PDF to MOBI line breaks problem

kunkel321 · 05-27-2016, 12:41 PM

Hi Folks, I'm trying to convert some books from .pdf to .mobi. I keep getting the issue of pdf line-wrap locations being preserved as line breaks (maybe you call them "carriage returns"?). I've been experimenting with the Calibre setting: PDF Input -> Line Un-Wrap Factor: The default is 0.45. Increasing that number doesn't help. Decreasing it does help, but only down to 0.20 or so. The results are much better at this setting, but still there are one or two erroneous line breaks per page.

The question: Are there any other tips for getting a better result?
Thanks All. -steve

HarryT · 05-27-2016, 02:08 PM

Basically, no; you will rarely get good results trying to convert PDF to anything else. The best approach, in my experience, is to use a good OCR program such as Abbyy Finereader.

dwig · 05-27-2016, 04:41 PM

Basically, it is just as HarryT said. There is no method of getting reliable, clean conversions from PDF to anything else, other than paper.

You may find your best option is:

convert from PDF to an editable format using your best setting
edit the result to fix the many leftover flaws.
convert the edited document from #2 to your final format.

In this case you could convert PDF>EPUB, edit the ePub in calibre's Editor to manually fix the remaining flaws, and then convert the edited ePub to MOBI.

kunkel321 · 05-27-2016, 05:28 PM

Thanks guys. I will try these.

05-27-2016, 12:41 PM	#1
kunkel321 Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Near Seattle Device: Amazon Fire 10	PDF to MOBI line breaks problem Hi Folks, I'm trying to convert some books from .pdf to .mobi. I keep getting the issue of pdf line-wrap locations being preserved as line breaks (maybe you call them "carriage returns"?). I've been experimenting with the Calibre setting: PDF Input -> Line Un-Wrap Factor: The default is 0.45. Increasing that number doesn't help. Decreasing it does help, but only down to 0.20 or so. The results are much better at this setting, but still there are one or two erroneous line breaks per page. The question: Are there any other tips for getting a better result? Thanks All. -steve

05-27-2016, 04:41 PM	#3
dwig Wizard Posts: 1,613 Karma: 6718541 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Paradise (Key West, FL) Device: Current:Surface Go & Kindle 3 - Retired: DellV8p, Clie UX50, ...	Basically, it is just as HarryT said. There is no method of getting reliable, clean conversions from PDF to anything else, other than paper. You may find your best option is: convert from PDF to an editable format using your best setting edit the result to fix the many leftover flaws. convert the edited document from #2 to your final format. In this case you could convert PDF>EPUB, edit the ePub in calibre's Editor to manually fix the remaining flaws, and then convert the edited ePub to MOBI. Last edited by dwig; 05-27-2016 at 07:40 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Line breaks when converting to pdf	maffia	Conversion	2	05-05-2015 03:27 AM
PDF has random line breaks	bsabiston	Conversion	1	09-20-2013 06:43 PM
PDF -> MOBI problem (line breaks)	aur0n	Conversion	1	05-22-2012 06:48 PM
Kindle 3 PDF Conversion Line Breaks	mvnjpy	Calibre	3	09-26-2010 09:36 PM
Ignoring line breaks in pdf file	mike_bike_kite	Calibre	0	06-14-2010 09:37 AM

05-27-2016, 02:08 PM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Basically, no; you will rarely get good results trying to convert PDF to anything else. The best approach, in my experience, is to use a good OCR program such as Abbyy Finereader.

05-27-2016, 05:28 PM	#4
kunkel321 Enthusiast Posts: 45 Karma: 10 Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Near Seattle Device: Amazon Fire 10	Thanks guys. I will try these.

Advert