How do I send my graphic novel to my Kindle?

[StevePoling]

I bought American Paladin: Dust Sacrifice via Kickstarter. When it came in I got a link to download the ebook to my laptop. I imported it into my library managed by Calibre. I can read it fine on my Mac.

Heretofore I've used Calibre to send my ebooks to my USB-connected Kindles. I did so to my Kindle Colorsoft and my Kindle Scribe, but in each case the Kindle would show the ebook in my library, but give up after a few minutes of trying to open it. (I tried both epub and azw3 formats.) I have had no problem loading other ebooks. I figure it is b/c this is a graphics-heavy ebook.

Or Amazon is just screwing over its customers again.

So I tried emailing the ebook to my Kindle. No joy, the file is 463MB and mail clients refuse to send so large a file. I tried using a 3rd party download links and that didn't work, either.

Has anyone figured out how to send graphic novels/mange to a Kindle? Or any similarly sized ebook? Or should I just conclude that the Kindle is useless for reading such ebooks? (I did manage to get Apple's book app to send it to my iPad. It works there, but I prefer e-ink displays.)

[jackm8]

1. Jailbreak your devices, install Koreader and sideload comic in cbz or epub format. Problem is that you may already be on firmwares that aren't jailbrakable, yet.
2. Use Kindle Comic Converter to convert the book. I can't help you there, my knowledge of this program is very limited.
3. Convert your comic to fixed page kfx format, and sideload it. Instructions: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...ght=kfx+output
You will need to follow instructions for Command Line Interface (CLI), and use it to convert the file. File sizes can go up to 1GB that way, and it's imho the best way to read comics on Kindle readers, quality wise. It's not an easy process, though. It involves using Kindle Create to create kfs files, then converting those into kfx via CLI.
4. Reduce the size of you comic so 'Send to Kindle' will accept it. Comic will be converted to fixed page kfx on amazon servers and sent it to your device. Look up size limits for 'Send to Kindle'. Amazon will further degrade quality via 'Send to Kindle'.

[tomsem]

(It would be helpful to know what format you are starting with.)

If you cannot jailbreak or don't like KOReader, the path of least resistance is to send PDF of the comic. This will get converted to KFX print replica, but for non color Kindles, it gets delivered as PDF. Print replica does not support 2 page viewing (in landscape), but does support syncing of bookmarks and reading position between the color Kindles and the Kindle apps. But it's the only way to have some semblance of comics added to your Kindle library.

Fixed layout ePub is not supported by Send to Kindle or calibre.

One option is to use Kindle Comic Converter to generate AZW3 for side loading. But you need to start with CBZ or PDF image containers. It cannot take fixed layout ePub. And AZW3 does not have comic features, apart from those which KCC attempts to mimic by slicing up images (if I recall correctly).

In situations where that is the only format, I extract the images and hope for the best: fixed layout ePub can include text which the reading system is expected to render, and which page images do not portray (pages are not required to have an image), so the images may not reflect the intended appearance. KFX output plugin cannot handle them either (it delegates the task to Kindle Previewer, which does not handle fixed layout epub either - it laboriously creates defective MOBI in my experience).

(maybe this works sometimes, I have not tried it: https://github.com/KeithyIrwin/Fixed...ToCBZConverter.

PyMuPDF is something I've been meaning to try building a converter with, it can input and output various formats, but specific case of fixed layout ePub input isn't referenced in documentation, so it may require more than the few lines of code it gives as an example to pull off.)

I like to leverage comic features of Kindle platform, and the only way to do that is to use Kindle Create & KFX input to generate KFX comic format for side-loading. I also like ToC chapter navigation (which KCC cannot do: you have to edit AZW3 to add it). It's trivial and fast to add this with Kindle Create.

You can also get manga navigation (L or R page order) trivially or with more effort, guided view. Kindle Create lets you preview, crop and resize images add and rearrange delete pages and make sure pages that represent spreads have correct left and right attribute, or you can mark a page to be 'not facing'.

The resultant KPF (a zip archive of the KC project, worth keeping around if you want to want to change something later) can be converted to KFX with KFX output plugin CLI. And then you can generate PDF, fixed layout ePub, or CBZ from it with from KFX toolbar. PDF and ePub will inherit the table of contents navigation. I like to store all 3 formats in my calibre library, as I am not always gonna target Kindle and other (ePub) platforms pay attention to things like Series metadata transparently and are more welcoming to imported content etc.

It would be super nice if Send To Kindle supported either fixed layout ePub, or better, KPF archive (for comic book or print replica or children's book formats especially). For people actually publishing on KDP, it would let them preview actual device experience before publishing, for the rest of us, better user experience for third party comics.

[JBaby]

I do it using this method. It works great for me.

[Quoth]

Kindle / Amazon is inferior for colour graphic novels / illustrated novels / fixed layout as you need to use the Kindle App on a large tablet. A Nxtpaper 14 is best for any random fixed layout or colour content.

The smaller than Scribe Kindles are only good for smaller pages and colour eink only really good for comics (DC/Marvel style) or Manga. Also there is DRM issues.

[jackm8]

Isn't that just a regular lcd display, not even oled?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by jackm8

Isn't that just a regular lcd display, not even oled?

It's not a regular display, it has a sort of e-ink mode as well as color:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F62PWNM1...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

But it seems to be unavailable in the USA.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by tomsem

It's not a regular display, it has a sort of e-ink mode as well as color:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F62PWNM1...=ATVPDKIKX0DER

But it seems to be unavailable in the USA.

