Advice needed about buying a Paperwhite

nikolawrites · 03-24-2014, 12:57 AM

Hi everyone!

My trusty Sony 650 reader has just sadly died, and I am looking into buying the next e-reader for myself. I was pretty much set on Kobo Glo until I learned that it doesn't support annotations in PDFs. Being a university student and often receiving textbook files and articles from my teachers in PDF, I would love to be able to highlight and annotate like I did on my Sony eReader.

Can anyone tell me how the Paperwhite handles annotating/highlighting PDF files, and if it supports reflow of text (if, say, I make the font bigger?). Also, one thing that I have heard and tried out on the Kindle app is that books side loaded onto the Kindle do not actually get listed as books, but as "personal documents" or something silly like that. Can you tell me if this is true for the Paperwhite, or if the books sent via a USB cord from the computer appear in the books section, with their cover and everything?

Thank you SO MUCH for your help, it's super appreciated!

eschwartz · 03-24-2014, 01:06 AM

PDFs can be annotated like any other supported file format on the Kindle. PDFs by definition are NOT reflowable, however. It is a fixed, final-view format chiefly meant to look the same no matter where you view it.

You can, however, zoom in. Personally, I am not impressed by the zoom options on anything but a tablet/PC. (Based purely on experience with a Kindle, plus hearsay on MobileRead about others' Kobos.) But that's probably just me being opinionated.

Sideloaded books on my Kindle Touch appear in the main library view, however they have the "Personal Document" banner on the bottom of the cover, cutting of the last portion. That is easily fixed in calibre though. Go to Preferences ==> Conversion ==> Output Options ==> MOBI Output and set the box titled Personal Doc tag to: "[EBOK]" instead of: "[PDOC]". Now all books, when sent, will have the ebok tag set.

nikolawrites · 03-24-2014, 01:18 AM

Thanks for the reply, it's super helpful! I tried doing changing the PDOC to EBOK with Calibre, but it didn't manage to send the books to 'Books' and not 'Personal documents' on the Android app, but it may be just because I was using the 'Send to Kindle' app, and not the USB.

As for the PDFs, maybe 'reflow' isn't the best word to use, but my point was, text-based PDFs would be treated pretty much the same on my old Sony as would an EPUB - in other words, enlarging the font would not be the same as zooming (and then scrolling around the zoomed page as if it's an image), but would simply make the font bigger and effectively treat it as an EPUB. Does the Paperwhite not do this to textual PDFs?

eschwartz · 03-24-2014, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nikolawrites

Thanks for the reply, it's super helpful! I tried doing changing the PDOC to EBOK with Calibre, but it didn't manage to send the books to 'Books' and not 'Personal documents' on the Android app, but it may be just because I was using the 'Send to Kindle' app, and not the USB.

I believe the apps (and Kindle Fire) also require you to embed an ASIN, using the Quality Check plugin. And send-to-Kindle changes everything. Including marking everything as a personal document.

Quote:

As for the PDFs, maybe 'reflow' isn't the best word to use, but my point was, text-based PDFs would be treated pretty much the same on my old Sony as would an EPUB - in other words, enlarging the font would not be the same as zooming (and then scrolling around the zoomed page as if it's an image), but would simply make the font bigger and effectively treat it as an EPUB. Does the Paperwhite not do this to textual PDFs?

That is reflowable text -- I wonder why Sony doesn't dominate the ereader industry if they're sitting on the secret to reliable line unwrapping in PDFs?

My Kindle Touch just zooms in, and I'm pretty sure the later models do, too. I didn't actually know this was possible.

Josieb1 · 03-24-2014, 04:17 AM

No Kindle ereader has PDF reflow, only the Sony's. Nor Kobo or Barnes & Noble. I have had ereaders from all those manufacturers and have tried PDFs on all of them.

No one treats PDFs like Sony.

HarryT · 03-24-2014, 04:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Josieb1

No Kindle ereader has PDF reflow, only the Sony's. Nor Kobo or Barnes & Noble. I have had ereaders from all those manufacturers and have tried PDFs on all of them.

No one treats PDFs like Sony.

Pocketbook devices have pretty good PDF reflow, too.

Josieb1 · 03-24-2014, 05:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Pocketbook devices have pretty good PDF reflow, too.

I didn't know that Harry.

HarryT · 03-24-2014, 06:20 AM

I would say to the OP that if PDF reading is a priority, the Kindle PW would not be a good choice. As stated, it does not support PDF reflow, only "pan across the full-sized page" style reading, which is far from satisfactory.

