Pdf

[Sean Waters]

I have just realised (doh!) that reading a .pdf is much less convenient if the page is in columns with sidebars as you get less of what you are actually looking at in the viewing area. OK, it isn't about the rules except in a meta-sense, but I thought I would mention it.

[Derek Hiemforth]

Re: Pdf

 

This depends entirely upon the size of your viewing area. Personally, I like it when PDFs are laid out like books. To me, it retains more of the "reading a book" experience that way.

[djkester]

Re: Pdf

 

I read the PDFs on my iPad using PerfectReader. This application presents the PDF the same as kindle or other book reading software does. I hadn't tried a PC reader. But this one is java based and seems pretty good. http://www.pokat.com/

 

Dave

[brionl]

Re: Pdf

 

It depends on your resolution/font size. If the screen is big enough that you can display the whole page at once in a readable size, it works fine. If it's not, and you have to scroll up and down and/or side to side, it's a major painski in the buttski. I've got an old small monitor on my desktop so most PDFs I can only display from 75% to 80% of the page and read it. I have to nudge up and down a couple of times per page.

 

It's also a major painksi in the buttski to reflow a whole book so it's not in columns, but the publisher only has to do it once.

[Christopher]

Re: Pdf

 

It depends on your resolution/font size. If the screen is big enough that you can display the whole page at once in a readable size' date=' it works fine. If it's not, and you have to scroll up and down and/or side to side, it's a major painski in the buttski. I've got an old small monitor on my desktop so most PDFs I can only display from 75% to 80% of the page and read it. I have to nudge up and down a couple of times per page.[/quote']

The problem is mostly books written in the the vertical format. There are actually a few short pdf's out there written in the horizontral format, wich makes them way easier to read on a monitor in general and Widescreen/Laptop Monitors is special.

[Ternaugh]

Re: Pdf

 

I read the PDFs on my iPad using PerfectReader. This application presents the PDF the same as kindle or other book reading software does. I hadn't tried a PC reader. But this one is java based and seems pretty good. http://www.pokat.com/

 

Dave

 

I use the Kindle app on my Acer Iconia Tab, with the tablet turned to portrait mode. It displays a single page pretty well, as it's the model with the 10" screen. The Iconia also has a full-size USB port, so I can plug in a flash drive (or my portable hard drive) with more PDFs and stuff, if I need to.

 

JoeG

[Ndreare]

Re: Pdf

 

Drivethrurpg has some good advice for tablets if you have one as an option. I got a kindle fire and it helped a lot. The perfect timing of this being on todays letter.

 

I figured since you were reading on a PC this may be useless, but if you have a tab...

 

Using Your E-Readers and Tablets With DriveThruComics

 

As more and more of you get your hands on the many great devices out there for downloading and enjoying digital content, we wanted to make sure you knew how to best make use of them with our site. All of these instructions can be found in the the FAQ section of the site, but here they are for your quick reference and ease of use.

 

Using Your iPad

 

While the iBooks application that now comes pre-installed on iPads works pretty well for reading PDF files, we have had better luck with the inexpensive GoodReader application for iPad.

 

From your iPad you can browse to DriveThruComics.com and make a purchase, or visit the My Account page to download a title you have already purchased. When the file downloads, iPad's Safari web browser will ask you if you want to open the PDF file into an application. You can then store the PDF in applications like iBooks and GoodReader.

 

The GoodReader application also has a built in web browser that you can use within that application. The PDF will download directly to GoodReader and will save them to your iPad for you.

 

The iPad does have a problem displaying certain images within some PDFs. If you find that a title you purchased displays blank space in place of images in a PDF, please Contact Us and we can get the file corrected.

 

Using Your Kindle Fire

 

The Kindle Fire is a powerful tool for anyone who is a fan of electronic books like what we carry on this site. However, due to its unique way of handling downloaded content, there is an optimal way for you to manage your downloads from us on your Kindle Fire.

 

1. Download and install the FREE Adobe Reader app (For the reason why, see below). To do this, select APPS, then select STORE (upper right). At the very top, use the Search function and enter "Adobe Reader." Download and install Adobe Reader.

 

2. Use the Web option on your Kindle Fire to navigate to this site.

 

3. Make purchases as normal, and/or go to you MY LIBRARY and find your already-purchased PDFs that you wish to download onto your Kindle Fire.

 

4. Once the download is complete, go to APPS and open Adobe Reader.

 

5. After opening it, touch the area at the top that says DOCUMENTS.

 

1. You will have two lists to peruse - the first one says "/mnt/sdcard/Documents". This lists all of the PDF documents you have on your Kindle Fire from either direct-connect data transfers (plugging your Fire into a laptop or similar device and transferring PDFs onto the Fire) or from emailing PDFs to yourself by using the Kindle Fire special email address you are provided.

