Android PDF reader app which will eliminate margins

[crazybrit]

I just bought a Nexus 9 to replace my Nexus 7 as I found that I was reading a lot of technical PDF docs and the N7 screen was too small (plus I'm getting older/eyesight getting worse - now need reading glasses). Bummer as I really like the N7 form factor.

Anyways, I'm looking for a PDF reader which will eliminate the margins. I realize various readers will do text reflow, Acrobat Reader sucks as it throws away all illustrations. I guess there are others that do a better job but I was more interested in a reader that would just scale the image getting rid of top/bottom/left/right margins (as against one with a zoom lock).

I heard that ezPDF pro can do it but the UI is awful. I also heard that koreader could do it but it crashes at startup on N9 5.1.1 (dialog that it immediately stopped execution).

I don't need a lot of features, just basic gesture support to move forward/back a page and being able to remember the last page.

Thanks!

[crazybrit]

More info, I was trying the nightly build of koreader. The stable version doesn't crash at startup but it hangs when being started from Caliber Companion. Have to go to settings/apps and kill it. Can open the book directly via it's file explorer.

[crazybrit]

Wow, the zoom to fit content mode in koreader is exactly what I was looking for ... I guess I answered my own question I'll report the issue with CC on the KOReader forum.

[Ken Maltby]

And all in about 20 min.

Luck;
Ken

[RbnJrg]

By far, the best pdf reader for android is EBookDroid PDF & DJVU Reader:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...roid&hl=es_419

Not only do what you want (zoom to content) but also can read pdf with columns (zoom to column so you can read one column at time). Besides you can highlight text, do free-hand annotations, notes, etc., etc. You won't need another app to read pdf and djvu files.

Regards
Rubén

[crazybrit]

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

By far, the best pdf reader for android is EBookDroid PDF & DJVU Reader:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...roid&hl=es_419

Not only do what you want (zoom to content) but also can read pdf with columns (zoom to column so you can read one column at time). Besides you can highlight text, do free-hand annotations, notes, etc., etc. You won't need another app to read pdf and djvu files.

Regards
Rubén

Thanks, I tried it. Maybe I'm not setting EBookDroid up right (view mode settings, single page, automatic; book settings, crop pages (auto)) but it's annoying as it keeps changing the size of the white page background. koreader always keeps it consistent (full screen).

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

By far, the best pdf reader for android is EBookDroid PDF & DJVU Reader:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...roid&hl=es_419

Not only do what you want (zoom to content) but also can read pdf with columns (zoom to column so you can read one column at time). Besides you can highlight text, do free-hand annotations, notes, etc., etc. You won't need another app to read pdf and djvu files.

Regards
Rubén

I don't see a zoom to column setting. Where is it?

[Teknikal]

I kind of went off Mantano when they messed up bookmarks and took months to fix it but that's still the app I go to when I want to view a PDF, it autocrops and is pretty fast to render.

It's a good app for epubs too but I went sour on it for the reason I mentioned as far as I know bookmarks are fine now also.

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by crazybrit

Thanks, I tried it. Maybe I'm not setting EBookDroid up right (view mode settings, single page, automatic; book settings, crop pages (auto)) but it's annoying as it keeps changing the size of the white page background. koreader always keeps it consistent (full screen).

I'm afraid your settings are wrong Do the following:

1. Go to settings and select View Mode Settings.
2. Enable ONLY "Single Page" and "Fit to width"
3. Go to Book Settings and enable only "Crop pages (auto).

That's all. Forget "Automatic" (in view mode settings). Of that way Ebook Droid never will change the size of the page.

Regards
Rubén

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

I don't see a zoom to column setting. Where is it?

First at all, see my previous post about how to configure Ebook Droid. After that, by default you only have to tap twice on a column and Ebook Droid will zoom to it. But you can change that behavior if you wish; go to "Common Settings"/"Configure taps" and there you can set your own taps in order to zoom to column, to change columns, to scroll in a column, to change pages, etc., etc.

Regards
Rubén

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

First at all, see my previous post about how to configure Ebook Droid. After that, by default you only have to tap twice on a column and Ebook Droid will zoom to it. But you can change that behavior if you wish; go to "Common Settings"/"Configure taps" and there you can set your own taps in order to zoom to column, to change columns, to scroll in a column, to change pages, etc., etc.

Regards
Rubén

Tapping twice just brings up the menu. Also how do you change pages with these settings? The only way I can see is swiping, but that brings up the menu half the time.

Edit: attached pdf file.
1418490112.full.pdf

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Tapping twice just brings up the menu. Also how do you change pages with these settings? The only way I can see is swiping, but that brings up the menu half the time.

Depend on where you tap. By default, if you tap (once) on the center of the screen, then the menu will appear; if you tap on the right side/bottom side of the screen, then you will advance one page; if you tap on the left side/top side of the screen, then you will rewind one page. If you open a pdf with two columns and tap (TWICE) on the column on the left (or right, not in the center of the screen), then EbookDroid will zoom to that column. In order to change of columns, you have to set your own tap; for example I set for myself the following taps:

One tap:
---------
Tap on center of the screen: show option menu
Right side/ Bottom side of the screen: Scroll Forward
Left sideTop side of the screen: Scroll Back
Top-Right angle of the screen: Scroll to right top page corner
Top-Left angle of the screen: Scroll to left top page corner
Bottom-right angle of the screen: Scroll to right page corner
Bottom-left angle of the screen: Scroll to bottom page corner

Two taps:
-----------
(After selecting all the screen): zoom to column

Two fingers tap:
-----------------
On the right side of the screen: Scroll to start next page
On the left side of the screen: Scroll to start previous page

After that to read -for example- a pdf with two columns, I do the following:

1. First I do a double tap in the left column in order to zoom to it.
2. To scroll forward in that column I tap on the right side of the screen.
3. When I reach the end of the column, I tap on the right-top of the screen to go to the next column.
4. I repeat the step 2.
5. When I reach the end of the column two, I do a tap with two finger on the right side of the screen to go to the next column in the next page.

