k2pdfopt: optimizes PDFs for viewing on e-readers

[sacdman]

I have a book I have turned into a pdf. SCTV Behind The Scenes by Dave Thomas. I am attempting to make it easier to read on my Kobo Sage with K2pdfopt, but getting good results is not exactly easy. I am wondering if there are some folks here who might have some suggestions or ideas on how to process this with the k2pdfopt software to get better results? I have uploaded both an original PDF of the book and k2pdfopt version. If anyone can help I would really appreciate it. I am hosting the files on my Google Drive. The Folder they are in is "My Other Stuff" https://drive.google.com/drive/folde...Zu?usp=sharing

[PERZEGRAM]

This frustrates me. Windows has security issues with k2pdfopt, and I can't install the program. What can I do?

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by PERZEGRAM

This frustrates me. Windows has security issues with k2pdfopt, and I can't install the program. What can I do?

Sheesh... the google-fu is running weak.

If you are getting an image like the first one attached, click on More info and then click on Run anyway. What this is telling you is that there have not been enough installs for Microsoft to say the app is in common use.

[nmyshkin]

I came across the existence of this package just recently, but I am having no luck with it at all.

I am working with the 64-bit version of the latest release for Windows (I have Win 10).

When I double click on the .exe file, a command prompt opens with a blinking cursor and then eventually closes.

OK, so I see you should drag the file you want to convert onto the program icon? That results in exactly the same behavior.

So...I try the Windows GUI. I fool around until I finally figure out it is failing on the version check and isolate the issue there and solve it. Now the GUI opens without any error messages. And I select a file and settings for the NST. But I get mysterious error messages every time and never any output file:

[10:23:07] Conversion process started...
[10:23:07] Tessaract environment variable set.
[10:23:07] Converting C:\Users\Me\Downloads\ATK 25 Rice Pilaf with Beef and Carrots.pdf...
[10:23:10] Not all parts appear to be there! Your document may be incomplete and the parts will be left in the output dictionary.
[10:23:11] Conversion process complete.

Now I am stumped. Every PDF file I try gives the same message.

Help!

[willus]

Originally Posted by nmyshkin

I came across the existence of this package just recently, but I am having no luck with it at all.
...

[10:23:07] Conversion process started...
[10:23:07] Tessaract environment variable set.
[10:23:07] Converting C:\Users\Me\Downloads\ATK 25 Rice Pilaf with Beef and Carrots.pdf...
[10:23:10] Not all parts appear to be there! Your document may be incomplete and the parts will be left in the output dictionary.
[10:23:11] Conversion process complete.

Now I am stumped. Every PDF file I try gives the same message.

Help!

What you describe does not sound like k2pdfopt for Windows. Are you sure you're downloading it from the right place? If you save the downloaded file to your desktop or a folder and then double-click it, you should get the Windows GUI window like I've attached. If you do a conversion, you should get a conversion window like I've attached. The whole business of time-stamping the conversion steps and saying "Not all parts appear to be there!"...? That's not even in my code.

[willus]

Originally Posted by sacdman

I have a book I have turned into a pdf. SCTV Behind The Scenes by Dave Thomas. ...

Yeah, that's a pretty tough book. It has all kinds of odd-ball and random formatting, bright colors, stuff in the margins, dark images, some double-column pages. That's kind of a nightmare for my algorithms. About the best I can recommend is to use -mode fw (fit-width), which fits each page to the width of your device in landscape mode. Not ideal, but best preserves the layout of the source while trying to make it readable on your device.


k2pdfopt -mode fw sctv.pdf

[nmyshkin]

Originally Posted by willus

What you describe does not sound like k2pdfopt for Windows. Are you sure you're downloading it from the right place? If you save the downloaded file to your desktop or a folder and then double-click it, you should get the Windows GUI window like I've attached. If you do a conversion, you should get a conversion window like I've attached. The whole business of time-stamping the conversion steps and saying "Not all parts appear to be there!"...? That's not even in my code.

Yep, that's the site I got it from. Tried downloading several times. It's not normal for me to get damaged downloads, so I have no idea...

The error stuff I showed comes from the optional gui for Windows, not yours. Since I never saw anything other than a blank command window when I tried to run the exe, I figured I needed that. But that didn't work either.

I guess I'll try again tomorrow. Again.

[nmyshkin]

Originally Posted by willus

What you describe does not sound like k2pdfopt for Windows. Are you sure you're downloading it from the right place? If you save the downloaded file to your desktop or a folder and then double-click it, you should get the Windows GUI window like I've attached

This morning before I downloaded yet another copy of the program I thought I would try running it on my husband's Win10 PC. Even from a flash drive it came up with the GUI immediately!

The exact same file on my Win10 PC only brings up a command window with a flashing prompt which quickly collapses.

So...what is missing? I'm the one who is always doing stuff with my PC, needing NET framework updates, etc. He never does anything but the most pedestrian stuff on his PC.

Are there particular Windows requirements?

[willus]

There are no special requirements or additional software needed for k2pdfopt. All I can think is that you have some incompatible software (most likely antivirus software?) that prevents it from running. Perhaps even Windows itself--see a few posts earlier where you have to tell Windows to allow the software to run. This is because I don't properly "sign" the compiled exe per commercial standards. I haven't figured out a FOSS way to do that which I consider painless enough to adopt.

[nmyshkin]

Originally Posted by willus

There are no special requirements or additional software needed for k2pdfopt. All I can think is that you have some incompatible software (most likely antivirus software?) that prevents it from running. Perhaps even Windows itself--see a few posts earlier where you have to tell Windows to allow the software to run. This is because I don't properly "sign" the compiled exe per commercial standards. I haven't figured out a FOSS way to do that which I consider painless enough to adopt.

I passed that first Rubicon (Windows refusing to even open the program) long ago. Been there, done that.

I have attached two Windows Application logs. I'm afraid they don't tell me too much, but maybe you with your programming experience might spot something?

[rkomar]

How old is the computer that this is failing on? The second log shows a 0xc000001d exception code, which I think indicates that the CPU does not support one of the instructions in the program. @willus did you upgrade your compiler or system that you are building k2pdfopt on? Perhaps the latest versions are no longer compatible with older hardware.

Edit: I forgot that versions for older computers are available on the download page. Perhaps one of those could be tried.

[nmyshkin]

Originally Posted by rkomar

How old is the computer that this is failing on? The second log shows a 0xc000001d exception code, which I think indicates that the CPU does not support one of the instructions in the program. @willus did you upgrade your compiler or system that you are building k2pdfopt on? Perhaps the latest versions are no longer compatible with older hardware.

You called it.

I have no idea what age the machine is. Here we use computers until they are unusable. The only reason my husband's computer is newer is that he spilled red wine on his keyboard awhile back. I do not recommend that.

I thought I had tried one of the builds for older devices, but I must not have done so. There was a short delay after the command window opened and then collapsed, but then the gui showed up!

Processor	Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU  N2820  @ 2.13GHz   2.13 GHz
Installed RAM	4.00 GB (3.89 GB usable)
Storage	466 GB HDD TOSHIBA MQ01ABF050
Graphics Card	Intel(R) HD Graphics (64 MB)
Device ID	6709CF51-8AFF-4C04-A353-1A722DBD7465
Product ID	00326-10000-00000-AA136
System Type	64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch	No pen or touch input is available for this display