Max2: print website to pdf for annotations

[SnowRipple]

Sometimes I would like to get pdf version of a website on my Max2 for annotation or dictionary purposes. The browser does not support neither dictionary nor annotation function hence pdf is the only option.

I was trying a number of Android apps or online service that would convert/print webpage to pdf file but all of them loose math notation... All equations disappear, e.g. check this website for example math:

https://wiseodd.github.io/techblog/2...e-autoencoder/

Not a single app nor online service managed to keep math as is

In other words what I am looking for is the desktop browser "print to pdf" option that always keeps all math. For some reason in Android this function is not available..

Any help is much appreciated!

[Question Mark]

Although not ideal, have you tried taking a screenshot?

[gimble]

If you install firefox browser (android), it provides an option to save any page as pdf. Just navigate to the options menu in the top right (just below the new tab button), select "Page" and select "Save as pdf".

The pdf file will then be downloaded to your "download" folder - you may need to give permission. It will preserve the page rendering (including math equations). I cant check on my Max2 yet, but I have tested that it works on my mobile.

Edit: I just tested it on my Max2 and it works. See here for a better description -> https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb...irefox-android

[Question Mark]

It works on the Note as well so thank you for the suggestion.

However, I have found that the saved PDF doesn't look exactly as the page does in the browser as the saved PDF leaves out most of the ads at the side of a page etc.

So whether or not this feature would save math equations might depend on how they were formatted on the website.

Another thing to be careful about is your privacy settings in the Firefox browser. I usually have mine set to delete everything when I exit Firefox. That meant that the downloaded pages then disappeared from my device.

Fortunately, that is easy enough to get around. You can either uncheck the Downloads box in the list of materials to be wiped when you exit Firefox, or you can manually copy the downloaded PDF and paste it elsewhere such as in your Documents folder before exiting Firefox. Just something to be aware of if you like to wipe data when you exit the browser as I do.

[plusz]

In typical Android I can do 'share with' and then 'save to pdf' but somehow not on Max2. I have tried few 'share with' pdf apps and none work. It's a pity since I have found that only the built in web browser can really render web in black & white.

[gimble]

Originally Posted by plusz

It's a pity since I have found that only the built in web browser can really render web in black & white.

Not quite. You should try the lightning browser. There is a rendering mode within advanced options called "increase contrast" that effectively makes it eink friendly. See -> https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...wser.barebones

I believe firefox has a plugin to increase contrast as well, but I generally don't use it.

Edit: Refer to this thread -> https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=291010

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by plusz

It's a pity since I have found that only the built in web browser can really render web in black & white.

However, in Firefox, when you save a page as a PDF, it seems to save it with higher contrast. Certainly, the contrast is much better than the view of the page from the Firefox browser.

I suppose it has to do with the settings in Neoreader 2 and how it handles PDFs.

[Question Mark]

Originally Posted by gimble

I believe firefox has a plugin to increase contrast as well, but I generally don't use it.

Edit: Refer to this thread -> https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=291010

I tried the Blacken add-on which mdp had mentioned in that thread. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to respond very well on my Note so I uninstalled it.

However, I found another add-on for Firefox, Legibility, which seems to work fairly well for me.

[cqman]

Originally Posted by Question Mark

It works on the Note as well so thank you for the suggestion.

However, I have found that the saved PDF doesn't look exactly as the page does in the browser as the saved PDF leaves out most of the ads at the side of a page etc.

So whether or not this feature would save math equations might depend on how they were formatted on the website.

Try add-on screengrab! which can save whole page in PNG.

[mdp]

Since we are talking about HTML, it could be interesting and relevant not just printing it to PDF (easily with formatting issues) but saving it to EPUB or full (standalone) HTML. Both the latter are core interest of reader software.

[SnowRipple]

I installed Firefox and it prints page to pdf with all math still there, thanks!

@mdp I would love to create epub from a webpage but I am 99% sure that math equations would be lost. There was a time when I was experimenting with converting pdfs to epub but things like equations, tables were always lost

[gimble]

Originally Posted by SnowRipple

I installed Firefox and it prints page to pdf with all math still there, thanks!

Glad that it worked.

Originally Posted by SnowRipple

There was a time when I was experimenting with converting pdfs to epub but things like equations, tables were always lost

There is a big difference between converting a pdf to epub as opposed to converting saved html pages into epub, as in the latter case the information (including notation) is already captured in a format suitable for conversion - an epub is essentially a zipped html with css.

[mdp]

Originally Posted by gimble

into epub, ... the information (including notation) is already captured in a format suitable for conversion - an epub is essentially a zipped html with css.

Unfortunately, the link he provided wraps math representation into "script" tags... It takes a pretty complete engine to process that correctly.

[gimble]

Originally Posted by mdp

Unfortunately, the link he provided wraps math representation into "script" tags... It takes a pretty complete engine to process that correctly.

Yes, in this case a script engine is needed, which means a "save as epub" feature has to be supported within the browser itself or as a comprehensive plugin.

[Randy11]

With Firefox, I use "GrabMyBoox", it convert the Web page in EPUB. Maybe, it could help someone.