Send to Kindle covers

[apastuszak]

In order to properly convert PDFs to print replica KFX files, I used Send to Kindle and uploaded some PDFs. They came back down on the Kindle as KFX files, but the cover was a black generic PDF icon and the book name was the filename.

So, I copied the kfx off the Kindle and dumped it into Calibre. I updated the metadata and added a cover. I delete the book from the Kindle Scribe and the "cloud" and synced it over. The book comes over with the proper book name now, but still has the generics PDF cover.

Is there any way to fix the cover?

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by apastuszak

In order to properly convert PDFs to print replica KFX files, I used Send to Kindle and uploaded some PDFs. They came back down on the Kindle as KFX files, but the cover was a black generic PDF icon and the book name was the filename.

So, I copied the kfx off the Kindle and dumped it into Calibre. I updated the metadata and added a cover. I delete the book from the Kindle Scribe and the "cloud" and synced it over. The book comes over with the proper book name now, but still has the generics PDF cover.

Is there any way to fix the cover?

By 'synced it over' I assume you mean 'side loaded it via USB'.

Note that calibre will not copy thumbnails to Scribe because it uses MTP instead of USB mass storage, and calibre currently only does this for USBMS devices. So that is why you see no cover images: there is no thumbnail for it.

I think you could probably side load one to /thumbnails folder if it had the right name (matching the document name?) and dimensions. I do not know the details.

If you have another 10th generation or later Kindle you could copy it over with calibre, and verify you see a cover image there. Then copy the thumbnail from thumbnails folder there and put it in the Scribe's.

Of course once you got that to work, you could go back to sending it via STK and then side load a matching thumbnail after downloading.

I just do not know what requirements are for a 'valid' thumbnail file. It might just be a matter of naming it appropriately.

[apastuszak]

The process I WAS using was:

1. Covert PDF to B&W using ghostscript
2. Use Kindle create to a print-replica kindle file and import the PDF
3. Use Kindle Previewer + Calibre to generate the kfx
3. Sync (side load) the kfx to the Kindle

When I did this, I DID get a cover. But Kindle Create does a horrible job of converting the book. I can't hilight the book anywhere and annotate it. except on some pages. Embedded linls in the PDF don't always work, and I can't search the book.

The only way to reliably get the PDF converted is to use the Send to Kindle feature.

I think the missing cover is a not an MTP thing. I think it's a KFX thing. From some thread I saw on here, If Kindle Previewer doesn't create a cover at the time it generates the KFX, then youi can't add a cover later.

[jhowell]

The handling of cover thumbnails in the library view varies based on the type of e-book. If it is considered to be purchased or borrowed from Amazon (CDEType=EBOK in its metadata) then the thumbnail folder mentioned by tomsem is used to obtain the cover image. If it is a personal document (CDEType=PDOC) then the thumbnail is extracted from the cover image inside the book if one is present. Otherwise a generic cover thumbnail is used.

If you use Kindle Create to produce a KPF and convert that to a KFX personal document using KFX Output that workflow will produce a cover but it has other issues as you have found.

If you use send-to-kindle to convert a PDF to a KFX personal document it will not contain a cover image so the generic cover thumbnail will be shown. That differs from reflowable personal documents produced from an EPUB which will contain a cover when send-to-kindle is used.

The KFX Output plugin can update an existing cover but cannot add a cover to a book that does not already contain one so it will not help in this case.

[apastuszak]

In a perfect world, I would do none of this and I would just side-load PDFs. But the PDF experience on the Kindle is HORRIBLE.

I don't understand why Amazon can't get Kindle Create to do what their Send to Kindle website does. They clearly know how to do the conversion properly.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by apastuszak

In a perfect world, I would do none of this and I would just side-load PDFs. But the PDF experience on the Kindle is HORRIBLE.

I don't understand why Amazon can't get Kindle Create to do what their Send to Kindle website does. They clearly know how to do the conversion properly.

Kindle Create is doing what it is designed to do: prepare a KPF to upload to Kindle Direct Publishing. Kindle Previewer is not designed to handle fixed layout KPF files, so you can only produce crippled KFX print replica files with it.

So the best thing is to keep using Send to Kindle so at least the documents are functional.

Getting back to the original issue, the side loading of cover thumbnails for print replica personal documents. I do not think anyone has figured out how to do it.

When calibre side loads books, it generates an ASIN, embeds that in metadata, and generates a file name with this template:

thumbnail_{ASIN}_EBOK_portrait.jpg

One of the PR documents on my Scribe had this name:

KD_Sudoku_TF3_8_v70_0023D87B6C934DE4A0F7DD8E40C3E3 10.kfx

I guessed ASIN might be what is between '_' and '.kfx' and created a thumbnail named this and side-loaded it to /system/thumbnails folder:

thumbnail_0023D87B6C934DE4A0F7DD8E40C3E310_EBOK_po rtrait.jpg

But that did not work; the naming rules are different when downloading personal documents directly.

The thumbnails automatically generated for non-print replica documents (converted epubs etc) do not have filenames that use the above template, but instead generate filenames like this:

thumbnail_6xKKWS.jpg

And this name is different on different Kindles for the same document!

I have not yet looked in the SDR folder to see what clues might be found there. I doubt there is any difference in the KFX files themselves, but have not verified this.

At any rate, while I remain hopeful someone can work out how to generate and side load thumbnails, there are some things to work out.

[apastuszak]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Kindle Create is doing what it is designed to do: prepare a KPF to upload to Kindle Direct Publishing. Kindle Previewer is not designed to handle fixed layout KPF files, so you can only produce crippled KFX print replica files with it.

