Converting PDF Files to ePub

[Russ Foster]

On Tue, 8 Feb 2011, Amichai Rotman wrote:

> I recently bought an e-book reader and want to use it to read all those wonderful books available out there for free
> (Ubuntu Pocket Guide, for instance).
>
> I'd like to convert my existing books to be read on the device. it supports ePub, so I thought that would be the
> best format to use...
>
> I tried to use Calibre to convert the files, but they come out all jumbled: random characters, paragraphs breaking
> it the middle...
>
> I was wondering if there's a way to add my device to the output profiles. I tried the Sony Reader profile (my device
> is similar to the Sony PRS-600) but got the same result.
>
> Any ideas / pointers?

Unfortunately, no. There is no *really* good (automatic) way to convert PDF to epub format.

The epub format is designed to permit maximum flexibility in text flow reformatting based on the individual reader device; whether it's a 4" HTC android smart phone, a 10" iPad, or a 6" Sony reader.

PDFs are designed to hold the exact formatting the original author intended; including font, font size, layout and pagination.

Any conversion from PDF to epub is going to make some "guess" as to the how to reformat.  Epub doesn't have options for "callout" boxes,  multiple columns, etc.

This is why I bought a Sony reader (PRS 350).  It will read and allow me to highlight and sketch on PDFs in their natively displayed format.

Epubs are actually HTML files (but using only a subset of the commands).  You can verify this by changing the .epub extension to .zip and gunzip'ing.

I've looked for PDF to HTML converters, but nothing works great unless the original PDF has a very simple layout.  Cisco reference documents convert fine, but that's about it.

Good luck.

-r