# PDF to Kindle?



## KMK (Dec 3, 2010)

Is it yet possible to convert pdfs so that they can be read by Kindle?


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## Dwimble (Dec 3, 2010)

Here's a link that might help you.

Mike


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## Bradwardine (Dec 3, 2010)

The two methods that I have tried are:

(i) emailing to Kindle account with 'convert' as subject (Amazon's suggested method) - the results from this have been uniformly poor

(ii) using Calibre (a free ebook management program) - this is better than above but still have often not been great

Whilst the are a great many free out-of-copyright books available (including many Puritan works) - these are often either image files or poorly checked text conversions and I have not found that any of them satisfactorily transfer to the Kindle. 

To give an example of the sort of problem you get when converting a modern pdf: if the pdf pages have a line at the bottom with footnotes underneath, these tend to end up half way down the second page after conversion.

If anyone has had better experiences with pdfs let me know.

Thanks


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## Seb (Dec 3, 2010)

1...Mobipocket Creator does a pretty good job converting PDFs... _usually_.

2...When Mobipocket's results aren't good enough; I use Calibre to convert the PDF to RTF format, then edit and clean the RTF file using MS Word, then I use Calibre to convert the edited RTF to MOBI (Kindle) format.

PDFs with tables and charts are really hard (next to impossible!) to properly convert. In those cases I rotate the display on my reader and just read the original PDF file half a page at the time.


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## JM (Dec 3, 2010)

How does the Kobo handle pdf's?


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## DMcFadden (Dec 4, 2010)

The Kindle and the Kobo seem to be about the same in this area, with the edge going to the Kindle. I purchased a Kobo on Black Friday, realized that the Kindle would have met more of my needs, gave the Kobo to my wife (it is perfect for her needs) and got the WiFi Kindle. In my VERY LIMITED experience and research (several online reviews and a lot of dinking around with them), the Kindle seems a little better.


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## KMK (Dec 4, 2010)

Why buy a Kindle when you can download Kindle software to your laptop for free? (Not being argumentative)


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## Elizabeth (Dec 4, 2010)

Portability, battery life, beautiful e-ink screen that is very easy on the eyes.


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## DMcFadden (Dec 4, 2010)

Bad eyes and portability


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## KMK (Dec 4, 2010)

So Kindle on a Kindle device looks better than Kindle on a laptop? I didn't realize that.


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## fredtgreco (Dec 4, 2010)

KMK said:


> So Kindle on a Kindle device looks better than Kindle on a laptop? I didn't realize that.


 Yes. The screen is what is important, not the file.


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## DMcFadden (Dec 4, 2010)

Also, the Kindle App is a stripped down version, lacking some of the robustness of the Kindle itself.

Ken, I happen to really like the eInk with NO blacklighting or blasting photons into my eyes with unrelenting intensity. The Kindle is not only as easy to read as a book, but you can adjust the size of the font up effortlessly to almost macular degeneration sizes or so tiny that it a mouse could read it.

[BTW, before anyone makes fun of my mouse comment . . . my dogs listen to MP3 sys theo on a regular basis. I can't say what they think of it all, only that they find Owen's style prolix and needlessly Latinesque. My Shihtzu prefers R.C. Sproul. I wanted to expose them to Scott Clark. But, he scares even me. Who knows what impact he might have on sensitive dogs or young children!?!]


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## KMK (Dec 5, 2010)

DMcFadden said:


> Also, the Kindle App is a stripped down version, lacking some of the robustness of the Kindle itself.
> 
> Ken, I happen to really like the eInk with NO blacklighting or blasting photons into my eyes with unrelenting intensity. The Kindle is not only as easy to read as a book, but you can adjust the size of the font up effortlessly to almost macular degeneration sizes or so tiny that it a mouse could read it.
> 
> [BTW, before anyone makes fun of my mouse comment . . . my dogs listen to MP3 sys theo on a regular basis. I can't say what they think of it all, only that they find Owen's style prolix and needlessly Latinesque. My Shihtzu prefers R.C. Sproul. I wanted to expose them to Scott Clark. But, he scares even me. Who knows what impact he might have on sensitive dogs or young children!?!]


 
Do your dogs listen to these Mp3s via your Kindle?


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## KMK (Dec 5, 2010)

Another question: what happens to all of the books you have bought when your Kindle breaks or is lost?


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## DMcFadden (Dec 6, 2010)

So far, my MP3s are all on the old iPod. My biggest issue with the Kindle is the absence of an SD port to allow for expansion. Putting MP3 lectures on it would eat up all of the memory.


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## fredtgreco (Dec 6, 2010)

KMK said:


> Another question: what happens to all of the books you have bought when your Kindle breaks or is lost?


 You can re-donwload them from Amazon (if paid) or re-transfer them from your PC (if free).


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## Bradwardine (Dec 6, 2010)

DMcFadden said:


> So far, my MP3s are all on the old iPod. My biggest issue with the Kindle is the absence of an SD port to allow for expansion. Putting MP3 lectures on it would eat up all of the memory.


 
I have a Kindle but keep my mp3s (sermons, lectures and some music!) on my Sony Walkman which has plenty of space with 16GB memory and small enough to fit in shirt pocket and easy to connect to car stereo aux-in - which wouldn't really be practical with Kindle. Rather than trying to have an all-in-one device its just using the right device for the job.


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