PDF to ebook conversion, InDesign4

uieluck · 07-22-2010, 01:29 PM

I work for a new age publishing company and supply PDF's to various contacts and vendors. And before ebooks were the norm, PDF's were the only finished files we provided. Now with ebooks we have to supply these file types ie: EPUB, PRC (mobipocket), .LIT.... As a designer we use InDesign4 and I've picked apart Adobe's website to find answers on how to convert PDF's into ebooks. Does anyone know how to convert PDF's to ebooks? Does somebody have a suggestion for software or an extension etc.? I would appreciate any input.

WillAdams · 07-22-2010, 01:54 PM

PDFs do _not_ make a good source format. Instead, work from the original InDesign file and export to a .epub from that.

Decent how-to on using InDesign here:

http://www.creativepro.com/article/m...ndesign-part-1

William

uieluck · 07-22-2010, 06:32 PM

Isn't there a way to convert the PDF's I make into a EPub file etc. by using Calibre? I've been reading the link you provided (informative and helpful), however the company we outsource all of our ebook files to just require a PDF. There is NO WAY they adjust tables, headers, footers etc from a PDF, you would need the native file to do it the EPub export way. I'm thinking they just take our PDF and use some sort of converter.

RoboRay · 07-22-2010, 09:53 PM

Calibre can convert from PDF to other formats, but not well (not even marginally acceptably, actually). You're going to have to correct and reformat the entire output document manually. You basically have to treat converting a PDF like converting a paper document... scan, OCR, recreate the formatting. The only advantage to starting with PDF rather than paper is that you don't have to load pages into a scanner.

Your original post said that PDFs have been the only "finished files" you produce. The original source files you used to create those PDFs are the ones you want to work with to create output files in other formats, not the PDFs themselves.

If those original source files were not retained, oops. You're basically screwed.

I managed a 5-year project to convert around 800 old US Navy technical manuals from PDF to editable Interleaf files so that the manuals could be updated and cleaned up for reprinting and we found no good "automatic" way to do it. It's going to be a labor-intensive process converting from PDF. 800 books of about 300-400 pages each (with lots of diagrams, drawings and tables) ended up costing us close to $2.5M to convert and correct, after all was said and done.

Hellmark · 07-22-2010, 10:46 PM

Yeah, most PDF converters suck something fierce. The documents that I've had to convert usually were so bad, that it took more time fixing them than if I had just recreated them from scratch. If you still have the source, work with than instead of the PDFs.

Toxaris · 07-23-2010, 03:18 AM

The only conversion which I find a bit acceptable is via OCR. Even then it depends on the source. Finereader does a fair job. In that way, you have an intermediate document you can use to create your ebook.

uieluck · 07-23-2010, 12:49 PM

No, I have the original files. Meaning the InDesign files. I'm just extremely curious how the company we outsource converts our files into ebooks, when all we supply them with are PDF's. If Calibre doesn't do a good job and Finereader is border-line,, how can they do this? The company that does the conversion is: http://www.readhowyouwant.com/formats/e-format.aspx
Thanks, Todd

RoboRay · 07-23-2010, 03:17 PM

Outsourcing the conversion work overseas to a place with extremely low labor costs, then doing QA checks and corrections with native-speakers of the document's language, maybe?

Jack Tingle · 07-23-2010, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uieluck

No, I have the original files. Meaning the InDesign files. I'm just extremely curious how the company we outsource converts our files into ebooks, when all we supply them with are PDF's. If Calibre doesn't do a good job and Finereader is border-line,, how can they do this? The company that does the conversion is: http://www.readhowyouwant.com/formats/e-format.aspx
Thanks, Todd

They tell you in the first paragraph you cite exactly how they do it. It sounds like they're good at what they do. If I were you, I'd keep using them. You should, however, learn how to take the InDesign files and spit out other formats. You might also offer the readhowyouwant people the InDesign files if they'll give you a cheaper rate.

