Kindle: How to convert .pdf to Kindle format

I have Amazon Kindle 3. It’s excellent e-book device.

As any device, Kindle has some lacks. For example support of .pdf file format (font size change, annotation, Text-to-Speech, etc.). Isn’t it annoying? What we can do?

Kindle support these file formats:

• Documents: Kindle (.AZW, .AZW1). Text (.TXT), Unprotected Mobipocket (.MOBI, .PRC)
• Audible: Audible (.AA, .AAX)
• Music: MP3 (.MP3)

You can upload your content by USB or email it by Kindle’s Personal Document Service where following file types are allowed: Microsoft Word, structured HTML, RTF, images (jpeg, gif, png, bmp), PDF.

How to convert .pdf to Kindle format

1. Use Kindle’s Personal Document Service and type “Convert” in the subject of the e-mail when you submit your personal document to your @kindle.com address (paid service).
2. Use GUI freeware
   Here is basicly 2 alternatives: Calibre and Mobipocket. I have tried both of them, for most of text-based .pdf these SW are pretty good alternatives.
3. PDF -> PDF2LRF -> PNG2PDF -> MobiPocket Creator -> Kindle
   This is definitelly the most difficult way, I tried it for .pdf with embedded pictures, unfortunatelly with not such a good results. Here is a step-by-step guideline wich I used: 
   1. use pdflrfwin.exe for conversion .pdf file to .zip file
   2. use png2pdf.cmd to convert .zip to pdf file (png2pdf.cmd )
      I used ImageMagic libraries
   3. convert .pdf to Kindle format by Mobipocket

Summary: I use Mobipocket for .pdf conversion and in case that I have .pdf with embedded pictures I read it as a pdf.

Used resources

Software

• Calibre (summary, sourceforge download)
  Calibre is a free and open source e-book management tool that allows one to organise, save and manage e-books, in and between a variety of formats.
• Mobipocket Creator 4.2 Publisher Edition
  Windows GUI application allowing publishers to create their ebooks with an easy-to-use content authoring tool, and target customers who read on their PDA, smartphone or PC. This software also includes Adobe PDF, Microsoft Word & Text File Import wizards.
• PDFRead
  PDFRead is a tool for converting non-DRMed PDF and DJVU documents for reading on eBook devices. It does this by creating an image out of each page, enhancing the image and then collating the images in a device-specific format.

Articles

• Article: Reading PDFs on Kindle and Converting documents for free
• Article: Transferring, Downloading, and Sending Files to Kindle (Amazon)
• HowTo: Converting your PDF files to Kindle using PDF2LRF and helpful discussion especially from user guineapiguser
• HowTo: Convert pdf by Mobipocket Creator

Related articles

• HowTo: Remove Drm from Amazon Kindle azw
• HowTo: How to convert Kindle ebook to PDF

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