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iBook = PDF compatible?

shyam09

shyam09

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Oct 31, 2010
2,251
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so i have a bunch of PDFs (and a yet to buy iPad)... now just a really quick question:

i know the june update gave iBook PDF compatibility, but do these PDFs work and can they be seen from the iBook shelves? i tired searching on youtube for a video, but all i got was converting PDF to ePub... if you could include an image of the PDF on the shelf of the iBook app, that would be awesomeee!
 
Yes, at the top of the iBooks app, you can select whether you want to view your books or your collection of PDFs, arranged on your shelf with previews.
 
iBooks is my favorite iOS pdf viewer. Unfortunately, It currently does not support highlights/notes for pdf files (unless I'm mistaken).

I like the simple single page viewing and the smart zooming iBooks uses far too much to switch to any other reader, however. When you double tap a chunk of text, iBooks zooms properly so that text fits perfectly on your screen. I'm hoping to find out if any pdf annotation apps include this feature.

It may be simple, but I started out with my pdf textbooks on iBooks for ipod touch as a quick reference, and it made for a near perfect experience. I imagine this feature is less relevant on a 9.7" screen, though still impressive.
 
PDF files show up in iBooks very nicely - with an actual little icon of the first page of the document itself. Just tap the "collections" button in the top right, and then select PDF.

I keep quite a few PDF files on my iPad: Train and bus schedules, the instruction manual for my digital camera, subway and city maps. Its amazing a) how many organizations and companies publish useful documents on the web as PDFs and b) how frequently they come in handy.

Getting the PDF into the iPad is (fairly) straightforward: Simply save the file to your computer desktop, start iTunes, and then choose Add File to Library.

Having these files as PDFs is really useful in situations where you don't have any internet access. For instance when I'm flying internationally. I can check train and bus schedules in my arrival city so I can figure out how much time I have to get through customs and immigration, and where in the airport I need to go. The other good thing about keeping this sort of info on the iPad is it somehow never gets coffee spilled on it, or dog-eared and torn from over use.
 
Also, what you need to do with PDFs? Just read them? iBooks will be fine. If more, then there are apps such as PDF Expert that allow you to annotate/highlight PDFs and have cloud capability such as with Dropbox or MobileMe.

I use PDF Expert to read, highlight, and make notes on PDF's I use for school work (case studies, articles, book excepts, etc).
 
For reading PDFs, Ibooks is great. I still think its the smoothest "pure reading" experience. As others have said, if you looking to highlight/annotate, move pdfs around, download from the web etc... there are many great, inexpensive, apps. Some of ben mentioned. I use GoodReader but you'll have almost no limit as to options. BTW - welcome to the world of Ipads. You will finding reading pdfs on it WAY better than on a computer. It's a much more natural experience.
 
iBooks is a great app for reading books. Certainly the most spectacular in this application is an old style shelves with books that are associated with reading paper books.

But once you need to read PDF files and annotate them, go and grab PDF Expert. It's the best one (believe me, because I have them all: goodreader, iannotate, PDF reader pro, etc). In general, PDF Expert app is a perfect for both reading/annotating and for more complex work as well. Reading engine is really fast and thanks to a very simple and intuitive UI, you can read and easily make any mark ups. On the other hand, the app has a professional functionality like: fill out forms, sign a doc feature, flattening, etc.
 
I find that iBooks on the first iPad lags somewhat, when confronted with large/complex PDF's(from Autosport.com for example).
GoodReader fares better, and works well, but I hope the more powerful guts within the iPad 2, make everything liquid smooth.
 
JamesHBS said:
But once you need to read PDF files and annotate them, go and grab PDF Expert. It's the best one
Click to expand...

+100

I use PDF Expert to highlight/annotate PDFs associated with my graduate schoolwork. Easy to use, super fast, syncs with Dropbox.

If you're only reading PDFS, then iBooks is fine. When you need to "write on them", go to PDF Expert.
 
Is it possible to add custom covers for PDF files in iBooks? I read it was not possible some time ago, has it changed?
 
tgcken said:
iWhen you double tap a chunk of text, iBooks zooms properly so that text fits perfectly on your screen. I'm hoping to find out if any pdf annotation apps include this feature.
Click to expand...

I'm surprised to see your comment because I've always found iBooks to be particularly broken in this regard when viewing PDFs. For me, double taps toggle between 100% view and a fixed, slightly more enlarged view (120%?) that is not based on the specific page content. More often than not, one side of the text ends up cut off. (Either that, or the zooming is insufficient.)

Is there some way to get more Safari-like behavior?
 
stiwi said:
Is it possible to add custom covers for PDF files in iBooks? I read it was not possible some time ago, has it changed?
Click to expand...

Anyone can help on this? I am trying to find out if my wife is going to be happy of how her PDFs are presented on the ibooks shelf :)

Edit: I am a bit disappointed what I read here. It looks like it is not possible to highlight a single word to check its meaning in the dictionary. Also the reading experience doesn't seem to be as good for PDFs as for native books?

I understand there are 3rd party softwares which handles PDFs better but having nicely organized books in ibooks is what I am looking after. Maybe ibooks have the ability to open certain file types, like PDFs in 3rd party app, I doubt though?
 
Last edited:
stiwi said:
Anyone can help on this? [custom covers for PDFs]
Click to expand...

iBooks renders the first page of the PDF file as the cover, so if you can edit the PDF file, you can set your own cover. This can be a bit of a hassle, though. To begin with, you need a PDF editor, such as the full version of Adobe Acrobat (rather than the free Reader app). Several third parties offer their own editors as well.

Second, PDF files can be protected against modification or various other operations. Even with a PDF editor, you may have trouble adjusting the cover of a PDF eBook. Software exists to bypass these limitations, but it can be hard to find and nontrivial to use.
 
This is where iTunes should be excelling. I can't even alter the covers of my photo albums, never mind the PDFs! :mad:
In photos, you should be able to sort images by name, date modified(not 'created'), etc.
PDF covers should be editable, just like music album cover art is in iTunes.
 
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