfs aren't very readable unless you convert them in some way. Academic journals already use a relatively small font (at least to me its small). Does anyone have a picture they could post showing how small the text would become on a reader (unconverted)?

Also, does anyone out there have experience with converting Journal PDF articles for use with the Reader? I'm not sure if there is any security in those PDFs that might prevent me from converting them.

thanks!

-y

jakeluck · 03-14-2007, 12:17 PM

Alex_d's PDFrasterFarian made the big difference for reading pdfs. I read a lot of academic papers and thesis after the conversaion, and they work wonderfully in the quarter-a-page mode for 2 column formatted papers. Checkout this thread:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9106

And yes, you are right, pdf securities must be removed before they can be properly processed.

RWood · 03-14-2007, 01:24 PM

Straight letter or A4 size PDFs cannot be read directly with the Reader. Reflow is not supported in the current firmware even if the original has tags implemented. The only way to view them easily is either as Jake did above or to strip them back to text and load them in another format or a custom sized PDF.

ylsul · 03-14-2007, 04:07 PM

Thanks so much for the information! I do hope they update the firmware to handle PDF files better. It makes me nervous that Sony hasn't been more aggressive with their firmware upgrades.

NatCh · 03-14-2007, 04:50 PM

Heh, it's only been 6 months since the launch, ylsul, and only about 1 month since the first update.

I want them to adjust things too, but I also want them to make sure that the changes are fully tested. The battery meter glitch that cropped up in the first update is annoying but not too big a deal, really. But even so I wouldn't want too many things like that to deal with, and I'd prefer they not happen at all.

RWood · 03-14-2007, 05:18 PM

Also they use PDF code that they get directly from Adobe. It is up to Adobe to provide the updated code. It is up to Sony to request it and implement it. As NatCh said, we have already had one firmware update since launch. I remember many motherboards that had many, many BIOS updates in their first few months -- but then they were fixing problems and we have not really had any serious problems with the Reader, just a few things we wish they had done in another way or a bit better. None of the "issues" is a show stopper. For a first or second release it is very, very good.

03-14-2007, 11:13 AM	#1
ylsul Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 53 Join Date: Mar 2007	PDF Legibility? Hi! I'm sooo close to plonking down some cash and getting a Sony Reader. I would like to use the reader to read pdf files -- Journals nowadays distribute their articles in pdf format, which I usually download to my computer and read offline. I've read that pdfs aren't very readable unless you convert them in some way. Academic journals already use a relatively small font (at least to me its small). Does anyone have a picture they could post showing how small the text would become on a reader (unconverted)? Also, does anyone out there have experience with converting Journal PDF articles for use with the Reader? I'm not sure if there is any security in those PDFs that might prevent me from converting them. thanks! -y

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
eBook PDF - free tool for creating PDF eBooks from text files	KACartlidge	PDF	6	01-04-2012 09:41 AM
Cool PDF to iBooks trick using PDF Services in OSX	kjk	Apple Devices	0	06-30-2010 03:19 PM
【Best PDF Size】I find The reason of slowing When Read PDF file	linlance	Sony Reader	0	03-11-2010 08:13 AM
PDF Reader for internal PDF hyperlinks?	andrewscheinman	iRex	1	12-25-2008 08:17 PM

03-14-2007, 12:17 PM	#2
jakeluck Groupie Posts: 193 Karma: 3252 Join Date: Dec 2004	Alex_d's PDFrasterFarian made the big difference for reading pdfs. I read a lot of academic papers and thesis after the conversaion, and they work wonderfully in the quarter-a-page mode for 2 column formatted papers. Checkout this thread: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9106 And yes, you are right, pdf securities must be removed before they can be properly processed.

03-14-2007, 01:24 PM	#3
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	Straight letter or A4 size PDFs cannot be read directly with the Reader. Reflow is not supported in the current firmware even if the original has tags implemented. The only way to view them easily is either as Jake did above or to strip them back to text and load them in another format or a custom sized PDF.

03-14-2007, 04:07 PM	#4
ylsul Connoisseur Posts: 76 Karma: 53 Join Date: Mar 2007	Thanks so much for the information! I do hope they update the firmware to handle PDF files better. It makes me nervous that Sony hasn't been more aggressive with their firmware upgrades.

03-14-2007, 04:50 PM	#5
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Heh, it's only been 6 months since the launch, ylsul, and only about 1 month since the first update. I want them to adjust things too, but I also want them to make sure that the changes are fully tested. The battery meter glitch that cropped up in the first update is annoying but not too big a deal, really. But even so I wouldn't want too many things like that to deal with, and I'd prefer they not happen at all.

03-14-2007, 05:18 PM	#6
RWood Technogeezer Posts: 7,233 Karma: 1601464 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Virginia, USA Device: Sony PRS-500	Also they use PDF code that they get directly from Adobe. It is up to Adobe to provide the updated code. It is up to Sony to request it and implement it. As NatCh said, we have already had one firmware update since launch. I remember many motherboards that had many, many BIOS updates in their first few months -- but then they were fixing problems and we have not really had any serious problems with the Reader, just a few things we wish they had done in another way or a bit better. None of the "issues" is a show stopper. For a first or second release it is very, very good.

Advert

Advert