On the other side, if you are going to read a simple pdf (no columns), you only need to tap on the right side/left side of the screen to advance/rewind in the reading.

Regards
Rubén

EDIT: I could read perfectly your pdf in both, portrait and landcape mode one column at time. The only "issue" is with the first page because of the tag "PHYSIOLOGY", the app take that part of the page as part of the second column and so the text is not so big as it could (you must adjust the zoom manually for that column). All others pages (and columns) can be read perfectly. Below I attach two screenshots of the first column of the second page (portraid mode):

[peaceridge]

Originally Posted by crazybrit

Wow, the zoom to fit content mode in koreader is exactly what I was looking for ... I guess I answered my own question I'll report the issue with CC on the KOReader forum.

I keep hearing about koreader, but can't find it on Google Play. Does it have another name?

[Purple Lady]

Originally Posted by RbnJrg

Depend on where you tap. By default, if you tap (once) on the center of the screen, then the menu will appear; if you tap on the right side/bottom side of the screen, then you will advance one page; if you tap on the left side/top side of the screen, then you will rewind one page. If you open a pdf with two columns and tap (TWICE) on the column on the left (or right, not in the center of the screen), then EbookDroid will zoom to that column. In order to change of columns, you have to set your own tap; for example I set for myself the following taps:

One tap:
---------
Tap on center of the screen: show option menu
Right side/ Bottom side of the screen: Scroll Forward
Left sideTop side of the screen: Scroll Back
Top-Right angle of the screen: Scroll to right top page corner
Top-Left angle of the screen: Scroll to left top page corner
Bottom-right angle of the screen: Scroll to right page corner
Bottom-left angle of the screen: Scroll to bottom page corner

Two taps:
-----------
(After selecting all the screen): zoom to column

Two fingers tap:
-----------------
On the right side of the screen: Scroll to start next page
On the left side of the screen: Scroll to start previous page

After that to read -for example- a pdf with two columns, I do the following:

1. First I do a double tap in the left column in order to zoom to it.
2. To scroll forward in that column I tap on the right side of the screen.
3. When I reach the end of the column, I tap on the right-top of the screen to go to the next column.
4. I repeat the step 2.
5. When I reach the end of the column two, I do a tap with two finger on the right side of the screen to go to the next column in the next page.

On the other side, if you are going to read a simple pdf (no columns), you only need to tap on the right side/left side of the screen to advance/rewind in the reading.

Regards
Rubén

Is there something wrong with the pdf I attached above? Double tapping anywhere on the screen brings up the menu and not the column. I also cannot manage to find the tap zone to turn pages either way. Occasionally I might hit it, but rarely. I have been using ebookdroid for the occasional pdf I read, but leave it on vertical scroll. I always saw people saying it was terrible on pdfs and I guess that's true if you try anything but basics.

[RbnJrg]

Originally Posted by Purple Lady

Is there something wrong with the pdf I attached above? Double tapping anywhere on the screen brings up the menu and not the column. I also cannot manage to find the tap zone to turn pages either way. Occasionally I might hit it, but rarely. I have been using ebookdroid for the occasional pdf I read, but leave it on vertical scroll. I always saw people saying it was terrible on pdfs and I guess that's true if you try anything but basics.

No, nothing wrong (you can watch the screenshots I posted (https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...4&postcount=12)). As I said in my previous post, I can read perfectly (flawlessly) your pdf. You also can use the volume buttons of your tablet to go from page to page but the more comfortable things is to configure taps. Go to "Common Settings" > "Configure Taps" and once there, with your finger select all the screen and delete all zones. Press that button several times (in order to erase all the previous defined zones), after that you can't do that once more. You'll see something like:



After that, with you finger select the central part of the screen (see the following image):



Select for that zone the command (single tap) "Show options menu". Press the "Apply" buttom.

After that, with your finger select the right part of the screen (see the following image):



Select for that zone the command (single tap) "Scroll Forward". Press the "Apply" buttom.

Do the same for all other zones and you'll have something like:



After that, select with your finger all the screen; you'll have something like:



Select for that zone the command (DOUBLE TAP): "Zoom to column". Press the "Apply" buttom.

After that, select the right part of the screen; you'll have something like:



Select for that zone the command (TWO FINGERS TAP): "Scroll to next page start". Press the "Apply" buttom.

Finally select the left part of the screen; you'll have something like:



Select for that zone the command (TWO FINGERS TAP): "Scroll to prev. page start". Press the "Apply" buttom.

That's all. After that you'll be able to read any pdf/djvu files (with or without columns) flawlessly.

Regards
Rubén

EDIT: PLEASE, DOWNLOAD THE LAST VERSION OF EBOOKDROID BEFORE DOING SOMETHING