How presentable are scanned books?

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Katsunami

And if you're going to read Shogun on a 10 inch tablet, you could just as well read the hardcover, at least in my opinion.

I read Shogun on my Nook HD+ earlier this year and it is a lot easier than to read than a Hard Cover.
Apache

Originally Posted by meeera

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=219049

Thanks for that - I read The Age every day, I wonder how I missed it...

Originally Posted by Katsunami

Use an American address (hotel, for example), for Amazon and Kobo to buy in the US or UK.

The Kobo 50% coupon (Sept50) works in the US. While you're at it, get Musashi by Yoshikawa too. I got that yesterday (and Taiko too), pushing them forward on my to reread list because of the size of the hardcovers.

Thanks for the recommendation! If it's encouraged by the government here, I may well look into circumventing geo-restrictions.

Originally Posted by Anabana

To give an answer to the original question; I've sent a number of my old books (mostly pb's) to Book Scan US (haven't tried 1DollarScan but the price is basically the same). The pdf's are the same quality as the original books - in a few cases of old, slightly faded print, the pdf is better.
They read easily on my tablet. As I have ABBYY Fine Reader software, I didn't bother to pay extra for OCR, but haven't needed to use it for any of them. YMMV.

Hmm - so as long as I buy a well-printed book, the PDF will be presentable. Thanks! Of course, at this stage, I may just look into creating a US account on a website or two.

Originally Posted by Katsunami

But if it's a PDF created from images, your books are huge, and not searchable. Both are a big fat disadvantage for an e-reader.

And if you're going to read Shogun on a 10 inch tablet, you could just as well read the hardcover, at least in my opinion.

You make a good point about a 1,000-page PDF being enormous. I didn't think of that. However, my tablet is only 7 inches. I love reading on it.

Well... I just went to Kobo to look at creating a US account to purchase Shogun. It looks like James Clavell's books were released to Australia in e-format in June of this year... That's what I get for not double-checking before creating a thread! I had last looked for Shogun in about May - only a month too soon!

However, Musashi, as recommended by Katsunami, is still locked firmly away from me. I may still look into creating a US account for that.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Seraphine

Thanks for the recommendation! If it's encouraged by the government here, I may well look into circumventing geo-restrictions.

I would, and I did (to get Musashi and Taiko myself as an eBook, *FRACKING FINALLY*), even if the government doesn't encourage it. Why should my money not be as good as that of an American? I just travel a lot, you know. So, I live in hotels for at least 6 months a year, all over the world, including America, and the UK.... Sometimes I live in a zoo too, for a few days... I'm a book-buying gorilla(1)

By the way, it could still be that the US store is cheaper than the Australian one... then apply the Sept50 coupon, and banzai! Or something.

You make a good point about a 1,000-page PDF being enormous. I didn't think of that. However, my tablet is only 7 inches. I love reading on it.

If it's a PDF, you probably don't want to read that on a 7 inch tablet.

(1) Some would rather say a donkey, but hey... one can dream, neh?

Originally Posted by Katsunami

If it's a PDF, you probably don't want to read that on a 7 inch tablet.

I have some PDFs on my tablet already, and I'm not as bothered about it as others seem to be.

[Kai Winters]

If I've already purchased the book and want to scan it for use in a digital reading format for my own use I'll bloody well do it and not give a good g.d damn what anyone or govt. thinks about it.
I'd not do it with a book I don't own as a matter of courtesy to authors everywhere.

I'm seriously considering using "Word" to type some of my favorite books into digital format but so far it is just a consideration. None of these books are available for an ereader and I just don't like to read a "real" book anymore.

[Difflugia]

Originally Posted by Seraphine

I have some PDFs on my tablet already, and I'm not as bothered about it as others seem to be.

About a quarter of the books I read are the public domain scans from Google Books. I read primarily on a 7-inch tablet and find the PDFs much easier to read than the generated epubs.

[Katsunami]

Originally Posted by Kai Winters

I'm seriously considering using "Word" to type some of my favorite books into digital format but so far it is just a consideration. None of these books are available for an ereader and I just don't like to read a "real" book anymore.

You don't even want to do a manual scan+OCR+create ebook.

Believe me. You don't. Just read the paper book. The time it will take you to scan, OCR, create, and proofread one 300 page book will be long enough to read at least several books the size of Shogun.

Twice.

[markom]

Originally Posted by Kai Winters

If I've already purchased the book and want to scan it for use in a digital reading format for my own use I'll bloody well do it and not give a good g.d damn what anyone or govt. thinks about it.
I'd not do it with a book I don't own as a matter of courtesy to authors everywhere.

I'm seriously considering using "Word" to type some of my favorite books into digital format but so far it is just a consideration. None of these books are available for an ereader and I just don't like to read a "real" book anymore.

It takes me less then a minute to scan 6 pages (three double pages at 300 dpi grayscale) of an A5 book on my home flat scanner (Cannon 4400F or 9000F) , so about 50 min. for a 300 pages and then about an hour for PC computer to process it automatically in Abbyy Finereader and save it as Pdf exact image with OCR layer in the background.

I can read and annotate/search such A5 pdf easilly on my 6" reader in portraite or landscape mode, as well as A4 pdf on 10" reader or tablet.

Although I can as easily create epub with Abbyy Finereader 11, I prefer exact Pdf image (OCR-ed) instead, because I need 100% accuracy, but for belletristic/fiction epub without additional proofreading should be just fine also.

I have scanned about hundred books in the last five-six years for reading them on e-ink or tablet instead on paper.

About half of those books were bought and an other half borrowed from library or friends.