Best method of converting PDFs (maintaining paragraphs)

sebastianman · 10-13-2010, 12:31 PM

Hey all,

So far my method has been (on a mac) to use Stanza to convert PDFs to .azw. And then just connect and transfer via USB. But the problem with this method is that all paragraph breaks are lost.

Is there a workflow which allows for maintaining paragraph breaks?

desertgrandma · 10-13-2010, 12:51 PM

Welcome to MobileRead, sebastianman

someone should step in soon with suggestions........

Top Tomato · 10-13-2010, 01:20 PM

Have you tried Calibre?

http://calibre-ebook.com/download_osx

curstpriest · 10-13-2010, 03:51 PM

I've found that virtually every pdf converter program on the net uses the same open source program pdf2html http://pdftohtml.sourceforge.net/

It uses ghostscript to extract images, and it operates in one of two modes

1) extract all images and dump them inline to file, without preserving tables.
- Text comes out in paragraphs with random line breaks, and looks very ugly, tables are not preserved.

2) extract each page background as a whole image, and create each page as a table.
- All formatting is preserved.
- HTML document looks almost identical to PDF

Method 2 looks good, but won't work for ebooks because of the static background page size (no reflow)

Method 1 is used instead (but no tables are preserved)
This is the same method that Acrobat 9 uses to export HTML 3.0

Now, if your document has limited tables, and your have a simple PDF with a few columns you want to reflow or change, you can use method 2.

Use http://pdftohtml.sourceforge.net/ without images enabled.
Then convert the HTML to EPUB with tables enabled. You should get yourself a very respectable document, with intact, flowing/reflowing paragraphs that span multiple pages.

terencek · 10-14-2010, 07:19 AM

I have found consistently that the freebie Mobipocket Reader for PC does a far better conversion from PDF than Calibre. You can just drag and drop the PDF (or indeed a DOC or HTML file) into the Mobi reader and it produces a PRC file, which can then be used for a straightforward lossless conversion to MOBI (or indeed any other ebook format) in Calibre.

hellraiser06 · 10-14-2010, 08:43 AM

The tech journals that I have converted so far are suitable only for casual reading or when you are too tired of a computer screen. If you create your own pdf with proper formatting, it will convert to other formats fine. I have tried that. So, it really depends on how your pdf was initially formatted.

curstpriest · 10-18-2010, 11:54 AM

OH, i made a post about this the other day. Acrobat professional export to HTML works well (or RTF) If you don't have pro, you can do export to TXT on the free reader version and it won't do images. However, images that have text combined with them have cause some slight issues (like graphs will have the axis labels stripped from the images) However, text will flow from columns and be very readable.

http://www.adobe.com/products/acroba...linetools.html

Adobe lets you convert free online, though for me online won't do images. Perhaps if you email it they will send you a document with images, I have not tried.

There are other programs out there, another I have found that does essentially the same thing as adobes is "Easy PDF to HTML converter"
It is probably based upon the same code or something because the output files are nearly identical.

http://www.pdf-to-html-word.com/
note there is a word and html version
get html because ebook programs generally don't like to deal with word, they like html.

There are other programs just like it, with the same gui and back end, that make me think that it's an open source program that someone compiled and sold to make money. I didn't pay for it. I wouldn't pay for it, because I think it's dishonest to sell software you didn't code yourself. And I don't like buying software that does niche things. If you look hard enough you can probably find the "free version" out there, though it is probably command line based.

It may be sourceforge pdf2html, but I am not sure of this.

vaughnmr · 10-18-2010, 12:04 PM

Mobipocket Creator!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's free.

curstpriest · 10-18-2010, 06:02 PM

Mobipocket Creator uses pdf2html from sourceforge and does an awful job.

10-13-2010, 12:31 PM	#1
sebastianman Junior Member Posts: 1 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: Kindle	Best method of converting PDFs (maintaining paragraphs) Hey all, So far my method has been (on a mac) to use Stanza to convert PDFs to .azw. And then just connect and transfer via USB. But the problem with this method is that all paragraph breaks are lost. Is there a workflow which allows for maintaining paragraph breaks?

