PDF in nook color - Page 2

Tanalark · 12-02-2010, 05:17 PM

I've had some experience with using .pdf on my nook color, and I've generally found that it meets my needs pretty well. The only problem I've had with it is that it doesn't support layers very well, and several of the books I've got in .pdf format - mostly tabletop RPG stuff - has pretty extensive layering to make for pretty hard-copy stuff.

I'd take out the layers, but my books are copy-protected. On the whole, the nook color handles .pdf *way* better than the original nook. Works great with the few novels I have in scanned .pdf format, though I tend to use Calibre to convert them into epub format before reading them.

heron61 · 12-02-2010, 08:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tanalark

I've had some experience with using .pdf on my nook color, and I've generally found that it meets my needs pretty well. The only problem I've had with it is that it doesn't support layers very well, and several of the books I've got in .pdf format - mostly tabletop RPG stuff - has pretty extensive layering to make for pretty hard-copy stuff.

One of the reason I'm considering a Nook Color is for reading RPGs PDFs. When it screws up the layers, does this just mess up the art or does it make it less readable. Also, how is the loading and page turning speed for the larger RPG PDFs? Would you recommend it for reading RPG PDFs?

Bookworm_Girl · 12-02-2010, 10:13 PM

My ADE PDF's open in the book viewer and my personal PDF's open in the Quickoffice viewer. Is there any way to make my personal PDF's open in the book viewer too? I ask because some of the posts in this thread (like whether you can use landscape, pinch-zoom or resize text) seem to depend on which viewer is displaying your PDF. Am I missing something obvious? Thanks in advance.

EDIT: By personal PDF's I mean non-DRM protected PDF's.

SCION · 12-02-2010, 10:17 PM

I didn't realize there's a distinction made. That's interesting.

Bookworm_Girl · 12-03-2010, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SCION

I didn't realize there's a distinction made. That's interesting.

Yes, this difference tripped me up initially trying to figure out how to change pages... I can definitely see uses for both types of viewing. I will try to summarize the differences that I notice below.

PDF's viewed in the Book Reader:
Searchable; no landscape; can select text font size but can't change background theme color; change pages by swipe left or right (or tap); shows book name on top bar across screen; table of contents viewable; bookmarks with selectable list; no annotations; no dictionary; remembers last page read

PDF's viewed in Quickoffice:
Not searchable; can be portrait or landscape; pinch-zoom or use +/- signs like web browser; change pages by swipe up or down; shows file name on top bar across screen; no table of contents; no bookmarks; no annotations; no dictionary; does not remember last page read

When PDF's are side-loaded in the "Books" folder, they show a generic "book" icon. When PDF's are loaded in the "Documents" folder, they show a generic "PDF" document icon. Which folder the PDF is loaded in does not make a difference which viewer opens it.

Tanalark · 12-10-2010, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by heron61

One of the reason I'm considering a Nook Color is for reading RPGs PDFs. When it screws up the layers, does this just mess up the art or does it make it less readable. Also, how is the loading and page turning speed for the larger RPG PDFs? Would you recommend it for reading RPG PDFs?

The layers screwing up just messes with pictures and such if they've got a background "printed" on the paper underneath the main text. It hasn't really affected readability, though I imagine it would impact things a bit more if a table were similarly screwed up.

Page turn is pretty decent. It's not as fast as using my netbook, but I didn't expect it to be. Very readable, though, and I like the interface.

mikevarela · 12-10-2010, 08:30 PM

Question, I've been messing with my Color recently - mostly PDF's. I'm also a programmer and read many technical books (PDF format). They open very well in the pdf viewer and yes, you can zoom and pinch and stuff, but my biggest complaint is that they won't full screen. If I finagle them to zoom into what looks like full screen and go to change the page, my finger moves the page and it's all screwed up. I'd really like to have them open just like a normal book - where I can tap left or right to page change.

A previous post mentioned that where I store them on the card matters... in books folder makes them like books, in documents folder makes them open in QuickOffice. Haven't tried it yet, but wondering if any of you out there have had success opening non protected PDF's int he book viewer.

Sorry.. I'm also have a Bi^&*tch of a time getting the PDF's to the front screen. They show up in the library, but I can't managed to get them to the front splash screen.

Thanks for the help

Bookworm_Girl · 12-10-2010, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikevarela

Question, I've been messing with my Color recently - mostly PDF's. I'm also a programmer and read many technical books (PDF format). They open very well in the pdf viewer and yes, you can zoom and pinch and stuff, but my biggest complaint is that they won't full screen. If I finagle them to zoom into what looks like full screen and go to change the page, my finger moves the page and it's all screwed up. I'd really like to have them open just like a normal book - where I can tap left or right to page change.

A previous post mentioned that where I store them on the card matters... in books folder makes them like books, in documents folder makes them open in QuickOffice. Haven't tried it yet, but wondering if any of you out there have had success opening non protected PDF's int he book viewer.

