epub to pdf - page too small

[gfix41]

Hi... I'm an inner city teacher, and I'm trying to format some ebooks that my students can read online. The "surest" file format they all seem to be able to access is PDF.

So I found several books they'd love in EPUB format, and I'm using calibre to convert them to PDF. The problem is that the generated PDF files are way too small... less than a quarter the size of an actual page.

I've looked for solutions for days, and have played around with Base Font Size under "Look & Feel", and Paper Size, Default Font Size, and Page Margins under "PDF Output". But the best I can do is move that "quarter page size" around in the PDF output file.

How do I enlarge the PDF output so that it takes up a whole page? I can send the EPUB to someone if it helps.

Thank you! My students and I appreciate the help!

[Quoth]

Educate them to install epub apps for iOs, Android, Mac, Windows.
Educate them how to download epub to whatever they have.

PDF are to PROOF documents for printing on paper, and then print on paper. It's the worst format for ebooks.

Or to really read online, create HTML for a website.

You don't read PDFs online, EVER anyway, that's an illusion created by a Browser feature that should be turned off. You download PDFs and read offline.

[gfix41]

I agree, and perhaps next year I can educate them to use epub, and convince the school bureaucracy to install new apps. But for now I am stuck with the PDF, as those and Google Docs are the only files they can open.

So if anyone knows how I can use calibre to convert the EPUB into a PDF that takes up the whole page, please let me know. Thank you!

[retiredbiker]

One-click conversions of pdf, in either direction, are very problematic. Your best bet is to convert the epub to docx, then open it in Word or Writer. Then you can adjust the page size, page breaks, and all that...then export to a pdf and you will know for sure what it will look like.

Best of luck, and keep them reading!

[skb]

I would go with a dedicated PDF maker - perhaps something like this: https://www.pdf2go.com/convert-to-pdf (you could try extracting the HTML from the epub and making a PDF with the html).

If you have no joy, PM me and I help you if I can.

I know people hate PDFs, but I think they have their place (speaking as someone who used to distribute certain documents for comment etc via the web). I find them incredibly useful, especially for stuff that you don't want edited etc. It's a 'horses for courses' (no pun intended) thing.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by gfix41

I agree, and perhaps next year I can educate them to use epub, and convince the school bureaucracy to install new apps. [I]But for now I am stuck with the PDF, as those and Google Docs are the only files they can open.

.. Thank you!

if they can open google docs, then google's version of Word may be a better choice ? - so convert to docx and see how that works out ?

[kovidgoyal]

PDF page size is controlled under the PDF Output section of the conversion dialog. But if your conversion is resulting in only a small part of the page being used it means the epub you are converting is a fixed layout one. Those kinds of epubs cant be converted successfully.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by gfix41

I agree, and perhaps next year I can educate them to use epub, and convince the school bureaucracy to install new apps. But for now I am stuck with the PDF, as those and Google Docs are the only files they can open.

So if anyone knows how I can use calibre to convert the EPUB into a PDF that takes up the whole page, please let me know. Thank you!

That is a totally broken School Bureaucracy because even if you get PDF conversion "right" it's then only correct and usable for a SINGLE size & resolution of screen. On smaller screens it will be unusable and on bigger screens look stupid unless you can use a window.

Use Google Docs. Export epub to RTF, then edit to docx.

Though NO school should be using Google Anything. Privacy failure.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by skb

I know people hate PDFs, but I think they have their place.

Uploading final version for POD.
Paper or on screen proofs of material to be published on paper.

I'd use the PDF output of LO Writer (Windows Mac or Linux, or else a free PDF creating print driver (at least windows or Linux).
Calibre: Convert epub to RTF, or if fixed layout copy/paste from viewer to Wordprocessor or Google Docs.
Edit in Word/LO Writer before creating PDF etc.

Have they only School supplied locked down gadgets? It's trivial to add a free epub reader to anything except totally ancient things or ereaders that are not already epub (such as Sony Digital Paper and Kindle eink). Though I confess I'm not 100% sure about Chrome Books.