Frankly, they look smart, and you want to let smart people do what they do. Especially when it's to your advantage.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

EditorPlough · 08-03-2010, 11:05 AM

I convert .pdfs to .html using Mobipocket Creator, then carefully comb through the file to put the .html code in order. Validate to Xhtml strict.
Then using eCub convert to .epub, and back to Mobipocket Creator to go from .html to .prc files.
Time-consuming, yes.

uieluck · 08-03-2010, 11:44 AM

Good suggestions, thanks. It kinda sounds like "Tingle" is a little bias and doesn't want to lose business in his industry, no offense. It would be similar if someone asked me,,, how do I do this graphic design such and such. I would be like; leave it to the pro's etc. I found this program (3D issue lite), which can convert pages to html's etc and kicks out stellar translations, but it's mainly used for magazines etc. And once the html files are produced, I'm unfamiliar with making an epub file outta them. Thanks for the suggestions so far.

Jack Tingle · 08-07-2010, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uieluck

Good suggestions, thanks. It kinda sounds like "Tingle" is a little bias and doesn't want to lose business in his industry, no offense.

Actually, I design gas turbines for a living. None taken. OTOH, I have, in the distant past, worked on a newpaper, and far too many people in my family are English majors.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

corona · 08-07-2010, 06:57 PM

Does anybody have much experience using InDesign 4 for the PDF-ePub conversion -- how well does it work? I'd consider upgrading if it really works.

EditorPlough · 08-13-2010, 10:39 AM

Lots of resources on the Adobe site, see
http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/epub/howto/

charleski · 08-13-2010, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by corona

Does anybody have much experience using InDesign 4 for the PDF-ePub conversion -- how well does it work? I'd consider upgrading if it really works.

InDesign CS5 is, finally, a reasonably decent way of producing epubs (from native .indd files). But to be perfectly honest, the $35 Atlantis Word Processor is more convenient unless the InDesign layout is a central part of your production process. InDesign doesn't convert PDFs.

07-22-2010, 01:29 PM	#1
uieluck Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Denver, Colorado Device: iphone, ipad, kindle, nook	PDF to ebook conversion, InDesign4 I work for a new age publishing company and supply PDF's to various contacts and vendors. And before ebooks were the norm, PDF's were the only finished files we provided. Now with ebooks we have to supply these file types ie: EPUB, PRC (mobipocket), .LIT.... As a designer we use InDesign4 and I've picked apart Adobe's website to find answers on how to convert PDF's into ebooks. Does anyone know how to convert PDF's to ebooks? Does somebody have a suggestion for software or an extension etc.? I would appreciate any input.

07-22-2010, 09:53 PM	#4
RoboRay Zealot Posts: 132 Karma: 270 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: NookColor (CM7); OLPC XO (Ubuntu 8.10); HTC Thunderbolt (CM7)	Calibre can convert from PDF to other formats, but not well (not even marginally acceptably, actually). You're going to have to correct and reformat the entire output document manually. You basically have to treat converting a PDF like converting a paper document... scan, OCR, recreate the formatting. The only advantage to starting with PDF rather than paper is that you don't have to load pages into a scanner. Your original post said that PDFs have been the only "finished files" you produce. The original source files you used to create those PDFs are the ones you want to work with to create output files in other formats, not the PDFs themselves. If those original source files were not retained, oops. You're basically screwed. I managed a 5-year project to convert around 800 old US Navy technical manuals from PDF to editable Interleaf files so that the manuals could be updated and cleaned up for reprinting and we found no good "automatic" way to do it. It's going to be a labor-intensive process converting from PDF. 800 books of about 300-400 pages each (with lots of diagrams, drawings and tables) ended up costing us close to $2.5M to convert and correct, after all was said and done. Last edited by RoboRay; 07-22-2010 at 10:10 PM.

