I’ve got a PDF of a book I want on my e-reader, and turning it into an EPUB leaves the layout fixed. Is there a way to get reflowable text?
I had the same issue with a book PDF because PDFs store the page layout, not the book’s flowing text. I would run OCR first if it is scanned, then convert the extracted text to EPUB with Calibre, but expect to clean up headings, page breaks, and images afterward.
I drop the book PDF into PDFcap and convert to EPUB with the reflow setting. That usually lets the text wrap on the reader instead of staying locked. Stay away from scans that are just pictures of pages, those never reflow. Not sure if it’s the same on Mac.
The easiest way is to open the PDF directly in Microsoft Word. Word will automatically extract and reflow the text into a standard document. Once it converts, you can save it as plain text or a docx file, which e-readers usually reflow without any layout issues.
First thing I’d check is whether the PDF has real text: try selecting a paragraph and copying it. If it copies cleanly, paste it into LibreOffice Writer, tidy the paragraphs, and export as EPUB, which gives you reflowable text. If it’s a scan or the columns go haywire, you’ll likely need to retype or OCR it first. Keep a backup of the original PDF either way.
Reflowable text works best if the PDF started as plain text, not scanned pages or a fancy layout. If yours is image heavy or multi column, it will probably stay fixed no matter what you use. What kind of PDF is it, mostly text or lots of images and columns?
First check whether you can select and copy a paragraph from the PDF. If not, it’s probably a scan and needs OCR before conversion; clean, single-column scans usually reflow best. If the text is selectable but stays fixed, try exporting as plain text or Word first, clean up headers and page numbers, then create the EPUB from that. Complex layouts, tables, and footnotes may need some manual editing.
Had the same thing with an older tax reference book. If the PDF is scanned, run OCR first, then export it to Word and clean up headings, paragraph breaks, and page numbers before converting with Calibre. Choose a reflowable EPUB rather than fixed-layout output. Complex columns, footnotes, and pictures usually need some manual tidying afterward.
the reflow depends on whether your pdf has real text or is just scans. if it’s scanned you’re out of luck without ocr first. if it’s real text, calibre usually does a decent job converting to epub, though complex layouts still get messy.
I had the exact same problem when reading thesis articles. @gaa_miami is right about using Word. My old laptop sounds like a jet engine when opening heavy files, but Word strips out the rigid formatting well. The text will finally flow on your screen. You just need to delete the page numbers manually afterwards.
@gaa_miami honestly this is the best trick. i open supplier invoices in word all the time when im in a rush. it pulls the text right out and you dont have to mess with anything. to be fair it beats retyping it manually.
@godTitan word works fine for pulling text out, but heads up it doesn’t give you a proper epub, just a cleaner text block. For an actual ereader file I’d still run that cleaned up word doc through calibre and pick reflowable layout, otherwise your ereader might not handle it right.
@raptorsfan spot on, Word alone just hands you a pile of loose text. I learned that the hard way on my old laptop after a 90 page manual came out unreadable. Tip: let Calibre do the epub step. Avoid fixed layout output, that kills the reflow.