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10-13-2010, 12:51 PM	#2
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Welcome to MobileRead, sebastianman someone should step in soon with suggestions........

10-13-2010, 01:20 PM	#3
Top Tomato Member Posts: 23 Karma: 1074640 Join Date: Jun 2008 Device: Kindle 3G	Have you tried Calibre? http://calibre-ebook.com/download_osx

10-13-2010, 03:51 PM	#4
curstpriest Confused Posts: 402 Karma: 5538 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Bay Area Device: Kindle DXG	I've found that virtually every pdf converter program on the net uses the same open source program pdf2html http://pdftohtml.sourceforge.net/ It uses ghostscript to extract images, and it operates in one of two modes 1) extract all images and dump them inline to file, without preserving tables. - Text comes out in paragraphs with random line breaks, and looks very ugly, tables are not preserved. 2) extract each page background as a whole image, and create each page as a table. - All formatting is preserved. - HTML document looks almost identical to PDF Method 2 looks good, but won't work for ebooks because of the static background page size (no reflow) Method 1 is used instead (but no tables are preserved) This is the same method that Acrobat 9 uses to export HTML 3.0 Now, if your document has limited tables, and your have a simple PDF with a few columns you want to reflow or change, you can use method 2. Use http://pdftohtml.sourceforge.net/ without images enabled. Then convert the HTML to EPUB with tables enabled. You should get yourself a very respectable document, with intact, flowing/reflowing paragraphs that span multiple pages.

10-14-2010, 07:19 AM	#5
terencek Groupie Posts: 170 Karma: 1010944 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: The African bush Device: Kindle 3	I have found consistently that the freebie Mobipocket Reader for PC does a far better conversion from PDF than Calibre. You can just drag and drop the PDF (or indeed a DOC or HTML file) into the Mobi reader and it produces a PRC file, which can then be used for a straightforward lossless conversion to MOBI (or indeed any other ebook format) in Calibre.

10-14-2010, 08:43 AM	#6
hellraiser06 Yaabbaa dabba doo Posts: 76 Karma: 5348 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: India Device: Kindle Touch wifi, Kindle 3 Wifi, Asus Transformer TF101	The tech journals that I have converted so far are suitable only for casual reading or when you are too tired of a computer screen. If you create your own pdf with proper formatting, it will convert to other formats fine. I have tried that. So, it really depends on how your pdf was initially formatted.

10-18-2010, 11:54 AM	#7
curstpriest Confused Posts: 402 Karma: 5538 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Bay Area Device: Kindle DXG	OH, i made a post about this the other day. Acrobat professional export to HTML works well (or RTF) If you don't have pro, you can do export to TXT on the free reader version and it won't do images. However, images that have text combined with them have cause some slight issues (like graphs will have the axis labels stripped from the images) However, text will flow from columns and be very readable. http://www.adobe.com/products/acroba...linetools.html Adobe lets you convert free online, though for me online won't do images. Perhaps if you email it they will send you a document with images, I have not tried. There are other programs out there, another I have found that does essentially the same thing as adobes is "Easy PDF to HTML converter" It is probably based upon the same code or something because the output files are nearly identical. http://www.pdf-to-html-word.com/ note there is a word and html version get html because ebook programs generally don't like to deal with word, they like html. There are other programs just like it, with the same gui and back end, that make me think that it's an open source program that someone compiled and sold to make money. I didn't pay for it. I wouldn't pay for it, because I think it's dishonest to sell software you didn't code yourself. And I don't like buying software that does niche things. If you look hard enough you can probably find the "free version" out there, though it is probably command line based. It may be sourceforge pdf2html, but I am not sure of this.

10-18-2010, 12:04 PM	#8
vaughnmr Ebook Reader Posts: 605 Karma: 3205128 Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Texas Device: Kindle 3, HTC Evo, HTC View	Mobipocket Creator!!!!!!!!!!!!! And it's free.

10-18-2010, 06:02 PM	#9
curstpriest Confused Posts: 402 Karma: 5538 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Bay Area Device: Kindle DXG	Mobipocket Creator uses pdf2html from sourceforge and does an awful job.

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