How do you read PDF files? - Page 5

BlackVoid · 09-10-2008, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hansl

Hi BlackVoid,
your method sounds like you have to manually reinsert the pictures from the original document for use with BookDesigner. Is that so?

Thanks,
Hansl

No. No manual processing needed.

nrapallo · 09-10-2008, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrapallo

Also promising is the pi (pdftoimage) program created by caritas, where, as you mentioned, the .pdf can be split in half vertically and then the lines can weaved back alternatively, so as to preserve the textual flow (and images).

Bob:

I've had some success converting .pdf using the pi algorithm combined with PDFRead's GUI interface. It's crude, but yields great results. See for yourself, using your reader's format instead, here.

Here's hoping these two programs get "merged" somehow to make this more streamlined!

Bob Russell · 09-10-2008, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nrapallo

Bob:

I've had some success converting .pdf using the pi algorithm combined with PDFRead's GUI interface. It's crude, but yields great results. See for yourself, using your reader's format instead, here.

Here's hoping these two programs get "merged" somehow to make this more streamlined!

Thks! I did see that - I keep an eye on that thread for the same reason you mentioned -- I am also really hoping that it gets incorporated into PDFRead!!!! That would be really spectacular. I occasionally get in the mood to get down and dirty with that sort of thing, but more often I just settle for easy approaches to conversions (such as if it happened "automagically" as a PDFRead option). Would like to also be able to crop out things like headers/footers/pageNbrs that prevent the page from being expanded a bit on the screen, but that's not especially critical. It just means I need my glasses to see the small print.

texasnightowl · 09-10-2008, 03:29 PM

What I've been doing the is either:

1 - open the PDF in MobiPocket Creator and take the resulting HTML file and pop it into Word. Then I basically mark everything as normal text, ditch any smarttags, remove xml tags/template, re-format paragraphs and headings and then save as either .doc or filtered .html and then use MobiPocket Creator to make my .mobi file

2 - Use Abbyy PDF Transform to get a .doc or .rtf file out and then do same editing and formatting as above.

Both of these are painful to do...paragraphs broken in the middle of sentences, spacing/punctuation errors, etc. But I am pretty picky and spending the time doing this gives me a pretty good .mobi file.

Once everything is .mobi it goes in my library and moved to my Kindle.

nrapallo · 09-10-2008, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bob Russell

Thks! I did see that - I keep an eye on that thread for the same reason you mentioned -- I am also really hoping that it gets incorporated into PDFRead!!!! That would be really spectacular. I occasionally get in the mood to get down and dirty with that sort of thing, but more often I just settle for easy approaches to conversions (such as if it happened "automagically" as a PDFRead option). Would like to also be able to crop out things like headers/footers/pageNbrs that prevent the page from being expanded a bit on the screen, but that's not especially critical. It just means I need my glasses to see the small print.

Bob:

Sorry about that expanding "bug" with the Sony format, but I have tried everything I know to try to squash it, but to no avail (see here for more of my efforts on this). I know it makes reading less than enjoyable, but in the interest of promoting this "pi - PDFRead" idea, I attach a .lrf file produced similarly to my .imp files. Just look at the pages that are not expanded.

I also attach a .prc verision for Kindle/Cybook Gen3 users, so they can also see first hand how well .pdf's can look on small screened ebooks readers like the EBW1150 and Sony PRS-505 using pi and PDFRead! Please note that I tried to use PDFRead to convert to .prc format, but my NRhtml2mobi.exe just "hung" at the end making the .prc (i.e. took too long...) so I just finished off with Mobipocket Creator to produce this .prc. Again, crude, but got the job done.

This all should be fixed, but needs more testing to find the best solution...

Ceili · 09-10-2008, 11:37 PM

It's really weird to me, that so far at least, emailing the pdf manuals to my kindle works great. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to show a page, and if I am, how I would go about doing so, but looking at it on the kindle looks just like the online manual... even the tables and examples look correct so far.

Have I just been lucky in that the programs I am learning made their files so usable? (the license allows for either printing or using as an electronic reading file).

erayd · 09-11-2008, 11:08 PM

If it's text-only (which most of them are) I just let the PRS-505 do the reflowing. Before the new firmware came out I used to run it through my own reflowing script first, which does a slightly better job but is an utter pain in the ass to use. Go 505!

Lemurion · 09-13-2008, 11:02 AM

I have a laser printer: so anything other than a short document I tend to print. I see PDF as a printing/storage format, not a reading format.

View Poll Results: How do you read PDF documents?
I extract the text content first	11	8.40%
I use a pdf file conversion utility (Which one?)	33	25.19%
I use a computer, laptop or tablet PC	64	48.85%
I don't read pdf files because it's not worth the effort	21	16.03%
Doesn't matter - I never have pdf files I want to read	2	1.53%
I have a another approach (Explain in a comment!)	28	21.37%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 131. You may not vote on this poll

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09-10-2008, 03:29 PM	#64
texasnightowl Guru Posts: 797 Karma: 2873645 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Texas Device: PW5, Oasis 3, K4B(NT), K3/KK	What I've been doing the is either: 1 - open the PDF in MobiPocket Creator and take the resulting HTML file and pop it into Word. Then I basically mark everything as normal text, ditch any smarttags, remove xml tags/template, re-format paragraphs and headings and then save as either .doc or filtered .html and then use MobiPocket Creator to make my .mobi file 2 - Use Abbyy PDF Transform to get a .doc or .rtf file out and then do same editing and formatting as above. Both of these are painful to do...paragraphs broken in the middle of sentences, spacing/punctuation errors, etc. But I am pretty picky and spending the time doing this gives me a pretty good .mobi file. Once everything is .mobi it goes in my library and moved to my Kindle.

09-10-2008, 11:37 PM	#66
Ceili well, that didn't work Posts: 103 Karma: 1027 Join Date: May 2008 Device: Kindle	It's really weird to me, that so far at least, emailing the pdf manuals to my kindle works great. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to show a page, and if I am, how I would go about doing so, but looking at it on the kindle looks just like the online manual... even the tables and examples look correct so far. Have I just been lucky in that the programs I am learning made their files so usable? (the license allows for either printing or using as an electronic reading file).

09-11-2008, 11:08 PM	#67
erayd Zealot Posts: 134 Karma: 146 Join Date: Apr 2008 Device: Onyx Boox Poke 2	If it's text-only (which most of them are) I just let the PRS-505 do the reflowing. Before the new firmware came out I used to run it through my own reflowing script first, which does a slightly better job but is an utter pain in the ass to use. Go 505!

09-13-2008, 11:02 AM	#68
Lemurion eReader Posts: 2,750 Karma: 4968470 Join Date: Aug 2007 Device: Note 5; PW3; Nook HD+; ChuWi Hi12; iPad	I have a laser printer: so anything other than a short document I tend to print. I see PDF as a printing/storage format, not a reading format.

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