Formatting for this device

Frogsmasha · 09-22-2006, 03:19 PM

Does anyone know any formatting guidelines for this device? I have some files stored, and when viewed with notepad or other programs, they tend to look a little cluttered. So I am wondering if anyone knows how I can prepare some of the files I have for the new Sony Reader, rather than scrambling when I have the device in hand.

Thanks alot.

NatCh · 09-22-2006, 03:50 PM

We sort of discussed that in July, I think ... here you go.

My best guess (which came out of that discussion) on PDF sizing was 3.54” X 4.85” with a .03” margin or 89.9mm X 123.2 mm with a .76 mm margin.

That ought to be a good place to start experimenting, anyway.

Of course, we can't really know until we do have Readers to experiment on....

Frogsmasha · 09-22-2006, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NatCh

We sort of discussed that in July, I think ... here you go.

My best guess (which came out of that discussion) on PDF sizing was 3.54” X 4.85” with a .03” margin or 89.9mm X 123.2 mm with a .76 mm margin.

That ought to be a good place to start experimenting, anyway.

Of course, we can't really know until we do have Readers to experiment on....

Good deal. I didn't think about searching for anything since the device isn't out yet. I greatly appreciate that link :-)

I hope it's quite easy to format the various file types I have.

NatCh · 09-22-2006, 05:00 PM

If all else fails, you ought to be able to slap them into RTF format.

Michele · 10-02-2006, 10:31 PM

Same topic, different question (I hope I'm not getting annoying): how would I go about using this novel on the Reader? It's there on the page in html, zipped in html, and in pdf (the files are formatted with 2 pages side-by-side).

Would I somehow convert it to rtf? Or just copy/paste it into a Word document and let the Reader software convert it to rtf? Or does it need to be formatted to the size page in the Reader somehow?

Once I get some of these basics understood, I won't bug you so much, I promise.

Some of my favorite sf authors are free under CC licenses.

ultim8fury · 10-02-2006, 10:48 PM

I used the free html to rtf software from http://htmltortf.com the one on the far right of the screen did the job fine. How it displays on the reader, I have yet to determine.

bingle · 10-03-2006, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ultim8fury

I used the free html to rtf software from http://htmltortf.com the one on the far right of the screen did the job fine. How it displays on the reader, I have yet to determine.

I used this software also. Using a font size of 18 makes for nice large readable text (the default is 10, which is readable but a little squinty. Somewhere in the middle might be a nicer balance...).

One downside is that the software doesn't seem to be able to handle smart quotes and m-dashes and things. I got some weird character sequences when converting Eastern Standard Tribe - a few quick Find and Replaces fixed it, though.

All in all, though, this software is really useful. Thanks for the link! I wish there were a few more options, and I wish I didn't have to browse for both input and output each time, but minor niggles. :-) I'm also going to try out BookDesigner and see how that conversion process goes.

Kosst Amojan · 10-03-2006, 09:38 AM

What's wrong with opening html in Word and saving as an RTF?

ultim8fury · 10-03-2006, 09:57 AM

You can only do one at a time in word. htmltortf does batch processing, makes a lot more sense if you have a few files to do.

Michele · 10-03-2006, 12:25 PM

Thanks for the info. I just opened Eastern Standard Tribe in Word, and got weird characters on every line.

As for PDF it sounds like normal pdf formatting isn't ideal for the Reader. I've never manipulated pdf files, so I don't know if this can be done, but is it possible to create some kind of macro or program to run pdf documents through to custom-format it for the Reader? Is there a way to do it manually?

09-22-2006, 03:19 PM	#1
Frogsmasha Connoisseur Posts: 88 Karma: 10 Join Date: Aug 2006	Formatting for this device Does anyone know any formatting guidelines for this device? I have some files stored, and when viewed with notepad or other programs, they tend to look a little cluttered. So I am wondering if anyone knows how I can prepare some of the files I have for the new Sony Reader, rather than scrambling when I have the device in hand. Thanks alot.

10-03-2006, 12:25 PM	#10
Michele Addict Posts: 209 Karma: 999496 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: California Device: Kindle 3	Thanks for the info. I just opened Eastern Standard Tribe in Word, and got weird characters on every line. As for PDF it sounds like normal pdf formatting isn't ideal for the Reader. I've never manipulated pdf files, so I don't know if this can be done, but is it possible to create some kind of macro or program to run pdf documents through to custom-format it for the Reader? Is there a way to do it manually? Last edited by Michele; 10-03-2006 at 12:38 PM.

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09-22-2006, 03:50 PM	#2
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	We sort of discussed that in July, I think ... here you go. My best guess (which came out of that discussion) on PDF sizing was 3.54” X 4.85” with a .03” margin or 89.9mm X 123.2 mm with a .76 mm margin. That ought to be a good place to start experimenting, anyway. Of course, we can't really know until we do have Readers to experiment on....

09-22-2006, 05:00 PM	#4
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	If all else fails, you ought to be able to slap them into RTF format.

10-02-2006, 10:31 PM	#5
Michele Addict Posts: 209 Karma: 999496 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: California Device: Kindle 3	Same topic, different question (I hope I'm not getting annoying): how would I go about using this novel on the Reader? It's there on the page in html, zipped in html, and in pdf (the files are formatted with 2 pages side-by-side). Would I somehow convert it to rtf? Or just copy/paste it into a Word document and let the Reader software convert it to rtf? Or does it need to be formatted to the size page in the Reader somehow? Once I get some of these basics understood, I won't bug you so much, I promise. Some of my favorite sf authors are free under CC licenses.

10-02-2006, 10:48 PM	#6
ultim8fury Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 368 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK Device: PRS500, Looking at 700	I used the free html to rtf software from http://htmltortf.com the one on the far right of the screen did the job fine. How it displays on the reader, I have yet to determine.

10-03-2006, 09:38 AM	#8
Kosst Amojan Addict Posts: 207 Karma: 19597 Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Northern Virginia Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	What's wrong with opening html in Word and saving as an RTF?

10-03-2006, 09:57 AM	#9
ultim8fury Addict Posts: 219 Karma: 368 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: UK Device: PRS500, Looking at 700	You can only do one at a time in word. htmltortf does batch processing, makes a lot more sense if you have a few files to do.