Sorry.. I'm also have a Bi^&*tch of a time getting the PDF's to the front screen. They show up in the library, but I can't managed to get them to the front splash screen.

Thanks for the help

You have the same questions that I do. I have also observed that only my DRM'ed PDF's open in the book viewer and non-DRM'ed books open in QuickOffice. It doesn't matter whether I put them in the books or document folder (that only affects what the icon image looks like but not what viewer opens it).

Also, you can only put BN store-content on the home screen. That's why you are having such a difficult time. Your side-loaded files stay in your library only. There are many people who are unhappy about that.

mikevarela · 12-10-2010, 10:04 PM

thanks for the reply. Yeah that front page is a whopping waste of time if I can't use it for things I want.

Wondering if there's a way to 'protect' my PDF's with DRM so they appear in the book viewer. At least then I could read full screen. It's pretty crappy that the text is so small on these that I constantly have to move and adjust to get a decent reading size.

Any way a consumer can DRM a file of their own?

Bookworm_Girl · 12-10-2010, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikevarela

thanks for the reply. Yeah that front page is a whopping waste of time if I can't use it for things I want.

Wondering if there's a way to 'protect' my PDF's with DRM so they appear in the book viewer. At least then I could read full screen. It's pretty crappy that the text is so small on these that I constantly have to move and adjust to get a decent reading size.

Any way a consumer can DRM a file of their own?

I don't really have much use for the home screen either since the majority of my content is side-loaded. I guess it's their way to influence you to buy their content.

Ha ha. I had the same thought about DRM. Ironic, isn't it? Most people want to remove DRM... I wish there were a way to tell it which viewer to open. I can see uses for both types. I am surprised that more people have not had this complaint.

aagstn · 12-11-2010, 01:57 AM

So far I had only used a DRM PDF so I thought the nook was excellent with PDFs. Then I put one on that wasn't DRMed and got stuck with that awful Quickoffice viewer. I agree that I want to find a way now to put Adobe DRM on so I can use the much better book viewer to read PDF files.

Hopefully this can be fixed with a firmware update. We should be able to choose which viewer we want. The quickoffice one is fine for image heavy stuff, but regular text books are much better in the book viewer.

jswinden · 12-11-2010, 10:32 AM

I wonder if using a program like Adobe Acrobat Pro would accomplish the DRMing you two wish to do. Whichever program you use, I think it would have to use ADE for the DRMing.

I haven't viewed any DRMed PDFs yet, but is the book reader app really better than Quickoffice for PDFs. I'm not sure I would want to view an 8.5" x 11" PDF in portrait only. On the eInk readers zooming is a pain and far from a pleasure. I like the landscape view I get in Quickoffice for large sized PDFs, especially if they are scanned documents as they probably want have searching anyway.

aagstn · 12-11-2010, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jswinden

I wonder if using a program like Adobe Acrobat Pro would accomplish the DRMing you two wish to do. Whichever program you use, I think it would have to use ADE for the DRMing.

I haven't viewed any DRMed PDFs yet, but is the book reader app really better than Quickoffice for PDFs. I'm not sure I would want to view an 8.5" x 11" PDF in portrait only. On the eInk readers zooming is a pain and far from a pleasure. I like the landscape view I get in Quickoffice for large sized PDFs, especially if they are scanned documents as they probably want have searching anyway.

For text heavy PDFs I find it much better since I can change the font size, bookmark pages and it automatically fits the page correctly. It drives me crazy having to zoom in text on the Quickoffice one. You don't need to landscape so the fact it is portrait only is not an issue for me.

Bookworm_Girl · 12-11-2010, 02:02 PM

I agree if you have heavy text PDFs which are hundreds of pages, then the book viewer has bookmarks, table of contents and remembers last page read. If you have a shorter PDF which is graphics intensive or multi-column, then the QuickOffice viewer is the way to go. There are pros and cons to each method and that's why it would be nice to chose.

I think the only way to create a DRM'ed book is to use the Adobe Content Server software. I do have Adobe Acrobat Pro v9. At the moment the only way I see around this problem is to convert text-heavy PDF's to EPUB's, which usually creates other formatting issues and requires time / effort.

mikevarela · 12-17-2010, 12:51 AM

Boowork_girl is right. I was actualy gonna post this but forgot.

