can't convert pdfs anymore - Page 2

sirbruce · 03-31-2009, 10:38 PM

saturngirl, can I assume you installed calibre in the default place? If so, then open a terminal/command window again and type:

cd C:\Program Files\Calibre
pdftohtml.exe

kovidgoyal · 03-31-2009, 11:05 PM

Just change the PATH variable, not classpath or pathext. Add

;C:\Program Files\calibre

to it

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 08:11 AM

Had to sleep :<P Sorry about that.

Okay, did the first and got a list of usage options specific to Calibre (and, no, I didn't put the program anywhere else). And that means . . .?

I'll go back into the Environment Variables and add Calibre and let you know.

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 08:17 AM

Did that. Here's the interesting thing.

I decided to do both a pdf I'd downloaded from Google Books and a PDF I'd downloaded from a different site. The pdf from Google Books gave me the error message again. The PDF I downloaded from a different site . . . some news article . . . converted just fine.

Is there something that Google Books does to its books to make them impossible to convert? I tried doing it with the .txt version, too, and no dice.

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 08:20 AM

No, I take that back. The conversion said it worked, but all it did was convert the date and source to LRF (from the New York Times). Lemme see if I can find something else to convert.

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 08:23 AM

Okay, that worked just fine.

So I'm totally confused. That was a PDF document a friend sent. The archived New York Times article I downloaded to PDF "converted" but only gave me the copyright information. The Google Book pdf didn't convert at all.

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 08:25 AM

And now the Calibre library ran into a problem and needed to close. I feel so unloved :<P

sirbruce · 04-01-2009, 09:32 AM

Perhaps you could attach the pdf files to a message here.

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 12:18 PM

As you suggested . . . I tried uploading the Google book, but I got an error message from the list (some sort of security problem

), but here's the New York Times article.

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 12:19 PM

Okay, so how come I don't see the pdf attachment? Sheesh . . .

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 12:21 PM

Okay, so I see the .pdf under the paper clip, so it uploaded. Let's hope it comes through. Gosh . . .

sirbruce · 04-01-2009, 02:09 PM

This PDF file seems to be almost entirely an image, not reflowable text. I believe that's why Calibre isn't converting it, although I don't know how Calibre decides what images to convert and what not. Kovid will have to answer.

Can you also provide the file that was giving an error?

kovidgoyal · 04-01-2009, 02:48 PM

calibre's pdf conversion generally works well for text only PDF books. Many PDF books contain only scans of texts, for these kinds of books, calibre will fail.

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 03:04 PM

Well, then maybe that's the problem. The New York Times article only has one "drawing" in it, but perhaps the actual format of the article is more like a drawing than actual text. The Google book . . . well, I guess it's a scan of the text. I don't how Google works. FWIW, I did try downloading the book as text only, again from Google, but that also failed. I can upload that and see what you'all think. But thanks for that clarification, David. Something to consider when looking to download books. Makes you wonder if all the Google books will be problematic. I also tried using Calibre on books from an open source internet archive http://www.archive.org/details/openlibrary and that also failed, even when I selected a PDF version.

saturngirl1701 · 04-01-2009, 03:08 PM

Ack, turns out I can't do that either. All I managed to download was a disclaimer from Google; it's got hypertext links to the various chapters, so unless you go through it chapter by chapter . . .

Is there a way of figuring out which books are scans and which are PDFs that can be used by Calibre?

04-01-2009, 12:18 PM	#24
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	attached pdf As you suggested . . . I tried uploading the Google book, but I got an error message from the list (some sort of security problem ), but here's the New York Times article.

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03-31-2009, 10:38 PM	#16
sirbruce Provocateur Posts: 1,859 Karma: 505847 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Device: Kindle Touch, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, iPhone 3GS	saturngirl, can I assume you installed calibre in the default place? If so, then open a terminal/command window again and type: cd C:\Program Files\Calibre pdftohtml.exe

03-31-2009, 11:05 PM	#17
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,392 Karma: 27756918 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Just change the PATH variable, not classpath or pathext. Add ;C:\Program Files\calibre to it

04-01-2009, 08:11 AM	#18
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	Had to sleep :<P Sorry about that. Okay, did the first and got a list of usage options specific to Calibre (and, no, I didn't put the program anywhere else). And that means . . .? I'll go back into the Environment Variables and add Calibre and let you know.

04-01-2009, 08:17 AM	#19
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	Did that. Here's the interesting thing. I decided to do both a pdf I'd downloaded from Google Books and a PDF I'd downloaded from a different site. The pdf from Google Books gave me the error message again. The PDF I downloaded from a different site . . . some news article . . . converted just fine. Is there something that Google Books does to its books to make them impossible to convert? I tried doing it with the .txt version, too, and no dice.

04-01-2009, 08:20 AM	#20
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	No, I take that back. The conversion said it worked, but all it did was convert the date and source to LRF (from the New York Times). Lemme see if I can find something else to convert.

04-01-2009, 08:23 AM	#21
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	Okay, that worked just fine. So I'm totally confused. That was a PDF document a friend sent. The archived New York Times article I downloaded to PDF "converted" but only gave me the copyright information. The Google Book pdf didn't convert at all.

04-01-2009, 08:25 AM	#22
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	And now the Calibre library ran into a problem and needed to close. I feel so unloved :<P

04-01-2009, 09:32 AM	#23
sirbruce Provocateur Posts: 1,859 Karma: 505847 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Device: Kindle Touch, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, iPhone 3GS	Perhaps you could attach the pdf files to a message here.

04-01-2009, 12:19 PM	#25
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	Okay, so how come I don't see the pdf attachment? Sheesh . . .

04-01-2009, 02:09 PM	#27
sirbruce Provocateur Posts: 1,859 Karma: 505847 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Columbus, OH Device: Kindle Touch, Kindle 2, Kindle DX, iPhone 3GS	This PDF file seems to be almost entirely an image, not reflowable text. I believe that's why Calibre isn't converting it, although I don't know how Calibre decides what images to convert and what not. Kovid will have to answer. Can you also provide the file that was giving an error?

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04-01-2009, 02:48 PM	#28
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 45,392 Karma: 27756918 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	calibre's pdf conversion generally works well for text only PDF books. Many PDF books contain only scans of texts, for these kinds of books, calibre will fail.

04-01-2009, 03:04 PM	#29
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	Well, then maybe that's the problem. The New York Times article only has one "drawing" in it, but perhaps the actual format of the article is more like a drawing than actual text. The Google book . . . well, I guess it's a scan of the text. I don't how Google works. FWIW, I did try downloading the book as text only, again from Google, but that also failed. I can upload that and see what you'all think. But thanks for that clarification, David. Something to consider when looking to download books. Makes you wonder if all the Google books will be problematic. I also tried using Calibre on books from an open source internet archive http://www.archive.org/details/openlibrary and that also failed, even when I selected a PDF version.

04-01-2009, 03:08 PM	#30
saturngirl1701 Connoisseur Posts: 57 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2008 Device: sony prs-500	Ack, turns out I can't do that either. All I managed to download was a disclaimer from Google; it's got hypertext links to the various chapters, so unless you go through it chapter by chapter . . . Is there a way of figuring out which books are scans and which are PDFs that can be used by Calibre?