PDF to Mobi conversion problem

DavidJD · 10-03-2009, 02:36 PM

I've been using Calibre for a while to convert files to Mobi format for my Kindle 2, and have had pretty good luck so far with PDF files. But just now I used Calibre 0.6.13 to convert a text-based PDF file, and the output was mostly a Document Outline containing a long list of BMP files (but not the text).

I assume the PDF is text based because I can select text in a PDF reader and copy and paste it to a text editor; it is a rather large file, though, and the table of contents is the same list of BMP files.

What am I missing here? Is the PDF reader (Foxit Reader) doing OCR on the fly? Does Calibre not do that?

kovidgoyal · 10-03-2009, 03:56 PM

hard to say without being able to see the file in question. Can you extract a couple of pages and post them? calibre definitely doesn't do OCR and I doubt Foxit does either.

DavidJD · 10-03-2009, 04:19 PM

I used PDF Split and Merge to extract three pages (file attached). In Foxit I can see the three pages, but as converted by Calibre to Mobi, I can see only the first page (16) and then a list of BMP files.

kovidgoyal · 10-03-2009, 04:27 PM

That's an image based PDF

Jellby · 10-04-2009, 05:15 AM

It could have a text layer under the image, though, and that's why it allows text selecting

DavidJD · 10-04-2009, 11:14 AM

So would it be possible for Calibre to grab the text layer only?

kovidgoyal · 10-04-2009, 11:27 AM

Not at the moment. When my rewrite of the PDF conversion engine is done perhaps.

10-03-2009, 02:36 PM	#1
DavidJD Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindle2	PDF to Mobi conversion problem I've been using Calibre for a while to convert files to Mobi format for my Kindle 2, and have had pretty good luck so far with PDF files. But just now I used Calibre 0.6.13 to convert a text-based PDF file, and the output was mostly a Document Outline containing a long list of BMP files (but not the text). I assume the PDF is text based because I can select text in a PDF reader and copy and paste it to a text editor; it is a rather large file, though, and the table of contents is the same list of BMP files. What am I missing here? Is the PDF reader (Foxit Reader) doing OCR on the fly? Does Calibre not do that?

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10-03-2009, 03:56 PM	#2
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 44,413 Karma: 23977332 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	hard to say without being able to see the file in question. Can you extract a couple of pages and post them? calibre definitely doesn't do OCR and I doubt Foxit does either.

10-03-2009, 04:27 PM	#4
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 44,413 Karma: 23977332 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	That's an image based PDF

10-04-2009, 05:15 AM	#5
Jellby frumious Bandersnatch Posts: 7,536 Karma: 19000001 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Spaniard in Sweden Device: Cybook Orizon, Kobo Aura	It could have a text layer under the image, though, and that's why it allows text selecting

10-04-2009, 11:14 AM	#6
DavidJD Junior Member Posts: 8 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2009 Device: Kindle2	So would it be possible for Calibre to grab the text layer only?

10-04-2009, 11:27 AM	#7
kovidgoyal creator of calibre Posts: 44,413 Karma: 23977332 Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Mumbai, India Device: Various	Not at the moment. When my rewrite of the PDF conversion engine is done perhaps.

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