Can old PDFs be converted into functional eBook formats?

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ieee23
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Can old PDFs be converted into functional eBook formats?

Post by ieee23 »

As we all know there are loads of free dhamma materials freely available on the web.

Much of it, especially older stuff, is in PDF. I've read a number of things that PDFs don't work that well with eBook readers.

The Kindle Paperwhite putatively does a tolerable job for non fussy people.

The eBook readers that do PDFs well are insanely expensive.

So, that brings me to my question. Can most PDFs be converted into eBook formats and be fully functional as eBook formatted content?
Whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his mind. - MN 19
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Dhammanando
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Re: Can old PDFs be converted into functional eBook formats?

Post by Dhammanando »

ieee23 wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:28 pmSo, that brings me to my question. Can most PDFs be converted into eBook formats and be fully functional as eBook formatted content?
The Calibre program is great for most ebook format conversions, but those involving pdf files are an exception — though the program can do it, the results are highly unsatisfactory, as the program makers themselves admit.

What I normally do is to convert the pdf to an html file with Acrobat Pro. I then open the html file with Nisus Writer, format it in my preferred way and save it as an epub. Finally I use Calibre to convert the epub to a mobi file for my Kindle.
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mal4mac
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Re: Can old PDFs be converted into functional eBook formats?

Post by mal4mac »

I've had some success with the following method:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/email
- Mal
ieee23
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Re: Can old PDFs be converted into functional eBook formats?

Post by ieee23 »

mal4mac wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:50 pm I've had some success with the following method:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/email
So basically you email it to your Kindle device through Amazons servers, which will convert the PDF to Amazon's eBook format before delivering it to your Kindle.
Whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his mind. - MN 19
ieee23
Posts: 394
Joined: Wed May 13, 2015 12:40 am

Re: Can old PDFs be converted into functional eBook formats?

Post by ieee23 »

Dhammanando wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:13 am
ieee23 wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2017 4:28 pmSo, that brings me to my question. Can most PDFs be converted into eBook formats and be fully functional as eBook formatted content?
The Calibre program is great for most ebook format conversions, but those involving pdf files are an exception — though the program can do it, the results are highly unsatisfactory, as the program makers themselves admit.

What I normally do is to convert the pdf to an html file with Acrobat Pro. I then open the html file with Nisus Writer, format it in my preferred way and save it as an epub. Finally I use Calibre to convert the epub to a mobi file for my Kindle.
Linux is on Adobe's s-list, but I might be able to find alternative software to talk your PDF->HTML->ePub-azw path.

Too bad Access To isn't active. There is a lot of good content to be converted, people might volunteer if there was a central place for people to put what they worked on.
Whatever a bhikkhu frequently thinks and ponders upon, that will become the inclination of his mind. - MN 19
mal4mac
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Re: Can old PDFs be converted into functional eBook formats?

Post by mal4mac »

ieee23 wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2017 1:40 am
mal4mac wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:50 pm I've had some success with the following method:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/sendtokindle/email
So basically you email it to your Kindle device through Amazons servers, which will convert the PDF to Amazon's eBook format before delivering it to your Kindle.
Yes, but don't forget to type "convert" in the subject line, if it's pdf, as it says at the bottom of the page. I haven't used it much, but I vaguely remember it working OK on the pdf I tried a couple of years ago, and certainly better than other free stuff I tried.

Another route may be to open the pdf in a browser and use the "Send to Kindle" app - that usually produces reasonable results with text pages I've tried, but I haven't tried it with a pdf file.
- Mal
mal4mac
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Re: Can old PDFs be converted into functional eBook formats?

Post by mal4mac »

ieee23 wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2017 1:43 am
Too bad Access To isn't active. There is a lot of good content to be converted, people might volunteer if there was a central place for people to put what they worked on.
Amaravati publish their ebooks in epub, pdf and mobi format It might be worth seeing if they were interested in being the "central place" Or, at least, they should give you some good conversion tips!

https://www.amaravati.org/dhamma-books/ ... awareness/

Also - amazon do give away ebooks for free, could you not use them as the central place?

Maybe Project Gutenberg would be more suitable:

https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenber ... ork_How-To

Or, why don't you create the central place?
- Mal
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