PRS 505 PDF Support

Cassy · 04-03-2009, 01:16 AM

Hi everyone,

I've finally narrowed my choices down to the PRS 505 or the 700 and my main issue at the moment is PDF support VS Better screen clarity!

So what I would love to know is how well supported DRM-free PDF's are on the PRS 505. Are they still easily readable and/or easy to convert to a better format?

Can't wait to decide one so I can finally get my hands on it!
Thanks in advance

pepak · 04-03-2009, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cassy

So what I would love to know is how well supported DRM-free PDF's are on the PRS 505. Are they still easily readable and/or easy to convert to a better format?

What do you mean, "still"? PDF has never been easy to convert. Readable, it depends - if your PDF contains a plaintext layer, then yes, it is quite readable on PRS-505 (and presumably 700, too).

Cassy · 04-03-2009, 01:34 AM

I have heard that the 700 has the best PDF support with the abilty to zoom in etc
and people have said this makes a huge difference reading pdfs but if the 505 was able to read PDF fine (just without the extra features) then my decision would be made.

The converting was something I had read in passing but had no idea about!

I think I will have to look into plaintext layers...

Thanks for your help ^^

Curly · 04-03-2009, 02:30 AM

What kind of PDFs do you want to read on it? Books with diagrams, charts, tables etc don't convert well at all on the 505. I don't know about 700 though.

Cassy · 04-03-2009, 02:45 AM

opps should have specified!

No diagrams or graphs, just text. A few of them might have a table of contents with links to the correct section but that's about the extent of it.

gwynevans · 04-03-2009, 03:59 AM

If it's just text, then it should be readable, although the formatting in terms of page breaks will be a bit hit & miss - Are you able to put such a PDF on an SD card & take it along to a retailer & try it?

Cassy · 04-03-2009, 04:56 AM

Unfortunately not! I live in Australia so no eReaders for me

Curly · 04-03-2009, 05:14 AM

As gwynevens says PDFs which are only text should be readable. They are best read at 'medium' font size and there will be frequent page breaks. I don't mind them for free books or library books, but I won't buy a PDF.

I seem to remember a thread which had screen shots, but I can't find it. There is a discussion about the 505 and PDFs on this thread.

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39568

Jill75 · 04-03-2009, 06:56 AM

If you are basically reading PDFs that are texts only, then it would not be a problem, although some have page or hard line break problems but that is minimal. I have some academic books in PDF format and it is no problem for me.

roger64 · 04-03-2009, 07:19 AM

If your original pdf is not scanned (very often quality problems and looong corrections) and not DRM, you can use Acrobat to save it very quickly as rtf, insert it within an ad hoc format 9x12, modify it with justified text and Times New Roman 12 (example of course) and export it again, either as pdf or any other format. Then it fits exactly your 505 window and reading is perfect. You also can add easily images or maps. I often use Google Images.

Looks long and you'll need to get used to. Really it's not that long. Maybe thirty minutes. I find it worthwhile for quality books.

Cassy · 04-04-2009, 05:03 AM

I think my decision is made then, 505 it is! Thanks everyone for your help!

Curly · 04-04-2009, 05:19 AM

You'll love it! Let us know how you get on.

frabjous · 04-04-2009, 09:16 AM

Here's some links to a number of tools that you might use to make PDFs easier to read on your Sony:

PDFLRF
Rasterfarian
PDFread
SoPDF
PaperCrop

I use PDFLRF for scanned PDFs, and SoPDF for PDFs that are already text-based, personally. And I pretty much always get usable results, even with academic PDFs with mathematical formulae, etc.

astra · 04-04-2009, 06:29 PM

I don't like PDF support on 505. Any of PDF files I tested didn't pass the test. Reflow is just horrible. However, what makes you think that 700 is better? Yes, it has a better zoom feature that allegedly should be helpful, yet......the reader doesn't remember zoom setting when you turn page. It means that when you read a pdf file on 700 with zoom, you will have to set zoom every time you turn a page which IMHO is a chore.

So, be warned about 700's zoom.

Cassy · 04-06-2009, 12:17 AM

I did just read about the zoom issue with the 700- which is disappointing!

In doing this further research though, a lot of the pro 700 people have said the 505 is very slow in loading files/selecting a particular page etc.

Is this acutally an issue?

