Pdf Reader - Do I need new software or new hardware?

[MarjaE]

Hi,

So far I've been using an older Kindle Dx as a Pdf reader. It's great for older pdfs, but requires converting newer pdfs.

The default pdf viewer can't handle pdfs with any password settings, it can't show jpeg-2000/jpx/jp2 images, it sometimes crashes, etc.

Librerator helps. Librerator has a very different user interface, and repurposes the buttons, so it's harder to navigate. Kindle Pdf Viewer would probably help, but I don't have the coordination to start it up. Both projects have been abandoned.

Another Kindle Dx compatible pdf viewer which works with the same buttons, collections, etc. as the default system might help. Especially if it retains the ability to adjust gamma and adds the ability to hide layers/optional content groups.

If that doesn't exist, I'm either looking for Mac software which helps convert better, with less typing, less time and arm pain managing my libraries, or for new hardware with better pdf compatibility, a larger e-ink screen, and which let me avoid animation.

Why I am disappointed with software solutions on the Kindle Dx:

When I use Librerator, it relies on the Kindle folder structure, which is a mess because I've updated my Calibre export settings. And it doesn't allow me to move or tag books which I'm reading, have read, or have abandoned.

Why I am disappointed with software solutions on the Mac:

When I run scanned pdfs through Willus's k2pdfopt with -mode copy -dev dx it's good with scanned pdfs. I have Automator configured so I can drag and drop files to process them. Then I can tag the results and import into Calibre. So that's good.

When I run newer pdf-born-pdfs through willus's k2pdfopt, I often lose readability, though, and when I run them through Ghostscript instead, I get big gray rectangles on the Kindle and on the Mac because of incompatible approaches to transparency. I don't get the same rectangles in Librerator. I have Automator configured again, with some scripts yielding 2 or 3 versions with different compression settings, but the results are disappointing. Than I can tag and import.

Also some pdfs are just badly designed. They often have backgrounds which make it impossible to read the foregrounds. They sometimes compose images of small tiles such that Ghostscript can't properly compress them. They often have faint text.

If I could keep text intact while running the rest of the page through something like k2pdfopt -mode copy -deav dx, or just -mode copy -cmax 1.0, that would be incredibly useful.

Once I've imported, either the file lacks metadata or it has unusable metadata. So I have to type up the title, authors, and so on, as well as my export settings and processing data. If I have multiple versions, I can copy and paste most of the data, but still have to type up my export settings and processing data.

My Calibre libraries have a lot of duplicate files, with different conversion tools and compression settings. And sometimes has no working version, because the originals were too badly designed. My source libraries, on another disk, have even more duplicate files. When I'm searching for specific words or phrases, I have to sift through these duplicate files.

Why I haven't found hardware solutions:

I already have a Story Hd. I have a lot of trouble with the tiny screen, with pdf compatibility, and with limited options for collections and tagging.

I can't switch to glowscreen devices. I get much more eye strain, even on my computer. I have trouble with reflections at lower brightness, when screens allow it, and can't see at higher brightness.

Due to visual processing issues, I need to avoid a lot of animation, including rapid flashing animation, zooming animation, sliding animation, page-flip animation, and so on. pinch-to-zoom and pan are right out. I haven't had trouble with page loading flashes on the Kindle or Story Hd, they're reasonably slow and there's something about e-ink that helps.

Due to coordination issues, I need to block a lot of gestures, to avoid accidental tapping and/or gestures. I don't know if tacscreen or similar devices might help. I know some newer Kindles and Kobos support options to turn off tapping in most of the screen, and the Likebook has options to adjust tap areas, but the Glowlight doesn't seem to have these options.

Screen size constraints:

With some pdfs, due to small print and hard-to-read fonts, I need a display width of at least 12 cm, and preferably more. To get a whole page at a time takes a diagonal of at least 19 cm, and preferably more. The Kindle Oasis is expensive and less than 18 cm. The Onyx Boox 7.8, some Likebooks, some Glowlights, and the Kobo Forma are about 20 cm, so they should work if I can disable gestures. To get a half page at a time is frustrating because many works use 2-column or 3-column layouts but it allows a diagonal of about 15 cm, still preferably more. To pinch-to-zoom and pan isn't an option with my visual processing issues, see above.

File format constraints:

I have not been able to find out which readers can support which pdfs. I suppose if the pre-installed software on Android readers can't, other software may be able to. Not so for the Kindle and other specialized systems.

[Pajamaman]

IME Onyx ereaders and the built in neoreader app is the best way to read pdf on e-ink. I do okay on a 7.8".

[ottischwenk]

For pdf I can only recommend at least 10.3 inch EInk Android devices - 7.8 inches less, although they have the same screen resolution as the 10.3 inch devices.
- Boox Note 2
- Likebook Alita
- Boox Max 3 (13.3 inches)
I use Likebook Alita because it has an SD card slot - Boox devices don't.

