How good is PDF support on Kindle?

jian1 · 09-04-2011, 10:12 PM

I have heard the new firmware having decent PDF support, true?

taking notes, annotation, index, &searching is what I needed, reflow isn't necessary.

My books are mostly academic math/physics PDF files.

My current Onyx Boox M90 is really poor at its buggy firmware that barely functioning well, thinking about swap to a Kindle DX..... The only thing I liked about M90 is its PDF support.

kranu · 09-05-2011, 01:50 AM

Yes, the new firmware has decent PDF support. However, this firmware is only available on the 6" Kindle, not the Kindle DX. Fortunately, there is a hack to get the Kindle 3 firmware on the Kindle DX.

thomass · 09-05-2011, 04:10 AM

duokan has a very good pdf support (like margin crop, column, fit to width, ..etc) you can install it safely.(it is an independent OS for Kindle) , No hack is required.

sorin · 09-05-2011, 06:30 AM

I use Abby Finereader for converting PDF file in HTML format and then convert in mobi with Calibre.

trekchick · 09-05-2011, 01:40 PM

I thought my Kindle DXg had the absolute best screen for viewing PDFs, but its lack of features (no TOC, no annotations) made it frustrating to use for PDFs. I like Kindle for general reading, but Sony has the best out of the box support for PDF that I've found.

With Sony, you can make notes with the on-screen keyboard or draw them with your finger or stylus. You can even make drawings/diagrams directly on the screen (separate from a "note"). You can see/sort all of the notes on your device (for research, I start notes with #topic to sort like-content together, regardless of source). And you can import your notes to your computer, using the Sony Reader Library software (which might be the only good feature the Reader Library software has). Sony even has a special page mode (2 modes on the 950) that displays columnar PDFs in sections, just like you'd read them - this is very useful for improving readability while preserving complex layouts (e.g. columns with graphics, tables, charts etc.) that would be sacrificed by reflow.

There's a new Sony (PRS-T1) coming out soon, but the current version can be found used. If going for a used one, stick to the PRS-x50 line (950 has a 7" screen, 650 has 6", 350 has 5").

screwballl · 09-05-2011, 03:51 PM

I found that too often, a reasonable sized PDF ends up some 100MB+ behemoth when converted to Mobi. My last one became a 328MB mobi file. So as long as the text is fairly clear then using calibre to convert from PDF to text actually works well for me since i just want to read, not have all the extra text formatting and spacing. For me this can help cut back the number of actual pages down quite a bit, rather than having 10-50 pages with just a title, chapter name or little usable info... but that is my preference.

09-04-2011, 10:12 PM	#1
jian1 Banned Posts: 140 Karma: 5766 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: Onyx Boox M92	How good is PDF support on Kindle? I have heard the new firmware having decent PDF support, true? taking notes, annotation, index, &searching is what I needed, reflow isn't necessary. My books are mostly academic math/physics PDF files. My current Onyx Boox M90 is really poor at its buggy firmware that barely functioning well, thinking about swap to a Kindle DX..... The only thing I liked about M90 is its PDF support.

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09-05-2011, 01:50 AM	#2
kranu I <3 my Kindle Posts: 528 Karma: 51332 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: United States Device: Kindle 3G + WiFi	Yes, the new firmware has decent PDF support. However, this firmware is only available on the 6" Kindle, not the Kindle DX. Fortunately, there is a hack to get the Kindle 3 firmware on the Kindle DX.

09-05-2011, 04:10 AM	#3
thomass Wizard Posts: 1,669 Karma: 2300001 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Türkiye Device: Kindle 5.3.7	duokan has a very good pdf support (like margin crop, column, fit to width, ..etc) you can install it safely.(it is an independent OS for Kindle) , No hack is required.

09-05-2011, 06:30 AM	#4
sorin Connoisseur Posts: 73 Karma: 44 Join Date: Sep 2010 Device: kindle 3	I use Abby Finereader for converting PDF file in HTML format and then convert in mobi with Calibre.

09-05-2011, 01:40 PM	#5
trekchick Lurker Posts: 226 Karma: 9245 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Walton, KY Device: Sonys and Kindles and Nooks, oh my!	I thought my Kindle DXg had the absolute best screen for viewing PDFs, but its lack of features (no TOC, no annotations) made it frustrating to use for PDFs. I like Kindle for general reading, but Sony has the best out of the box support for PDF that I've found. With Sony, you can make notes with the on-screen keyboard or draw them with your finger or stylus. You can even make drawings/diagrams directly on the screen (separate from a "note"). You can see/sort all of the notes on your device (for research, I start notes with #topic to sort like-content together, regardless of source). And you can import your notes to your computer, using the Sony Reader Library software (which might be the only good feature the Reader Library software has). Sony even has a special page mode (2 modes on the 950) that displays columnar PDFs in sections, just like you'd read them - this is very useful for improving readability while preserving complex layouts (e.g. columns with graphics, tables, charts etc.) that would be sacrificed by reflow. There's a new Sony (PRS-T1) coming out soon, but the current version can be found used. If going for a used one, stick to the PRS-x50 line (950 has a 7" screen, 650 has 6", 350 has 5").

09-05-2011, 03:51 PM	#6
screwballl NewKindler Posts: 504 Karma: 1865773 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: NWFL Device: Kindle3 Wifi	I found that too often, a reasonable sized PDF ends up some 100MB+ behemoth when converted to Mobi. My last one became a 328MB mobi file. So as long as the text is fairly clear then using calibre to convert from PDF to text actually works well for me since i just want to read, not have all the extra text formatting and spacing. For me this can help cut back the number of actual pages down quite a bit, rather than having 10-50 pages with just a title, chapter name or little usable info... but that is my preference.

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