(Sorry if I should have started a new thread >.< )

04-03-2009, 01:16 AM	#1
Cassy Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 22 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Silver Sony PRS 505	PRS 505 PDF Support Hi everyone, I've finally narrowed my choices down to the PRS 505 or the 700 and my main issue at the moment is PDF support VS Better screen clarity! So what I would love to know is how well supported DRM-free PDF's are on the PRS 505. Are they still easily readable and/or easy to convert to a better format? Can't wait to decide one so I can finally get my hands on it! Thanks in advance

04-03-2009, 07:19 AM	#10
roger64 Wizard Posts: 2,608 Karma: 3000161 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kindle PW3 (wifi)	If your original pdf is not scanned (very often quality problems and looong corrections) and not DRM, you can use Acrobat to save it very quickly as rtf, insert it within an ad hoc format 9x12, modify it with justified text and Times New Roman 12 (example of course) and export it again, either as pdf or any other format. Then it fits exactly your 505 window and reading is perfect. You also can add easily images or maps. I often use Google Images. Looks long and you'll need to get used to. Really it's not that long. Maybe thirty minutes. I find it worthwhile for quality books. Last edited by roger64; 04-03-2009 at 07:23 AM.

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04-03-2009, 01:34 AM	#3
Cassy Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 22 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Silver Sony PRS 505	I have heard that the 700 has the best PDF support with the abilty to zoom in etc and people have said this makes a huge difference reading pdfs but if the 505 was able to read PDF fine (just without the extra features) then my decision would be made. The converting was something I had read in passing but had no idea about! I think I will have to look into plaintext layers... Thanks for your help ^^

04-03-2009, 02:30 AM	#4
Curly I need a holiday! Posts: 1,227 Karma: 4622 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Scotland Device: PRS-505, ipod touch	What kind of PDFs do you want to read on it? Books with diagrams, charts, tables etc don't convert well at all on the 505. I don't know about 700 though.

04-03-2009, 02:45 AM	#5
Cassy Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 22 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Silver Sony PRS 505	opps should have specified! No diagrams or graphs, just text. A few of them might have a table of contents with links to the correct section but that's about the extent of it.

04-03-2009, 03:59 AM	#6
gwynevans Wizzard Posts: 1,402 Karma: 2000000 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: UK Device: iPad 2, iPhone 6s, Kindle Voyage & Kindle PaperWhite	If it's just text, then it should be readable, although the formatting in terms of page breaks will be a bit hit & miss - Are you able to put such a PDF on an SD card & take it along to a retailer & try it?

04-03-2009, 04:56 AM	#7
Cassy Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 22 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Silver Sony PRS 505	Unfortunately not! I live in Australia so no eReaders for me

04-03-2009, 05:14 AM	#8
Curly I need a holiday! Posts: 1,227 Karma: 4622 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Scotland Device: PRS-505, ipod touch	As gwynevens says PDFs which are only text should be readable. They are best read at 'medium' font size and there will be frequent page breaks. I don't mind them for free books or library books, but I won't buy a PDF. I seem to remember a thread which had screen shots, but I can't find it. There is a discussion about the 505 and PDFs on this thread. https://www.mobileread.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39568

04-03-2009, 06:56 AM	#9
Jill75 Zealot Posts: 135 Karma: 150 Join Date: Mar 2009 Device: none	If you are basically reading PDFs that are texts only, then it would not be a problem, although some have page or hard line break problems but that is minimal. I have some academic books in PDF format and it is no problem for me.

04-04-2009, 05:03 AM	#11
Cassy Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 22 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Silver Sony PRS 505	I think my decision is made then, 505 it is! Thanks everyone for your help!

04-04-2009, 05:19 AM	#12
Curly I need a holiday! Posts: 1,227 Karma: 4622 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Scotland Device: PRS-505, ipod touch	You'll love it! Let us know how you get on.

04-04-2009, 09:16 AM	#13
frabjous Wizard Posts: 1,213 Karma: 12890 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Amherst, Massachusetts, USA Device: Sony PRS-505	Here's some links to a number of tools that you might use to make PDFs easier to read on your Sony: PDFLRF Rasterfarian PDFread SoPDF PaperCrop I use PDFLRF for scanned PDFs, and SoPDF for PDFs that are already text-based, personally. And I pretty much always get usable results, even with academic PDFs with mathematical formulae, etc.

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04-04-2009, 06:29 PM	#14
astra The Introvert Posts: 8,307 Karma: 1000077497 Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: United Kingdom Device: Sony Reader PRS-650 & 505 & 500	I don't like PDF support on 505. Any of PDF files I tested didn't pass the test. Reflow is just horrible. However, what makes you think that 700 is better? Yes, it has a better zoom feature that allegedly should be helpful, yet......the reader doesn't remember zoom setting when you turn page. It means that when you read a pdf file on 700 with zoom, you will have to set zoom every time you turn a page which IMHO is a chore. So, be warned about 700's zoom.

04-06-2009, 12:17 AM	#15
Cassy Zealot Posts: 106 Karma: 22 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Silver Sony PRS 505	I did just read about the zoom issue with the 700- which is disappointing! In doing this further research though, a lot of the pro 700 people have said the 505 is very slow in loading files/selecting a particular page etc. Is this acutally an issue? (Sorry if I should have started a new thread >.< )