[shalym]

The pocketbook Inkpad X has page turn buttons. I'm not sure if you can turn off the touchscreen, but at least it has the buttons, when none of the others do. It also has a light, but I think you can turn it off.

Shari

[MarjaE]

Pretty sure the Glowlight Plus, and Kobo Forma have some buttons. Onyx Boox and Likebook do not.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

Pretty sure the Glowlight Plus, and Kobo Forma have some buttons. Onyx Boox and Likebook do not.

Sorry...I meant for 10.3" devices this is the only one with buttons.

Shari

[ottischwenk]

Originally Posted by MarjaE

Pretty sure the Glowlight Plus, and Kobo Forma have some buttons. Onyx Boox and Likebook do not.

On my Boox and Likebook devices Im using Bluetooth page turning devices.
The buttons on the devices are not where they are needed.

[MarjaE]

P.S. I also tried a magnifying glass. It eventually triggers my migraines due to the constantly shifting magnification, and besides, it takes 2 hands. I might be able to use magnifying lenses over my glasses.

[MarjaE]

More conversion software:

Quartz filters don't work on jpeg 2000 and don't convert tiled images to single images. pdftk is Windows-only. jpdftweak doesn't convert tiled images either. I can't even figure out what pdfr in the wiki is:

https://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Conversion_matrix

Kindle software:

KOReader doesn't work well on older Kindles. It's slow, it's designed for touchscreens, it's hard to navigate the menus using the buttons, and it's impossible to set certain settings like "always open pdfs in page view" without manually editing the config file.

Reading glasses over regular ones:

Migraine trigger.

Reading glasses without regular glasses:

"I see a big light blur."

[MarjaE]

I'm mainly looking for e-ink devices.

I'm open to glowing screen devices, but in my experience, most are too reflective, and most are too bright.

This seems to be changing, at least for higher-end devices.

I don't know a way to test brightness, or test pulse-width modulation issues, but I think I need to get below 10 cd/m2, possibly down to 1 cd/m2. I am currently using a Benq monitor at 0% brightness, 30% contrast, 10% red, 20% green, 10% blue. Judging by the reviews here, Benq monitors range from 56 cd/m2 to 109 cd/m2 at 0% without further adjustments. https://www.tftcentral.co.uk/reviews_index.htm

A long time ago I tried an iPad mini, it was too bright, and it's reportedly only 8 cd/m2. https://www.phonearena.com/reviews/A...-Review_id3501

Many now go down to 1 cd/m2:

https://www.phonearena.com/phones/benchmarks#

However it's still hard to find comprehensive reviews and comparisons which take this into account.

P.S. It's possible that I've had more trouble with tablet screens because I held them closer than computer screens. So accounting for distance, 1 to 2.5 nits may appropriate.

[MarjaE]

The Samsung Galaxy Tab series seems like an option, because:

1. It should have better pdf compatibility, letting me view Pdf 1.5 and above without reprocessing.

2. It comes in larger screen sizes.

3. It lets users dim the screen a lot more than older glowscreens. Notebookcheck reports a minimum of 1.14 cd/m2 for the 206 model.

4. I'm not sure of all the accessibility options but it has Interaction Control, which may avoid some of my past trouble with accidental tapping and accidental gestures. I'm still gong to need to disable Magnification Gestures.

[Quoth]

I use Xodo for PDFs and a 256 G micro SD card on last year's 10" Lenovo. Brightness goes very low. Current model seems to be a slight upgrade.

First time ever that I've had a workable alternative to 1600 x1200 screens on PC/Laptop. My current 1920 x 1080 laptop simply isn't enough vertical pixels for easy reading of some A4 PDFs compared to the old 1600 x1200 screen.

I had hopes of the Kindle DXG, but it was nearly useless. Too slow and too low a resolution. The Kobo 6.8" Original H2O and 7" Libra are both better than the DXG with good reading glasses.

[MarjaE]

Thanks.

I've checked the manual for the Lenovo M10, among others, and they don't say much about accessibility, or anything about disabling gestures. In this, the Samsung stands out.

Without my regular glasses, I'm practically blind, and over my regular glasses, reading glasses become yet another migraine trigger. So screen size is a lot more important to me than screen resolution.

[Marinolino]

Originally Posted by Quoth

...

I had hopes of the Kindle DXG, but it was nearly useless. Too slow and too low a resolution. The Kobo 6.8" Original H2O and 7" Libra are both better than the DXG with good reading glasses.

Not if we use a faster & better KPV (pdf/djvu/epub/cbr) reader, instead of its inadequate native pdf reader.

I've still been reading A4 b/w documents & comics outdoors on my Kindle DXG (landscape mode, two screens per page, margins cropped if needed) if I can't read them on 8" 300 dpi Aura One properly (using KOReader).

If pdf is slow because of a demanding compression method used, we should simply convert it into pdf images (without OCR layer) or we should use ClearScan and similar compression method for OCR-ing.