PDF to ePUB/Mobi Converter for $21 today

[jj2me]

At BitsDuJour.

Comments say it doesn't work on 64-bit Windows. Decent license agreement: single user, can transfer to another computer, free upgrades for life, free support for one year, 7-day return.

Sorry, haven't tried it, it's the last nice day in the northeast, gotta go out!

[Bikeridr]

OK, so I read the "brag page" and also the comments.
What exactly is it that this software can do, which the free Calibre can't?

[jj2me]

Originally Posted by Bikeridr

What exactly is it that this software can do, which the free Calibre can't?

Here's a post (post #12 in this thread) written today that says using Calibre to convert PDFs is "all wrong."

"If that is the case, convert your PDFs to HTML, and then to EPUB/MOBI
there is some free software to convert PDF2HTML making the tables in to images that works quite nicely.

If you are using some program such as calibre/stanza or whatever it is you're doing it all wrong.

manually convert pdf => html
after you get that right, you can take the html into any format and you'll get a perfect document. "

I read that, went looking for PDF2HTML and found a dead link to a GUI for PDF2HTML, some other place said it needed ghostscript installed. Seemed old code from early-mid 2000s.

Then I stumbled upon this bitsdujour offering.

[jj2me]

OK, just did a quick try: NOT RECOMMENDED.

Three tests, tested only by viewing ePub output in Sony Reader Library app:

1. a varying one- and two-column french language learning book of over 400 pages. Result: only 11 pages when set to "Image", overshot margins on both one-column and two-column pages, losing text at the margins. Only 8 pages when set to "Text." Big fail.

2. An image-only PDF of viewgraphs, two to a page. Pushed down the viewgraphs, with extra white space on top and 2nd viewgraph not fully viewable. Fail.

3. Real simple text PDF: overran both left and right margins when "image" selected. OK when "text" selected. Fail.

[K-Thom]

Uh, download the free Mobipocket Creator from Mobipocket, upload PDF, convert to PRC. *
Read on Kindle, otherwise open calibre, upload PRC, convert to ePub, read on other devices.

= Save the 21 $ and spend them on eBooks ...


* Yup, it's not perfect, but I've seen much more worse conversions with other tools.

[koland]

Yes, Calibre does a poor job on many PDF's. But mobicreator is free and does an excellent job (and you can hand-edit the html if needed or desired). Once it's in mobi, Calibre can take over and convert to any format you need. So long as the formatting isn't too complex (or one of those horrid two columns per page with trash scattered all over as publishing marks formats), then a couple of clicks gives you a clean copy to read. Of course, with the ones this doesn't work with, you practically need acrobat to extract the text (and some are simply not going to look good, due to all the tables and code shown).

[jj2me]

Hey, thanks K-Thom and koland. I appreciate the advice, downloading now.

[jj2me]

Hey, thanks K-Thom and koland. I appreciate the advice, downloading now.