 

2. The second list, lower on the screen, says "/mnt/sdcard/Download". This is where any PDFs you download from a source like this site will be found.

 

6. Open your PDF and enjoy!

 

Why do I need to use Adobe Reader? Doesn't the Fire read PDFs natively?

 

Yes, it does, but unless you get your PDF from Amazon, your Kindle Fire won't keep the file where you can retrieve it. Anything downloaded direct to the Kindle Fire directly from a site will only remain in the Downloads section of your Web section for a very short time (a couple of days at most). By using Adobe Reader, all of your downloaded PDFs will remain available to you, listed in the section described above.

 

Using Your Nook Color

 

There are instructions for adding files to your Nook Color in the user manual that involve hooking it up to your computer with a micro-USB cord. You can also download books directly from DriveThruComics.com to your Nook Color. Here's how.

 

From the web browser on your Nook Color you can browse DriveThruComics.com and make a purchase, or visit the My Library page (in My Account) to download a title you have already purchased. When you tap to download the file, the web browser will prompt you with a new window telling you the download is being prepared. It may seem to hang for a minute at this point, but as long as your connection is good, the file will download. You'll be able to find the file on your Nook Color in My Files > My Library > My Downloads.

 

PDF files with a lot of artwork may render slowly, so be patient with those books. If you run into files that will not display at all, you can try to download them on your computer from My Library on DriveThruComics.com and transfer them to your Nook Color via USB, and if that doesn't work Contact Us to let us know.

 

Using Your Android Tablet

 

There are actually a number of reader options available in the Android Market. We suggest using the FREE Adobe Reader app or the inexpensive app ezPDF.

 

1. Download and install the FREE Adobe Reader app. To do this, select MARKET. At the very top, use the Search function and enter "Adobe Reader." Download and install Adobe Reader. Alternately, you can download the paid app ezPDF following the same steps above, except search for ezPDF. We've discovered that this application provides a much smoother experience, as well as providing additional options you might appreciate having for using your PDFs. 2. Use the Web option on your Android Tablet to navigate to this site. 3. Make purchases as normal, and/or go to My Library and find your already-purchased PDFs that you wish to download onto your Android Tablet. 4. Once the download is complete, you’ll see the file on the bottom right hand corner of your tablet. Click on your download. You’ll be able to select a Reader APP to open it. Select your Adobe Reader App or your ezPDF App. 5. After opening Adobe Reader, touch the area at the top that says DOCUMENTS. If using ezPDF, select the "All PDF" option on the top row. 6. With both apps, you will have two lists to peruse - the first one says "/mnt/sdcard/Documents". This lists all of the PDF documents you have on your Android Tablet from direct-connect data transfers. 7. The second list says "/mnt/sdcard/Download". This is where any PDFs you download from a source like this site will be found. 8. Open your PDF and enjoy!

[djkester]

Re: Pdf

 

I have just realised (doh!) that reading a .pdf is much less convenient if the page is in columns with sidebars as you get less of what you are actually looking at in the viewing area. OK' date=' it isn't about the rules except in a meta-sense, but I thought I would mention it.[/quote']

I missunderstood the question. I understand better now. I agree. The sidebars actually don't help when reading the content. What would be nice is a reader that has that content available on slide in tabs.

[Ternaugh]

Re: Pdf

 

I missunderstood the question. I understand better now. I agree. The sidebars actually don't help when reading the content. What would be nice is a reader that has that content available on slide in tabs.

 

Time Magazine does something like that with their issues for Android, but I find it to be somewhat distracting. The format that they use isn't really PDF, either. I believe it's some kind of Flash-like applet that runs in their framework software. It takes a long time to download to the device (over N wireless/cable modem), and then has to go through an "install" phase. I've also had the individual issues crash, with the framework announcing the error. Navigation is strange, as well, as sometimes you swipe side to side, sometimes you swipe up and down, and sometimes, you select items on the screen to see more content.

 

Of the readers on my tablet, Kindle and Nook provide the best PDF rendering, and the most intuitive interfaces. I usually use Kindle, as that's what my dedicated book reader is. Adobe Reader is actually a little less useful for me, as it's usually set up in the "continuous scroll" mode more associated with reading on a computer. Rendering's a touch slower, as well. Adobe Reader also doesn't auto-adjust page size (the Kindle and Nook do), which can result in some issues with older books scanned into PDF (like some of the FFE/GDW stuff). There's an Acer-supplied viewer that I've tried a few times, and pretty much ignore.

 

JoeG