help converting math text .pdf to readable kindle file

bkap202 · 01-22-2011, 04:30 PM

Hey,
Just got my fiance a kindle, she goes to school online at university of phoenix, and her math textbooks are in pdf format. Tried transferring it so she can read them on her kindle and it loses the format, rendering algebra and just the general format of the page into gibberish. Tried using Calibre (not that good with the setting, but played around for a while, no success) sending the pdf directly, using amazons conversion service, nothing. Does anyone have any idea how I could convert these pdf's without them losing format into .mobi or anything the kindle can read without losing format? if anyone wants the file to play around with so they can see what I am talking about I will attach. Any help would be greatly appreciated

wallcraft · 01-22-2011, 04:55 PM

There is no good way to convert a math text to any reflowable format. With MOBI, in particular, the equations have to be replaced by images. This is hard to do for the author of the ebook, and impossible for an automatic PDF converter.

Your best bet is to improve the PDFs to make them easier to read on the Kindle as PDFs. If they are double column they can be split into one column, and the margins can always be stripped. Two possible tools are soPDF and BRISS. These are PDF to PDF converters. There are also PDF to image (in MOBI or in PDF) converters, one of the most popular is PDFRead.

A 6" screen isn't good for PDFs, so in the end all of these approaches could fail to produce acceptable results. A Kindle DX would handle PDFs better, even though the K3's PDF capabilities are improved somewhat over the KDX.

DrShakalu · 11-30-2011, 12:47 PM

Hi,
did you find any solution for your problem? I've the same problem and no idea how to solve it...

earthbear · 02-15-2012, 07:15 PM

Use k2pdfopt - it formats the pdf pretty well (although there are still a few images that are dodge)
http://www.willus.com/k2pdfopt/

Then use calibre to convert to MOBI

Hope that works!

EDIT: Other advice would be to separate chapters by printing to pdf as math textbooks are VERY large.
Also number lines go a bit crazy :P
Also separating tables of values and exercises into one file is a good idea for easy access

mauriciorendonm · 08-04-2012, 12:48 PM

Hi. i think I may find a solution for this problem. I resigned to convert pdf files into any format. (Excuse my english). You could view the file in pdf format in yor kindle. But you have to do two things before that. First: read it in horizontal mode. You can do this in the menu on the pdf screen. Second: open the pdf file you want to read in your computer, then go to Edition, then go to Accessibility; then go to settings helper (ayudante de configuración in spanish) click next until you reach the "cancel expansion" (anular ampliación in spanish), activate that cell. Then select the level of increase you want (i prefer 2) an save it. When you read it in horizontal mode in your kindle you"ll be capable to read it without getting blind. Hope you find this helpful. I study economics, so you can see how important is mathematical text in pdf format for me.

01-22-2011, 04:30 PM	#1
bkap202 Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2011 Device: kindle 3	help converting math text .pdf to readable kindle file Hey, Just got my fiance a kindle, she goes to school online at university of phoenix, and her math textbooks are in pdf format. Tried transferring it so she can read them on her kindle and it loses the format, rendering algebra and just the general format of the page into gibberish. Tried using Calibre (not that good with the setting, but played around for a while, no success) sending the pdf directly, using amazons conversion service, nothing. Does anyone have any idea how I could convert these pdf's without them losing format into .mobi or anything the kindle can read without losing format? if anyone wants the file to play around with so they can see what I am talking about I will attach. Any help would be greatly appreciated

01-22-2011, 04:55 PM	#2
wallcraft reader Posts: 6,975 Karma: 5183568 Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Mississippi, USA Device: Kindle 3, Kobo Glo HD	There is no good way to convert a math text to any reflowable format. With MOBI, in particular, the equations have to be replaced by images. This is hard to do for the author of the ebook, and impossible for an automatic PDF converter. Your best bet is to improve the PDFs to make them easier to read on the Kindle as PDFs. If they are double column they can be split into one column, and the margins can always be stripped. Two possible tools are soPDF and BRISS. These are PDF to PDF converters. There are also PDF to image (in MOBI or in PDF) converters, one of the most popular is PDFRead. A 6" screen isn't good for PDFs, so in the end all of these approaches could fail to produce acceptable results. A Kindle DX would handle PDFs better, even though the K3's PDF capabilities are improved somewhat over the KDX. Last edited by wallcraft; 01-22-2011 at 04:58 PM.

02-15-2012, 07:15 PM	#4
earthbear Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Feb 2012 Device: Kindle Touch	Use k2pdfopt - it formats the pdf pretty well (although there are still a few images that are dodge) http://www.willus.com/k2pdfopt/ Then use calibre to convert to MOBI Hope that works! EDIT: Other advice would be to separate chapters by printing to pdf as math textbooks are VERY large. Also number lines go a bit crazy :P Also separating tables of values and exercises into one file is a good idea for easy access Last edited by earthbear; 02-15-2012 at 07:33 PM. Reason: Additional advice

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11-30-2011, 12:47 PM	#3
DrShakalu Junior Member Posts: 4 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2011 Device: Kindle v4	Hi, did you find any solution for your problem? I've the same problem and no idea how to solve it...

08-04-2012, 12:48 PM	#5
mauriciorendonm Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2012 Device: kindle touch	Hi. i think I may find a solution for this problem. I resigned to convert pdf files into any format. (Excuse my english). You could view the file in pdf format in yor kindle. But you have to do two things before that. First: read it in horizontal mode. You can do this in the menu on the pdf screen. Second: open the pdf file you want to read in your computer, then go to Edition, then go to Accessibility; then go to settings helper (ayudante de configuración in spanish) click next until you reach the "cancel expansion" (anular ampliación in spanish), activate that cell. Then select the level of increase you want (i prefer 2) an save it. When you read it in horizontal mode in your kindle you"ll be capable to read it without getting blind. Hope you find this helpful. I study economics, so you can see how important is mathematical text in pdf format for me.

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