So the best thing is to keep using Send to Kindle so at least the documents are functional.

Getting back to the original issue, the side loading of cover thumbnails for print replica personal documents. I do not think anyone has figured out how to do it.

When calibre side loads books, it generates an ASIN, embeds that in metadata, and generates a file name with this template:

thumbnail_{ASIN}_EBOK_portrait.jpg

One of the PR documents on my Scribe had this name:

KD_Sudoku_TF3_8_v70_0023D87B6C934DE4A0F7DD8E40C3E3 10.kfx

I guessed ASIN might be what is between '_' and '.kfx' and created a thumbnail named this and side-loaded it to /system/thumbnails folder:

thumbnail_0023D87B6C934DE4A0F7DD8E40C3E310_EBOK_po rtrait.jpg

But that did not work; the naming rules are different when downloading personal documents directly.

The thumbnails automatically generated for non-print replica documents (converted epubs etc) do not have filenames that use the above template, but instead generate filenames like this:

thumbnail_6xKKWS.jpg

And this name is different on different Kindles for the same document!

I have not yet looked in the SDR folder to see what clues might be found there. I doubt there is any difference in the KFX files themselves, but have not verified this.

At any rate, while I remain hopeful someone can work out how to generate and side load thumbnails, there are some things to work out.

If I use Kindle Create and create a kdp and then convert to kfx using Kindle Previewer, the thumbnail shows up just fine. So, getting Print Replica KFX files to display proper thumbnail cover art works if you use that process.

Send to Kindle works great. It generates a KFX. I just wish there was a way to edit the kfx metadata.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by apastuszak

If I use Kindle Create and create a kdp and then convert to kfx using Kindle Previewer, the thumbnail shows up just fine. So, getting Print Replica KFX files to display proper thumbnail cover art works if you use that process.

Send to Kindle works great. It generates a KFX. I just wish there was a way to edit the kfx metadata.

Hmm, interesting about side-loading PR KFX. I'll check that out, may give me some clues. And last time I checked, the Kindle app for iOS would generate thumbnails when side loading PR KFX to it.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by tomsem

Hmm, interesting about side-loading PR KFX. I'll check that out, may give me some clues. And last time I checked, the Kindle app for iOS would generate thumbnails when side loading PR KFX to it.

I do not get cover images for side loaded PR KFX (tried both Paperwhite 5 and Scribe). I did not use calibre to side load, generated KFX with KFX output plugin CLI. Did I miss some step?

I do get them side loading to Kindle app for iOS (generates thumbnail from first page).

[jonathan2022]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I do not get cover images for side loaded PR KFX (tried both Paperwhite 5 and Scribe). I did not use calibre to side load, generated KFX with KFX output plugin CLI. Did I miss some step?

I do get them side loading to Kindle app for iOS (generates thumbnail from first page).

if you copy straight to kindle it wont generate cover least for me it didnt. cover only showed once i sent via calibre via usb

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by jonathan2022

if you copy straight to kindle it wont generate cover least for me it didnt. cover only showed once i sent via calibre via usb

That is interesting, because calibre does not generate thumbnails for any side loaded content on Scribe (since the MTP update, which was quite some time ago), it should just be copying a book file over for devices that use MTP.

Of course, if you are still running a pre-MTP firmware version on your Scribe, that would explain things.

I will verify using calibre to copy it to my Paperwhite 5 does result in having a cover thumbnail.

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by tomsem

That is interesting, because calibre does not generate thumbnails for any side loaded content on Scribe (since the MTP update, which was quite some time ago), it should just be copying a book file over for devices that use MTP.

Of course, if you are still running a pre-MTP firmware version on your Scribe, that would explain things.

I will verify using calibre to copy it to my Paperwhite 5 does result in having a cover thumbnail.

I do not get thumbnail on Scribe, using calibre to send the plugin created Print Replica KFX book (as I expected, since calibre does not send thumbnails to Scribe). On Paperwhite, yes.

And while calibre will not copy a thumbnail over to Scribe, after sending the plugin-created PR KFX, I can manually add the appropriately named .jpg to /system/thumbnails and the thumbnail image displays on Scribe.

But there's something different about the PR KFX generated by Send to Kindle and downloaded. Even if I import those to calibre (which adds ASIN metadata), and delete them from my Kindle library, I cannot get cover image to work when side loading these (to either Scribe or PW5). Some other property takes precedence when it looks for a matching thumbnail.

[jonathan2022]

I have two kindles one my mother uses kindle paperwhite 2019 edition. And standard kindle using firmware 5.16.6 . I should mention I don't own a scribe. So maybe that's why it displays

[tomsem]

Originally Posted by jonathan2022

I have two kindles one my mother uses kindle paperwhite 2019 edition. And standard kindle using firmware 5.16.6 . I should mention I don't own a scribe. So maybe that's why it displays

Yes, thanks, that explains it.

However, I was not aware they had started to deliver Print Replica to non-Scribe Kindles. I'm still getting PDF on the ones I have checked (running latest firmware). I have been expecting this to happen at some point, but this is the first I've heard of it.

[apastuszak]

Originally Posted by tomsem

I do not get cover images for side loaded PR KFX (tried both Paperwhite 5 and Scribe). I did not use calibre to side load, generated KFX with KFX output plugin CLI. Did I miss some step?

I do get them side loading to Kindle app for iOS (generates thumbnail from first page).

You need to mark it as a personal document and not an ebook.