How To Fix Formatting Issues When Converting Epub To Pdf?

Note that problems with DRM can also manifest as formatting issues. I had trouble with a purchased EPUB file (with Adobe DRM protection) lately. Problems seemed to stem from a wonky authorization status of my Adobe ID in the reading app. To verify the status of your Adobe ID, go to Preferences > General in Apple Books and look for the ID in the list. For other reading apps, check the relevant account settings. In extreme cases, a corrupted DRM protection might even prevent opening of the EPUB file. However, in some cases it will open, but with some really ugly styling. The only fix is to download a brand new copy of the book from the store – preferably one that was downloaded in authorized state in the first place. That’s why I try to avoid purchasing DRM-protected EPUBs and instead opt for stores that offer DRM-free versions of many books, like Kobo.

It’s also worth noting that the source file may need some tuning before side loading, as I found out with some poorly converted EPUBs leading to wonky spacing. Using ebook-convert from Calibre (on the PC) to reformat the book to a Kobo Clara optimized ebook (in EPUB format) sorted the spacing out completely. This also cleans up the CSS and reflows the content, stripping out any numbers of render snagging formatting tags. Some older ebooks contain font-size tags that the Clara’s relatively simple ebook reader interprets strangely. And then make sure to safely eject the device from your computer, to avoid writing metadata that messes up how your ebooks appear to read. A soft reset (hold the power button for 20 seconds or so) usually will fix up newly added ebooks too. Note, though, that the ultimate reset to resolve such persistent problems and get your Kobo back to full, factory-default operation is also to perform a full factory reset. (Yes, a real pain, but there it is.)

Ugh, indentation chaos. Some paragraphs are displaying huge tabs, while others appear to have no indentation at all. In some cases, the spaces between words are rendering as little square boxes instead of normal space characters. This sort of problem is a sign that your document was created using a bunch of random space and tab characters as opposed to CSS styles for paragraph indentation. For the reader, it can be a problem to work around, but in most cases toggling the “Publisher Font” on and off will reset the paragraph to its proper formatting. Also, if you change the font size up or down by one notch, the text will reflow to proper indentation in most cases. But, oh, the page will look awful in the meantime. This kind of problem is a sure sign that the author did not hire a professional to format the work, and makes me worry about the quality of the editing as well.

The majority of formatting problems that arise with eBooks arise from conflicts between an eBook’s CSS styles and the eBook reader’s default styles. Open your EPUB in an editor (such as the built-in editor in Calibre), open the eBook’s CSS file and simplify it by removing all declarations with ‘!important’ from them. Set the body margin to zero. Define a solid font-family stack. Make sure all your measurements are set up in ‘em’ or ‘%’ rather than fixed ‘px’. Because a Kindle book is read off of screens of varying sizes, using relative units to measure rather than fixed pixels is key to fix formatting issues such as having every other paragraph centered for no apparent reason as I encountered in my last upload.

My two cents: instead of spending time figuring out how to convert to a PDF, that time could be spent supporting the author who wrote the work. I’d gladly pay a few dollars to have an author create an EPUB version to read on my Kobo. If enough others commented with the same sentiment, perhaps the author would choose to provide that version instead. Crowdsourcing solutions by expressing your needs for them is far more effective than searching for a solution in the dark recesses of code.

As someone who has done a lot of formatting of book pages for manuscripts and print ready PDFs, I can say that there is nothing more annoying than a wonky margin, a line of text that splits to a new page unexpectedly, or a font that just doesn’t look right. Most of these problems are simple to fix if you check the basic settings first. So, check the size of the pages you are using. Are you using 6×9 for trade paperbacks, or A4 for your docs? Also, check for ‘keep lines together’, ‘prevent widow orphan pages’ and similar options in your word processor. These are often found in the paragraph formatting options for Word and Google Docs, and can be toggled on and off to test their effect. There are times, however, where more serious reformatting is called for. This can include troubleshooting consistent font display or unGhosted hyperlinks. It’s rare that I’ve had to convert a file to a ‘clean’ format in order to allow reformatting from scratch, but such has been the case with both Word .doc and Google Doc files. Once in plain text (.txt) these can be reimported into almost any program. For eBook reformatting, however, I use the wonderful free software, Calibre, which also allows for reformatting of EPUB errors. For print, it’s worth noting that InDesign’s ‘package’ feature creates a zip file including all used fonts and linked graphics – which is very handy when distribution to printers/copy shops etc. It’s also very simple to have a second pair of eyes scan a test print for subtle errors such as: over running headers to the bottom of the page; and images bleeding into the gutter. It’s a little puzzle, but ultimately very rewarding when sorted.

Scene breaks within chapters are usually marked with a centered asterisk or a blank line in the TXT file. A good converter will then keep these as visual breaks within a chapter instead of creating a new chapter for them. In Calibre these can be formatted in the “Look & Feel”-section for scene breaks within chapters. The processor can also replace a line of three asterisks with a horizontal rule, styled as desired. Maintaining these small structures is as important as maintaining chapter ends. A finished work looks very different from a rough draft.

I get asked by family and friends a lot about how to add books to their Kindle. My answer to them is now use the email method as it’s the least complicated way for non-techy people to add books to their Kindle. I then just have to remote into their computer and use Calibre to add the books to their Kindle if they end up with a huge file or very weirdly formatted file from some shady website but usually it works 90% of the time or so. Using the email method first is just less of a barrier to entry as it seems like magic when it does work as it usually does.

Your Kobo eBook reader can be sped up by reducing the number of titles displayed on the home screen ‘Recently Read’ carousel. Set this to show the last 3 or so books instead of 10. Also disable the ‘What’s New’ section as this contains a lot of graphics and, more importantly, animations which all use processor power. A minimalist home screen is the fastest way to get on with reading. In addition to these settings, it is also worth noting that sideloaded books with high-resolution cover images can negatively impact performance when viewed in your library. Resize these images to 600×800 in Calibre before transferring them and you will find that scrolling through your collection of eBooks is significantly smoother. As with any other device, performance tuning for an eReader is a real thing and even small changes can add up.

I just make the text larger in the original document before creating a PDF or printing it. If it's a Word document or a web page, I view it at 150% on my computer before printing or saving it to PDF. The resulting file has larger text on the physical page, which then becomes smaller when viewed on the Kindle screen, but is still readable. This method is simple, requires access to the original document, but does not introduce any conversion artifacts or change any of the original formatting. The text is simply larger from the start.