Kindle Paperwhite edit PDF margins?

[bseos]

I have alot of textbook i have despined and converted to pdf's with clearscan so they are decently readable.
However it seems the text is too small for my liking.
If i can remove or reduce the kindles margins on pdf's it would be perfect.

tldr; How to reduce margins when viewing PDF's?

[eschwartz]

That's an issue with the PDF itself. PDF is a horrible format for converting or editing in any way, and it is also the worst format in regards to readability on an e-ink device. And if you scanned it, chances are your PDFs are nothing but a series of pictures.

If the textbooks don't have a lot of pictures, you may want to scan it into an ePub, rather than a PDF.

If that doesn't work for you, and your PDFs are NOT the aforementioned series of pictures, you can try k2pdfopt which has various settings to make it easier to read PDFs on a small device. It can reformat double columns, cut off margins, etc. But I am fairly certain that none of it will work on an image-based PDF as is common with straight-up scans. You would have to edit the pictures themselves to produce any changes, there's no such thing as parsing the text and reflowing it. Though the margins might work to crop out any extraneous space around the picture (not space IN the picture), if there is any.

I would seriously suggest using a tablet though, if you want to read PDFs.

[dsmid]

Try installing KOReader on your Kindle.
It can trim the margins, reflow the PDF document (i.e. change font size) and much much more.

[markom]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

...

If that doesn't work for you, and your PDFs are NOT the aforementioned series of pictures, you can try k2pdfopt which has various settings to make it easier to read PDFs on a small device. It can reformat double columns, cut off margins, etc. But I am fairly certain that none of it will work on an image-based PDF as is common with straight-up scans. You would have to edit the pictures themselves to produce any changes, there's no such thing as parsing the text and reflowing it. Though the margins might work to crop out any extraneous space around the picture (not space IN the picture), if there is any.

I would seriously suggest using a tablet though, if you want to read PDFs.

It will work on scans (image-based PDFs, with or without ocr layer in the background) as well, including text reflow.

Originally Posted by bseos

I have alot of textbook i have despined and converted to pdf's with clearscan so they are decently readable.
However it seems the text is too small for my liking.
If i can remove or reduce the kindles margins on pdf's it would be perfect.

tldr; How to reduce margins when viewing PDF's?

For more info on k2pdfopt and other cropping apps and methods there is PDF sub-forum.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=184

[bseos]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

That's an issue with the PDF itself. PDF is a horrible format for converting or editing in any way, and it is also the worst format in regards to readability on an e-ink device. And if you scanned it, chances are your PDFs are nothing but a series of pictures.

If the textbooks don't have a lot of pictures, you may want to scan it into an ePub, rather than a PDF.

If that doesn't work for you, and your PDFs are NOT the aforementioned series of pictures, you can try k2pdfopt which has various settings to make it easier to read PDFs on a small device. It can reformat double columns, cut off margins, etc. But I am fairly certain that none of it will work on an image-based PDF as is common with straight-up scans. You would have to edit the pictures themselves to produce any changes, there's no such thing as parsing the text and reflowing it. Though the margins might work to crop out any extraneous space around the picture (not space IN the picture), if there is any.

I would seriously suggest using a tablet though, if you want to read PDFs.

It's a programming textbook, so even if i was to convert to mobi or epub format etc.. it would lose all formatting and indentations.

I scanned the textbook with Adobe ClearScan which makes the text so much more readable and adds a layer of text over what it can't detect.

I have been using programs (briss) to crop out any white space from within the pdf itself.


PDF is perfectly viewable in landscape mode.

However if i could edit the top/bottom margins on the kindle it would also be good enough to view in portrait.

[tomsem]

I would (and have) crop the top/bottom margins before putting it on Kindle. It does help a little bit. The experience can be further improved by adding page labels (corresponding to what the book has), bookmarks, and any navigation links you might want. Paperwhite supports all of those things.

If you want on device manual cropping, Sony Readers (or at least T series) do that, you can probably pick up a used one for well under $100.

I will not be one to tell you to use a tablet, as if you had not considered that. The PDF support of Paperwhite is useful enough, better than that of many other ereaders, and it's an option I wouldn't want to be without.

[markom]

Originally Posted by bseos

...

However if i could edit the top/bottom margins on the kindle it would also be good enough to view in portrait.

k2pdfopt will do that automatically for you.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...9&postcount=11

example:

fit-to-width portraite mode in k2pdfopt for A4 single-column optik.pdf file from k2pdfopt site.

http://www.willus.com/k2pdfopt/help/native.shtml

First i've created that bitmaped optik_bitmap.pdf from original vector optik.pdf, using copy function in k2pdfopt, so that it better matches your case (OCR-ed pdf image).

Then i've processed it in k2pdfopt using fitwidth mode with unchecked rotate-to-landscape box, resulting after a few seconds in optik_fitwidth_portraite file (pictures on the left).

Since single-column text in A4 (8.2" x 11.7") optik.pdf file is about 6" wide, it is not a great idea to read it on Paperwhite's 3.5" wide screen(portraite mode), but rather to use k2pdfopt for its landscape mode, 4.7" wide, by keeping the rotate-to-landscape box checked (pictures on the right).

rotate-to-landscape box unchecked box checked


But as already mentioned by dsmid, since you own Paperwhite, it will be even easier and quicker to install KOReader and then to zoom into your pdf using its many zooming options like fit-to-document-content-width (if your scanned pdf has got OCR layer), otherwise you can use other zooming options there like two-point-cropping (for odd and even pages) similar to cropping with Briss app, zooming by percentage 2,4,8 etc. or reflow mode for scans (also based on k2pdfopt engine).

[feliciano]

The problem with the PW is that the preset margins of the device are too big, the up and down margins make you lose about 1 inch diagonally, and there is no way to remedy this by changing or cropping the PDF file, since the size of the PDF file will always be about 5" instead of the 6" that is the size of PWs screen.

This is why there MUST be a way to reduce PWs preset margins. Some PDFs are so small and difficult to read. PLUS you can't change the font size on PDFs! It's ridiculous, it's like Amazon is trying to bug the hell out of its customers!

The Sony, for example, shows the PDF in the full 6", allows you to crop, change letter size, etc. The mere fact that you're looking at the document in 6" instead of PWs 5" makes the PDF MUCH easier to read. Shame on Amazon.

[markom]

Originally Posted by feliciano

The problem with the PW is that the preset margins of the device are too big, the up and down margins make you lose about 1 inch diagonally, and there is no way to remedy this by changing or cropping the PDF file, since the size of the PDF file will always be about 5" instead of the 6" that is the size of PWs screen.

This is why there MUST be a way to reduce PWs preset margins. Some PDFs are so small and difficult to read. PLUS you can't change the font size on PDFs! It's ridiculous, it's like Amazon is trying to bug the hell out of its customers!

The Sony, for example, shows the PDF in the full 6", allows you to crop, change letter size, etc. The mere fact that you're looking at the document in 6" instead of PWs 5" makes the PDF MUCH easier to read. Shame on Amazon.

Both Duokan and KOReader (KPV for older Kindles) are featuring better pdf readers and are using the whole screen.

Kindle Paperwhite with Duokan 2013
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...Yis5BnAI#t=236
from 4:00 min.