08-03-2010, 11:05 AM	#10
EditorPlough Excelsior! Posts: 14 Karma: 20000 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Rifton NY Device: Kindle	I use MobiPocket Creator I convert .pdfs to .html using Mobipocket Creator, then carefully comb through the file to put the .html code in order. Validate to Xhtml strict. Then using eCub convert to .epub, and back to Mobipocket Creator to go from .html to .prc files. Time-consuming, yes.

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07-22-2010, 01:54 PM	#2
WillAdams Wizard Posts: 1,234 Karma: 3350652 Join Date: Feb 2008 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (300ppi), Samsung Galaxy Book 12	PDFs do _not_ make a good source format. Instead, work from the original InDesign file and export to a .epub from that. Decent how-to on using InDesign here: http://www.creativepro.com/article/m...ndesign-part-1 William

07-22-2010, 06:32 PM	#3
uieluck Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Denver, Colorado Device: iphone, ipad, kindle, nook	Isn't there a way to convert the PDF's I make into a EPub file etc. by using Calibre? I've been reading the link you provided (informative and helpful), however the company we outsource all of our ebook files to just require a PDF. There is NO WAY they adjust tables, headers, footers etc from a PDF, you would need the native file to do it the EPub export way. I'm thinking they just take our PDF and use some sort of converter.

07-22-2010, 10:46 PM	#5
Hellmark Wizard Posts: 2,549 Karma: 3799999 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: O'Fallon, Missouri, USA Device: Nokia N800, PRS-505, Nook STR Glowlight, Kindle 3	Yeah, most PDF converters suck something fierce. The documents that I've had to convert usually were so bad, that it took more time fixing them than if I had just recreated them from scratch. If you still have the source, work with than instead of the PDFs.

07-23-2010, 03:18 AM	#6
Toxaris Wizard Posts: 4,520 Karma: 121692313 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Heemskerk, NL Device: PRS-T1, Kobo Touch, Kobo Aura	The only conversion which I find a bit acceptable is via OCR. Even then it depends on the source. Finereader does a fair job. In that way, you have an intermediate document you can use to create your ebook.

07-23-2010, 12:49 PM	#7
uieluck Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Denver, Colorado Device: iphone, ipad, kindle, nook	No, I have the original files. Meaning the InDesign files. I'm just extremely curious how the company we outsource converts our files into ebooks, when all we supply them with are PDF's. If Calibre doesn't do a good job and Finereader is border-line,, how can they do this? The company that does the conversion is: http://www.readhowyouwant.com/formats/e-format.aspx Thanks, Todd

07-23-2010, 03:17 PM	#8
RoboRay Zealot Posts: 132 Karma: 270 Join Date: Apr 2010 Device: NookColor (CM7); OLPC XO (Ubuntu 8.10); HTC Thunderbolt (CM7)	Outsourcing the conversion work overseas to a place with extremely low labor costs, then doing QA checks and corrections with native-speakers of the document's language, maybe?

08-03-2010, 11:44 AM	#11
uieluck Connoisseur Posts: 52 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Denver, Colorado Device: iphone, ipad, kindle, nook	Good suggestions, thanks. It kinda sounds like "Tingle" is a little bias and doesn't want to lose business in his industry, no offense. It would be similar if someone asked me,,, how do I do this graphic design such and such. I would be like; leave it to the pro's etc. I found this program (3D issue lite), which can convert pages to html's etc and kicks out stellar translations, but it's mainly used for magazines etc. And once the html files are produced, I'm unfamiliar with making an epub file outta them. Thanks for the suggestions so far.

08-07-2010, 06:57 PM	#13
corona Addict Posts: 324 Karma: 25168 Join Date: May 2010 Device: kobo	Does anybody have much experience using InDesign 4 for the PDF-ePub conversion -- how well does it work? I'd consider upgrading if it really works.

08-13-2010, 10:39 AM	#14
EditorPlough Excelsior! Posts: 14 Karma: 20000 Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Rifton NY Device: Kindle	Lots of resources on the Adobe site, see http://www.adobe.com/products/indesign/epub/howto/

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