I've been using a free app for mac (though it's windows too) to convert PDF to epub. The files stay in pdf, but a secondary epub book is created. So far this works well for using the book viewer and not quickoffice, however the software kinda breaks format of the page and though not a huge issue, it's not liek having a copy of the pdf. Words are still there and everything, but formatting is a little off. I think i should play a little more with it before I draw my conclusions, but it appears that this is the way to go for reading. Then is in the future an app comes along, or the OS is updated, then at least I still have the PDF's

The software is called CALIBRE

12-02-2010, 10:13 PM	#18
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,871 Karma: 36507503 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	My ADE PDF's open in the book viewer and my personal PDF's open in the Quickoffice viewer. Is there any way to make my personal PDF's open in the book viewer too? I ask because some of the posts in this thread (like whether you can use landscape, pinch-zoom or resize text) seem to depend on which viewer is displaying your PDF. Am I missing something obvious? Thanks in advance. EDIT: By personal PDF's I mean non-DRM protected PDF's. Last edited by Bookworm_Girl; 12-02-2010 at 10:15 PM. Reason: Added clarification

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12-02-2010, 05:17 PM	#16
Tanalark Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: PRS-700	I've had some experience with using .pdf on my nook color, and I've generally found that it meets my needs pretty well. The only problem I've had with it is that it doesn't support layers very well, and several of the books I've got in .pdf format - mostly tabletop RPG stuff - has pretty extensive layering to make for pretty hard-copy stuff. I'd take out the layers, but my books are copy-protected. On the whole, the nook color handles .pdf way better than the original nook. Works great with the few novels I have in scanned .pdf format, though I tend to use Calibre to convert them into epub format before reading them.

12-02-2010, 10:17 PM	#19
SCION Séduisant Posts: 4,706 Karma: 2107018 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Texas, USA Device: Boox Note Air2+; Kobo Libra2; Kindle Scribe, Oasis3; iPad Mini6	I didn't realize there's a distinction made. That's interesting.

12-10-2010, 08:30 PM	#22
mikevarela Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: NOOK Color	Question, I've been messing with my Color recently - mostly PDF's. I'm also a programmer and read many technical books (PDF format). They open very well in the pdf viewer and yes, you can zoom and pinch and stuff, but my biggest complaint is that they won't full screen. If I finagle them to zoom into what looks like full screen and go to change the page, my finger moves the page and it's all screwed up. I'd really like to have them open just like a normal book - where I can tap left or right to page change. A previous post mentioned that where I store them on the card matters... in books folder makes them like books, in documents folder makes them open in QuickOffice. Haven't tried it yet, but wondering if any of you out there have had success opening non protected PDF's int he book viewer. Sorry.. I'm also have a Bi^&*tch of a time getting the PDF's to the front screen. They show up in the library, but I can't managed to get them to the front splash screen. Thanks for the help

12-10-2010, 10:04 PM	#24
mikevarela Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: NOOK Color	thanks for the reply. Yeah that front page is a whopping waste of time if I can't use it for things I want. Wondering if there's a way to 'protect' my PDF's with DRM so they appear in the book viewer. At least then I could read full screen. It's pretty crappy that the text is so small on these that I constantly have to move and adjust to get a decent reading size. Any way a consumer can DRM a file of their own?

12-11-2010, 01:57 AM	#26
aagstn Evangelist Posts: 422 Karma: 1004351 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3, iPad mini 2	So far I had only used a DRM PDF so I thought the nook was excellent with PDFs. Then I put one on that wasn't DRMed and got stuck with that awful Quickoffice viewer. I agree that I want to find a way now to put Adobe DRM on so I can use the much better book viewer to read PDF files. Hopefully this can be fixed with a firmware update. We should be able to choose which viewer we want. The quickoffice one is fine for image heavy stuff, but regular text books are much better in the book viewer.

12-11-2010, 10:32 AM	#27
jswinden Nameless Being	I wonder if using a program like Adobe Acrobat Pro would accomplish the DRMing you two wish to do. Whichever program you use, I think it would have to use ADE for the DRMing. I haven't viewed any DRMed PDFs yet, but is the book reader app really better than Quickoffice for PDFs. I'm not sure I would want to view an 8.5" x 11" PDF in portrait only. On the eInk readers zooming is a pain and far from a pleasure. I like the landscape view I get in Quickoffice for large sized PDFs, especially if they are scanned documents as they probably want have searching anyway.

12-11-2010, 02:02 PM	#29
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,871 Karma: 36507503 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	I agree if you have heavy text PDFs which are hundreds of pages, then the book viewer has bookmarks, table of contents and remembers last page read. If you have a shorter PDF which is graphics intensive or multi-column, then the QuickOffice viewer is the way to go. There are pros and cons to each method and that's why it would be nice to chose. I think the only way to create a DRM'ed book is to use the Adobe Content Server software. I do have Adobe Acrobat Pro v9. At the moment the only way I see around this problem is to convert text-heavy PDF's to EPUB's, which usually creates other formatting issues and requires time / effort.

12-17-2010, 12:51 AM	#30
mikevarela Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: NOOK Color	Boowork_girl is right. I was actualy gonna post this but forgot. I've been using a free app for mac (though it's windows too) to convert PDF to epub. The files stay in pdf, but a secondary epub book is created. So far this works well for using the book viewer and not quickoffice, however the software kinda breaks format of the page and though not a huge issue, it's not liek having a copy of the pdf. Words are still there and everything, but formatting is a little off. I think i should play a little more with it before I draw my conclusions, but it appears that this is the way to go for reading. Then is in the future an app comes along, or the OS is updated, then at least I still have the PDF's The software is called CALIBRE

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