Problem with double L's converting PDF to EPUB

TheFakeMoonMan · 05-18-2010, 12:00 PM

Hello,

I checked the FAQs, but couldn't find anything on this problem.

I converted a few books from PDFs to EPUBs and it seems that some of the double L's in certain words (Examples: carefully, filled, and well) don't convert properly. The second L in the word is missing and in place of it is a space.

However, it's not all of the double L's. I found some words like 'totally' and 'falling' which worked perfectly.

This isn't a huge problem as I can typically figure out what the word is, but still, if anyone knows how to fix this I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks,
Jeff

TheFakeMoonMan · 05-18-2010, 12:02 PM

Oh, I forgot to mention this: I checked the PDF version on my computer and it look fine, but the EPUB version, again checked on my computer, had the problem.

Starson17 · 05-18-2010, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFakeMoonMan

The second L in the word is missing and in place of it is a space.However, it's not all of the double L's.

It may be that the double ll is a grapheme in which two letters are combined into a single glyph. Where it worked, they just used two l's. I'm not enough of a font expert to know how to fix this correctly. If you can search and replace in a format that you like, that's where I'd start. You can also try opening the file in a hex editor (I use UltraEdit) to find what code is used and then S&R there.

TheFakeMoonMan · 05-18-2010, 12:11 PM

Thanks for your quick reply!

What file should I try opening in the hex editor?

chaley · 05-18-2010, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFakeMoonMan

I converted a few books from PDFs to EPUBs and it seems that some of the double L's in certain words (Examples: carefully, filled, and well) don't convert properly. The second L in the word is missing and in place of it is a space.

The document is using what are called ligatures, which make certain character pairs smaller. Common are ff, fi, fl, ffl, ffi. There are others, such as the one you noted, ll.

IIRC, Kovid said that the new PDF conversion engine handles ligatures correctly. I don't know its release status, though.

Starson17 · 05-18-2010, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFakeMoonMan

Thanks for your quick reply!

What file should I try opening in the hex editor?

Which file shows the ligatures? Wait - I see it's the pdf. That's not an easy format to handle. Can you convert to any other format that shows the ligatures? If not, look at the EPUB contents. (Add .zip to the end and extract it - it's just a zip file) Sometimes the "spaces" where the ligatures are will be codes you can search and replace.

You'll have to try various formats, and even then, this may not work. Also try exporting from the pdf as text using Acrobat. There are lots of things that might work, but none I can say with certainty will.

kovidgoyal · 05-18-2010, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chaley

The document is using what are called ligatures, which make certain character pairs smaller. Common are ff, fi, fl, ffl, ffi. There are others, such as the one you noted, ll.

IIRC, Kovid said that the new PDF conversion engine handles ligatures correctly. I don't know its release status, though.

Yes, the new engine does (at least on the test pdf docs I have tried). But it's going to be a while before I can find the time to finish it.

dmapr · 05-18-2010, 05:09 PM

IMHO, the easiest way to handle that is use a font that contains the necessary ligatures and embed it in your epub file (or if you're up to hacking your reader, replace the default fonts on the reader). Alternatively you can convert from PDF to HTML first and clean up a bit, including the ligatures.

TheFakeMoonMan · 05-20-2010, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmapr

IMHO, the easiest way to handle that is use a font that contains the necessary ligatures and embed it in your epub file (or if you're up to hacking your reader, replace the default fonts on the reader). Alternatively you can convert from PDF to HTML first and clean up a bit, including the ligatures.

Thanks for your reply, but I don't have a clue about how to do this. Is there a guide out there outlining this process?

Thanks,
Jeff

dmapr · 05-20-2010, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFakeMoonMan

Thanks for your reply, but I don't have a clue about how to do this. Is there a guide out there outlining this process?

Thanks,
Jeff

Jeff,

check out these threads here:
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=36361
https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=66102

TheFakeMoonMan · 05-20-2010, 10:00 PM

Okay, fantastic!

I've successfully replaced the font in the EPUB with Fontin (like the guy used in his tutorial).

