Conversion settings in Calibre so looks good on Kindle 2

Delia575 · 12-08-2009, 09:30 PM

I posted the following in the Kindle forum, thinking some Kindle users might be able to help me out. So far I have received no responses, so I am reposting this here:

I expect my new Kindle 2 to arrive in the next day or so, and in anticipation I have been prepping some PDF files that I un-DRM'd so that they can be popped onto my Kindle. I am using Calibre to convert from PDF to Mobi, but I am struggling to get the resulting Mobi file to look decent.

It seems that no matter what I do with the conversion settings, I can't make things look right. I know PDF conversion is kinda poor, but there has to be something I am missing. Thanks!

kjk · 12-08-2009, 09:52 PM

PDF conversion is pretty tough, so you might not be anything you are missing.

I know the Calibre devs are working on an improved PDF conversion engine (not sure when), but really, the best results I've gotten in the meantime is to export a PDF to HTML, edit that, then convert to whatever in Calibre.

rcuadro · 12-08-2009, 10:12 PM

There is no need to convert PDF since you can now read them on the Kindle 2...

JMikeD · 12-09-2009, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcuadro

There is no need to convert PDF since you can now read them on the Kindle 2...

You must have way better vision than I do, because the type is way too small for me to read on the 4 or 5 books I've copied over to try. I'll continue to convert them to mobi to read, even though there isn’t anything around that does a decent job of it.

rcuadro · 12-09-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMikeD

You must have way better vision than I do, because the type is way too small for me to read on the 4 or 5 books I've copied over to try. I'll continue to convert them to mobi to read, even though there isn’t anything around that does a decent job of it.

Maybe. I tend to keep my reader on the smallest font size. When I had to convert them I used Adobe Acrobat (not reader) and saved it as html, then used the html in Calibre to make my mobi. Was not the best but it was good enough

Delia575 · 12-09-2009, 10:27 AM

Interesting idea. I do have Acrobat, so I can give that a shot tonight to see how that goes. I was also following the discussion about scientific articles converting incorrectly, so this might be a way for me to get those articles in a readable format on my Kindle.

I do love that there is now native PDF support, but on that tiny screen the font will be too small indeed! Here's hoping for a zoom button...

JMikeD · 12-09-2009, 12:57 PM

I've found that even Adobe Acrobat (not the reader) doesn't do a very good job of converting. I still get many paragraph breaks in the middle of sentences, inconsistent indents, etc. All of which spoil the "reading experience" for me.

12-08-2009, 09:30 PM	#1
Delia575 Inexorably Curious Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Oh Device: Kindle 2	Conversion settings in Calibre so looks good on Kindle 2 I posted the following in the Kindle forum, thinking some Kindle users might be able to help me out. So far I have received no responses, so I am reposting this here: I expect my new Kindle 2 to arrive in the next day or so, and in anticipation I have been prepping some PDF files that I un-DRM'd so that they can be popped onto my Kindle. I am using Calibre to convert from PDF to Mobi, but I am struggling to get the resulting Mobi file to look decent. It seems that no matter what I do with the conversion settings, I can't make things look right. I know PDF conversion is kinda poor, but there has to be something I am missing. Thanks!

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12-08-2009, 09:52 PM	#2
kjk . Posts: 3,408 Karma: 5647231 Join Date: Oct 2008 Device: never enough	PDF conversion is pretty tough, so you might not be anything you are missing. I know the Calibre devs are working on an improved PDF conversion engine (not sure when), but really, the best results I've gotten in the meantime is to export a PDF to HTML, edit that, then convert to whatever in Calibre.

12-08-2009, 10:12 PM	#3
rcuadro Wizard Posts: 1,686 Karma: 874275 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Virginia Beach, VA Device: Kindle DX	There is no need to convert PDF since you can now read them on the Kindle 2...

12-09-2009, 10:27 AM	#6
Delia575 Inexorably Curious Posts: 13 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Oh Device: Kindle 2	Interesting idea. I do have Acrobat, so I can give that a shot tonight to see how that goes. I was also following the discussion about scientific articles converting incorrectly, so this might be a way for me to get those articles in a readable format on my Kindle. I do love that there is now native PDF support, but on that tiny screen the font will be too small indeed! Here's hoping for a zoom button...

12-09-2009, 12:57 PM	#7
JMikeD Evangelist Posts: 475 Karma: 15000 Join Date: Jul 2008 Device: Various and sundry	I've found that even Adobe Acrobat (not the reader) doesn't do a very good job of converting. I still get many paragraph breaks in the middle of sentences, inconsistent indents, etc. All of which spoil the "reading experience" for me.

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