How to convert pdf to epub?

8 replies
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Hi,

I have a couple of pdf documents/books that I would like to convert to epub. I've tried calibre, but it messes up the formatting.
Any way around that, or another tool to use (free)?

Thanks.

Best regards,
Thomas
  • Profile picture of the author ThomasTe
    bump bump
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Hi Thomas,

      While I appreciate your tenacity, you're probably not getting any answers here because we generally don't discuss marketing techniques, tricks, tips, etc. in the Off Topic forum.

      You'd probably get a better response if you posted this in the Main Forum up stairs.

      Terra
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  • Profile picture of the author williams22
    Are you serious ???? i mean have you ever Google something in your life time ? You find lot of converters in google as you Enter the keyword !!!
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  • Profile picture of the author ThomasTe
    @MissTerraK: I don't see how this is related to marketing. I'm looking to convert a pdf book to the epub format.

    @williams22: Trust me, I've spent hours googling this. Have found a ton of products that promise to convert, but they all mess up the formatting of the book. I'm asking here since somebody might have had success with a particular converter or have some tips on how to overcome the formatting issue.
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    • Profile picture of the author MissTerraK
      Originally Posted by ThomasTe View Post

      @MissTerraK: I don't see how this is related to marketing. I'm looking to convert a pdf book to the epub format.
      Do you plan on marketing your e-book once it's converted?

      Have you tried the search function of the forum to find threads that discuss this? I know there are a lot of e-book publishers that do discuss pdf converters up in the main forum.

      Terra
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    • Profile picture of the author seasoned
      Originally Posted by ThomasTe View Post

      @MissTerraK: I don't see how this is related to marketing. I'm looking to convert a pdf book to the epub format.

      @williams22: Trust me, I've spent hours googling this. Have found a ton of products that promise to convert, but they all mess up the formatting of the book. I'm asking here since somebody might have had success with a particular converter or have some tips on how to overcome the formatting issue.
      Yeah, some people think google is GOD! Here's a though, Google for a device to find out what a person is sick with, patent it, and make a trillion dollars. ISN'T going to happen. Google learning VB, pick any 4 sites, and try to learn everything. ISN'T going to happen.

      Back to YOUR problem. Some dumb people once took a lot of liberties with PDF, and made it all graphics. If your PDF is graphics, try text. If it is text, try graphics.

      Text is better because THAT was what PDF was made for, it is more flexible, etc... But some of those converters may have a problem working with it.

      Of course, some JUST DON'T CARE about formatting! As I said, PDF was about text. PRIMARILY the alignment of text and differences in different media/platforms. That was ADOBES WHOLE business!!!!!!!! First they were a type foundry, then made type faces(Allowing others to have WYSIWYG type), then made postscript(Basically allowing printers to be controlled to do what PDF does), then PDF(Basically a way to handle documents as IF they were pictures). Some decide to forget ALL that for a quick buck and perhaps ALL of them advertise on Google, which cluters the index and makes the idea of a quick search a pipedream.

      ANOTHER thing! SOME formats, and I am not sure about EPUB, have settable aspect ratio and visual resolution. Some programs will NOT provide for that, and some provide for it incorrectly. If every blasted thing were correct, but those values were wrong, it WILL NOT WORK! ALSO, if they rendered it as GRAPHIC, such accomodations would be IMPOSSIBLE!
      You ever see some of those old widescreen movies that are made to fit TVs? The actors end up looking odd, thinner and taller.

      Steve
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      • Profile picture of the author anu_smart
        Originally Posted by seasoned View Post

        Yeah, some people think google is GOD! Here's a though, Google for a device to find out what a person is sick with, patent it, and make a trillion dollars. ISN'T going to happen. Google learning VB, pick any 4 sites, and try to learn everything. ISN'T going to happen.

        Back to YOUR problem. Some dumb people once took a lot of liberties with PDF, and made it all graphics. If your PDF is graphics, try text. If it is text, try graphics.

        Text is better because THAT was what PDF was made for, it is more flexible, etc... But some of those converters may have a problem working with it.

        Of course, some JUST DON'T CARE about formatting! As I said, PDF was about text. PRIMARILY the alignment of text and differences in different media/platforms. That was ADOBES WHOLE business!!!!!!!! First they were a type foundry, then made type faces(Allowing others to have WYSIWYG type), then made postscript(Basically allowing printers to be controlled to do what PDF does), then PDF(Basically a way to handle documents as IF they were pictures). Some decide to forget ALL that for a quick buck and perhaps ALL of them advertise on Google, which cluters the index and makes the idea of a quick search a pipedream.

        ANOTHER thing! SOME formats, and I am not sure about EPUB, have settable aspect ratio and visual resolution. Some programs will NOT provide for that, and some provide for it incorrectly. If every blasted thing were correct, but those values were wrong, it WILL NOT WORK! ALSO, if they rendered it as GRAPHIC, such accomodations would be IMPOSSIBLE!
        You ever see some of those old widescreen movies that are made to fit TVs? The actors end up looking odd, thinner and taller.

        Steve
        You are awesome man - just told stuff in the RIGHT tome and conveyed what I exactly wished to convey!
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  • Profile picture of the author ThomasTe
    Thanks, Seasoned and Anu.

    Best regards,
    Thomas
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