However, I still have the problem.

How should I go about finding a font that will work? Just trial and error?

Thanks again

Starson17 · 05-21-2010, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFakeMoonMan

How should I go about finding a font that will work? Just trial and error?

It appears you see the ligatures in the pdf? If so, you can identify the font used in the original pdf with Acrobat. Here's instuction s for Acrobat 9 Professional:

1. Open the PDF, and choose Advanced > Print Production > Output Preview

2. Select "Object Inspector" for the Preview.

3. Click on the ligature, and the font that was used should be displayed in the Output Preview panel.

Then you can try to find that font elsewhere. This is the "correct" method, and works for most normal fonts. However, there's no guarantee that you'll be able to find the font you need for the EPUB.

kovidgoyal · 05-21-2010, 10:20 AM

the next release of calibre will automatically convert ligatures to normal characters.

dmapr · 05-21-2010, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheFakeMoonMan

Okay, fantastic!

I've successfully replaced the font in the EPUB with Fontin (like the guy used in his tutorial).

However, I still have the problem.

How should I go about finding a font that will work? Just trial and error?

Thanks again

I've found that the Cambria font has all the ligatures that I ever ran into in PDF to EPUB conversion and looks pretty well on the reader. Do a Google search for cambria.ttf if you don't have one handy.

Another option is to check dafont.com, they allow you to preview the fonts. Copy/Paste the ligatures from the PDF and see which fonts support them.

WHA1949 · 06-15-2010, 02:56 PM

I just want to add that I have a similar problem when I convert a PDF containg the font Minion Pro. The original file is in german and could be easily mapped to a standard character set.

But combination like Th or ff or fi cause the conversion to HTML to go wrong.

I am looking forward to the new PDF conversion.

I am using calibre 0-72.

05-18-2010, 12:00 PM	#1
TheFakeMoonMan Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Sony PRS300	Problem with double L's converting PDF to EPUB Hello, I checked the FAQs, but couldn't find anything on this problem. I converted a few books from PDFs to EPUBs and it seems that some of the double L's in certain words (Examples: carefully, filled, and well) don't convert properly. The second L in the word is missing and in place of it is a space. However, it's not all of the double L's. I found some words like 'totally' and 'falling' which worked perfectly. This isn't a huge problem as I can typically figure out what the word is, but still, if anyone knows how to fix this I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Jeff

06-15-2010, 02:56 PM	#15
WHA1949 Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: PALM Zire, Sony TRS	PDF with Minion Pro Font gives problems I just want to add that I have a similar problem when I convert a PDF containg the font Minion Pro. The original file is in german and could be easily mapped to a standard character set. But combination like Th or ff or fi cause the conversion to HTML to go wrong. I am looking forward to the new PDF conversion. I am using calibre 0-72.

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05-18-2010, 12:02 PM	#2
TheFakeMoonMan Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Sony PRS300	Oh, I forgot to mention this: I checked the PDF version on my computer and it look fine, but the EPUB version, again checked on my computer, had the problem.

05-18-2010, 12:11 PM	#4
TheFakeMoonMan Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Sony PRS300	Thanks for your quick reply! What file should I try opening in the hex editor?

05-18-2010, 05:09 PM	#8
dmapr Evangelist Posts: 469 Karma: 600816 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Kobo Aura HD, Kobo Aura One	IMHO, the easiest way to handle that is use a font that contains the necessary ligatures and embed it in your epub file (or if you're up to hacking your reader, replace the default fonts on the reader). Alternatively you can convert from PDF to HTML first and clean up a bit, including the ligatures.

05-20-2010, 10:00 PM	#11
TheFakeMoonMan Junior Member Posts: 5 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2010 Device: Sony PRS300	Okay, fantastic! I've successfully replaced the font in the EPUB with Fontin (like the guy used in his tutorial). However, I still have the problem. How should I go about finding a font that will work? Just trial and error? Thanks again

05-21-2010, 10:20 AM	#13
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,229 Karma: 27110894 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	the next release of calibre will automatically convert ligatures to normal characters.