As has been said here innumerable times, for PDF, a large-screen tablet such as an iPad - or Android equivalent - is the best choice. Use the right tool for the job.

jscarbo · 03-24-2014, 10:50 AM

For PDF's, I agree with Harry. A larger screen tablet is much better. I love my Paperwhite but use a Nook HD+ with a 9" screen for reading PDF's, magazines, web articles and graphic novels.

snoeki · 03-24-2014, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eschwartz

That is easily fixed in calibre though. Go to Preferences ==> Conversion ==> Output Options ==> MOBI Output and set the box titled Personal Doc tag to: "[EBOK]" instead of: "[PDOC]". Now all books, when sent, will have the ebok tag set.

Why choose mobi if the paperwhite works perfectly with the AZW3 book format?

eschwartz · 03-24-2014, 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snoeki

Why choose mobi if the paperwhite works perfectly with the AZW3 book format?

The setting is in "MOBI Output", but applies to AZW3 as well. Obviously, you will be converting to AZW3 though.

03-24-2014, 12:57 AM	#1
nikolawrites Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Sony PRS-650	Advice needed about buying a Paperwhite Hi everyone! My trusty Sony 650 reader has just sadly died, and I am looking into buying the next e-reader for myself. I was pretty much set on Kobo Glo until I learned that it doesn't support annotations in PDFs. Being a university student and often receiving textbook files and articles from my teachers in PDF, I would love to be able to highlight and annotate like I did on my Sony eReader. Can anyone tell me how the Paperwhite handles annotating/highlighting PDF files, and if it supports reflow of text (if, say, I make the font bigger?). Also, one thing that I have heard and tried out on the Kindle app is that books side loaded onto the Kindle do not actually get listed as books, but as "personal documents" or something silly like that. Can you tell me if this is true for the Paperwhite, or if the books sent via a USB cord from the computer appear in the books section, with their cover and everything? Thank you SO MUCH for your help, it's super appreciated!

03-24-2014, 01:06 AM	#2
eschwartz Ex-Helpdesk Junkie Posts: 19,422 Karma: 85397180 Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: The Beaten Path, USA, Roundworld, This Side of Infinity Device: Kindle Touch fw5.3.7 (Wifi only)	PDFs can be annotated like any other supported file format on the Kindle. PDFs by definition are NOT reflowable, however. It is a fixed, final-view format chiefly meant to look the same no matter where you view it. You can, however, zoom in. Personally, I am not impressed by the zoom options on anything but a tablet/PC. (Based purely on experience with a Kindle, plus hearsay on MobileRead about others' Kobos.) But that's probably just me being opinionated. Sideloaded books on my Kindle Touch appear in the main library view, however they have the "Personal Document" banner on the bottom of the cover, cutting of the last portion. That is easily fixed in calibre though. Go to Preferences ==> Conversion ==> Output Options ==> MOBI Output and set the box titled Personal Doc tag to: "[EBOK]" instead of: "[PDOC]". Now all books, when sent, will have the ebok tag set. Last edited by eschwartz; 03-24-2014 at 01:09 AM.

03-24-2014, 04:17 AM	#5
Josieb1 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,018 Karma: 18018738 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: UK Device: Kobo Forma, Libra2, Clara 2e, Kindle PW SE & Kindle 2022	No Kindle ereader has PDF reflow, only the Sony's. Nor Kobo or Barnes & Noble. I have had ereaders from all those manufacturers and have tried PDFs on all of them. No one treats PDFs like Sony. Last edited by Josieb1; 03-24-2014 at 04:19 AM.

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03-24-2014, 01:18 AM	#3
nikolawrites Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2014 Device: Sony PRS-650	Thanks for the reply, it's super helpful! I tried doing changing the PDOC to EBOK with Calibre, but it didn't manage to send the books to 'Books' and not 'Personal documents' on the Android app, but it may be just because I was using the 'Send to Kindle' app, and not the USB. As for the PDFs, maybe 'reflow' isn't the best word to use, but my point was, text-based PDFs would be treated pretty much the same on my old Sony as would an EPUB - in other words, enlarging the font would not be the same as zooming (and then scrolling around the zoomed page as if it's an image), but would simply make the font bigger and effectively treat it as an EPUB. Does the Paperwhite not do this to textual PDFs?

03-24-2014, 06:20 AM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	I would say to the OP that if PDF reading is a priority, the Kindle PW would not be a good choice. As stated, it does not support PDF reflow, only "pan across the full-sized page" style reading, which is far from satisfactory. As has been said here innumerable times, for PDF, a large-screen tablet such as an iPad - or Android equivalent - is the best choice. Use the right tool for the job.

03-24-2014, 10:50 AM	#9
jscarbo Addict Posts: 220 Karma: 1075434 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Costa Rica Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle PW2, Nook HD+, Nexus 7	For PDF's, I agree with Harry. A larger screen tablet is much better. I love my Paperwhite but use a Nook HD+ with a 9" screen for reading PDF's, magazines, web articles and graphic novels.

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