Not quite right. The NXTPAPER display is a colour LCD display. It adds etching, use of circular polarization, blue light reductions, etc. Some devices offer a B&W mode but this is not the same as an eInk display. Going off memory here, a reflective LCD display (reflective layer behind the display instead of a backlight) was originally used but newer version use a DC dimmed backlight. The 14.3" version has a ~300 dpi display which rather low for an LCD display.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Not quite right. The NXTPAPER display is a colour LCD display. It adds etching, use of circular polarization, blue light reductions, etc. Some devices offer a B&W mode but this is not the same as an eInk display. Going off memory here, a reflective LCD display (reflective layer behind the display instead of a backlight) was originally used but newer version use a DC dimmed backlight. The 14.3" version has a ~300 dpi display which rather low for an LCD display.

Yes, I was just reading the product description. It does not interest me at all.

[Quoth]

Nxtpaper is not at all like eink and any of the "paper modes" degrade it. Mono eink with the front light off and decent ambient light is better, but in sRGB mode with brightness matching ambient paper it beats any other OLED, LCD, QLED and colour eink (Gallery and especially Kaleido). Carefully adjusted it beats mono eink with the front light too high.
I've a load of eink and Nxtpaper 40, 50, 11 and 14. The Sage, Libra or Paperwhite 3 in decent light with front light off is far better for actual text reflowable novels, but for anything else the Nxtpaper 14 (I've the regular one) at 14.25" and 3:2 Aspect is best. The Nxtpaper 50, being a 6.3" phone, is handy to read on the go. Beats the Sony 5" or Wouter 4.7" eink ereaders. The Nxtpaper 11 is only worthwhile for notes, being 10.9" and about 16:12 aspect.

[cellaris]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Nxtpaper is not at all like eink

I agree.

[jackm8]

Originally Posted by cellaris

I agree.

It's just lcd, a regular at that, behind some smart marketing. I couldn't even find how high it's srgb coverage is, so it must be in the low 90%, and that's just bad compared to flagship tablets from Samsung, Apple, Huawei and the rest. They're all on oled screens, with very high colour gamut of p3 or argb.

[Quoth]

Nxtpaper is a layer and surface treatment. It's on OLED and LCD and doesn't affect the gamut. OLED isn't inherently better. The Apple iPad pro looks rubbish in comparison.

The "paper" modes are silly marketing that reduces the quality.

OLED is using electroluminescent dots with phosphors. They age more than LCD and inferior to actual LEDs (which are rare as displays).

QLED is LCD with green and red quantum dots that use blue light. They work differently to phosphors. So QLED uses an efficient blue LED backlight. Regular LCD uses a dye filter and these vary in quality.

EDIT:
You only need wide gamut RGB to edit for printing colour Art books, or commercial movies. Any tablet or phone is literally many thousands of times better than Kaleido eink and some nearly a thousand times better than Gallery.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Nxtpaper is a layer and surface treatment. It's on OLED and LCD and doesn't affect the gamut. OLED isn't inherently better. The Apple iPad pro looks rubbish in comparison.

The "paper" modes are silly marketing that reduces the quality.

OLED is using electroluminescent dots with phosphors. They age more than LCD and inferior to actual LEDs (which are rare as displays).

QLED is LCD with green and red quantum dots that use blue light. They work differently to phosphors. So QLED uses an efficient blue LED backlight. Regular LCD uses a dye filter and these vary in quality.

EDIT:
You only need wide gamut RGB to edit for printing colour Art books, or commercial movies. Any tablet or phone is literally many thousands of times better than Kaleido eink and some nearly a thousand times better than Gallery.

Sorry, but you are wrong. OLED is better then LCD. OLED allows each pixel to be on/off/dimmed. You get true back with OLED. LCD has blooming and less fine control. LCD needs dimming zones. My main TV is an LG C1 and it's quite good. The colors are good and the blacks are excellent.

[jackm8]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Nxtpaper is a layer and surface treatment. It's on OLED and LCD and doesn't affect the gamut. OLED isn't inherently better. The Apple iPad pro looks rubbish in comparison.

The "paper" modes are silly marketing that reduces the quality.

OLED is using electroluminescent dots with phosphors. They age more than LCD and inferior to actual LEDs (which are rare as displays).

QLED is LCD with green and red quantum dots that use blue light. They work differently to phosphors. So QLED uses an efficient blue LED backlight. Regular LCD uses a dye filter and these vary in quality.

EDIT:
You only need wide gamut RGB to edit for printing colour Art books, or commercial movies. Any tablet or phone is literally many thousands of times better than Kaleido eink and some nearly a thousand times better than Gallery.

QLED is marketing term for a type of LCD panel. OLED and LCD are two separate technologies. OLED is newer, superior, and will replace LCD in the future. It's still expensive, so only phones, and flagship tv's and tablets use it. Practically the only thing that you're right about is that OLED and LCD technology can both be high gamut. The ones on Nxtpaper devices are low gamut, though. TLC offers phones that are high gamut, but they're all natural OLED. I really haven't looked deep in TLC products, but their Nextpaper tech is just marketing. It's an umbrella term under which they combine anti glare glass, blue light removing software, touch screen, and LCD panes. They may even use OLED panels in some phones that are also marketed as Nxtpaper devices, for all I know. I only looked at tablets, and they're all LCD, for now.