Converting PDF ebooks to iBooks epub

[war eagle]

I cannot understand why people need to bother themselves in converting PDF to epub when you can open a PDF file in iBooks...

because you can't use the built in dictionary, add notes, highlight PDFs in iBooks. just read them.

 

[raphaeltecsonmd]

better than calibre?

I tried to use the calibre to convert my pdf medical books to epub format. I was not satisfied the way the books were converted because the arrangement of the pages were somehow different. Is there anybody here who knows a better pdf to epub converter?

 

[kvizzel]

I used calibre to convert cbr to epub, but iBooks doesn't look too good for comics.

Can't really zoom in really good.

Using Stanza right now, amazing.

 

[pectin232]

I used several pdf to epub incl calibre newest... somehow some highlighted content in the PDF did not convert over well. I tried like several other sharewares, etc some even with pictures did not move, it just put a big blank box in it. I believe if someone made a good pdf to epub I will buy it. I think pdf it way too proprietary in nature and should be abandoned. Maybe that is why Steve Jobs said Flash sucks... Adobe is the same as Microsoft or Apple.... stick to their products [bloatware]

 

[connoisseur]

Thanks for the information

 

[anis]

One word = calibre

 

[xraytech]

I'm not sure if this is considered a "hack" but I would say it's hacking around Apples system to be able to view non iBooks books inside of iBooks... But I know Apple kind of allowed for this by design.

Anyway, I've been downloading PDF files of books that are not yet available in the iBook store (wow you'd be AMAZED at how many books are on Kindle but not on ibooks!!!) and I convert them with a program called Calibre. It's pretty simple to use, but there are a LOT of options.

The only option I've selected thus far is under "outbook profile", I select "iPad".

Unfortunately, I have yet to find a book that turned out good. The page breaks are wrong, one of the books I converted every other page is blank, and of course the table of contents doesn't work (i'm assuming that won't work since PDFS usually don't have them!) ...

Just curious if Calibre is the best program for doing this, and also if there are some setting changes I can look for to help the book convert more accurately (i.e. making sure the page breaks are in the right place every time and the text is not garbled, etc).

Let me know your thoughts

If you are really stuck on using iBooks then Calibre is the best option.

I suggest you spend $1 and get the GoodReader app instead.