EpubCCHow do I read a PDF on a Kobo without zooming?
Updated:
Convert the PDF to a reflowable EPUB and copy that to the Kobo: the text then fits the screen at the font size you pick, so there is nothing to zoom or pan. A PDF stays a fixed printed page on any e-reader, so zoom settings can only make it bigger, not make it fit.
Fixed layout vs. reflowable text
Why a PDF needs zooming
The PDF records each line at a fixed place on a page designed for paper. A Kobo screen is a fraction of that page, so either the whole page is shown with tiny text or a zoomed part is shown and you move around it. Cropping margins helps a little; the lines still don't re-flow.
The steps
- Convert the PDF to EPUB. Try EpubCC's free 5-page sample first to see how your file comes out.
- Connect the Kobo to your computer with its USB cable and copy the .epub file onto it.
- Eject the Kobo; the book appears in your library after it processes the new file.
- Open it and set the font, size and margins you like. The whole book adapts.
When to keep reading the PDF
Pages whose layout is the content, such as sheet music, maps, forms or comics, do not improve as a reflowable EPUB. For those, a larger screen or the Kobo's landscape mode is the better option, and the PDF stays the right file.
What makes the EPUB read well
Re-flowing only helps if the text was recovered properly: paragraphs joined, running headers and page numbers removed, columns read in order, chapters in the table of contents. Those are the things the free sample lets you check on your own pages before converting the whole book.
Convert a PDF for Kobo
Convert up to 5 pages free, no account needed.