Graphic Heavy PDF

[jeannette]

I have a few roleplaying books I'd like to have in a better format, but for the life of me the best I can get is having a picture of the page. Does anyone know a better way to convert pdfs that are pretty much all graphic so that it's readable as epub?

The PDFs in question are two columns, with tables, background images on every page, images with text overlapping, you know... all the fancy stuff they put in a RPG manual.

Help?

Thanks!

[DaleDe]

For all graphic support you need a picture but for text you can use OCR (see our wiki) to convert image text to regular text.

[DSpider]

ePub is fine for single column novels and such, but anything above that is just asking for trouble. It's why you don't see any magazines in ePub format.

Even if you OCR, if the text is "burned" on to the image (ie. it's not selectable, in a layer above it), it's very difficult to extract and edit the background to remove all that text. You'll need some serious photoshopping skills. Plus, you will have to track down the fonts or use fonts that look similar. It's a very time consuming, colossal work. But the end result, if done right, is a always pleasure to read.

I imagine an RPG manual written for a fixed layout would have tons of references to page numbers ("see page X"). How are you planning on dealing with those?

[DarkScribe]

Originally Posted by DSpider

ePub is fine for single column novels and such, but anything above that is just asking for trouble. It's why you don't see any magazines in ePub format.

Even if you OCR, if the text is "burned" on to the image (ie. it's not selectable, in a layer above it), it's very difficult to extract and edit the background to remove all that text. You'll need some serious photoshopping skills. Plus, you will have to track down the fonts or use fonts that look similar. It's a very time consuming, colossal work. But the end result, if done right, is a always pleasure to read.

I imagine an RPG manual written for a fixed layout would have tons of references to page numbers ("see page X"). How are you planning on dealing with those?

This is not so. I download newspapers and magazines every day and read them on an eBook reader. It handles mixed text and graphics with no difficulty. I also create my own high graphic content eBooks. I convert a file output from InDesign into an ePub or Mobi file. It is quick and easy to do.

[willus]

Originally Posted by jeannette

I have a few roleplaying books I'd like to have in a better format, but for the life of me the best I can get is having a picture of the page. Does anyone know a better way to convert pdfs that are pretty much all graphic so that it's readable as epub?

The PDFs in question are two columns, with tables, background images on every page, images with text overlapping, you know... all the fancy stuff they put in a RPG manual...

Jeannette--did you come up with a workable solution?

[DSpider]

Originally Posted by DarkScribe

This is not so. I download newspapers and magazines every day and read them on an eBook reader. It handles mixed text and graphics with no difficulty. I also create my own high graphic content eBooks. I convert a file output from InDesign into an ePub or Mobi file. It is quick and easy to do.

Because they were tailored for whatever specific device you downloaded them with (if they were downloaded using the device itself). Probably for 600x800. You can't expect a multi column ePub to look the same on a small screen.

[jeannette]

Originally Posted by willus

Jeannette--did you come up with a workable solution?

No, I never did. I gave up on them, actually, and still sit there impatiently while my nook crashes repeatedly because it doesn't like handling pdfs of that size either. I'm not really sure what I can do from here except manually transcripe things to a pdf, which I don't have the time or inclination to do.

[DSpider]

Try exporting the PDF as JPG images. Make sure that they're either 600 px wide or 800 px high (which ever fits the document). The e-reader should have no problem displaying those.

This market desperately needs an Android-based e-Ink reader, because proprietary reading software suck. You don't get to chose; they choose for you.

[willus]

Originally Posted by jeannette

No, I never did. I gave up on them, actually, and still sit there impatiently while my nook crashes repeatedly because it doesn't like handling pdfs of that size either. I'm not really sure what I can do from here except manually transcripe things to a pdf, which I don't have the time or inclination to do.

Can you post a page or two of your PDF file (you can attach files to posts)? It would help to see what you're working with.