How to Quickly Convert PDF to Kindle Format with K2PDFOpt

If reading is your pleasure then you must be hankering for an eReader. They are all the rage these days with Amazon’s Kindle, Sony, Nook, even the iPad and smartphones to a certain extent. Kindle is of course, at top of the pile right now. With the proprietary Kindle format (AZW), both Kindle 3 and DX support PDF files.

The AZW (Amazon Whispernet) format is better optimized for reading and publishing on the device. PDF eBooks don’t always render that well on the smaller screens of the Kindle so you might like to convert your PDF eBooks or documents to a more Kindle friendly format. Even though PDF is readable by the Amazon Digital Text Platform, you can make it better by optimizing text size, and a larger readable layout. ( Image courtesy gillyberlin )

Of the many PDF or Kindle converters, Kindle/PDF (K2PdfOpt) is one. It stands out for intelligent cropping and its batch processing features.

K2PdfOpt just doesn’t do a simple conversion; it maximizes the reading area of a PDF file and makes readability better on the 6-inch Kindle screens. It converts the PDF file to a bitmap and then automatically maximizes the viewing area by cutting, cropping, and reassembling the viewable areas. It removes excess white space and intelligently repaginates the original file to improve flow. Note that it does not make the pages flow seamlessly or remove footers as in Kindle’s default AZW format.

K2PdfOpt handles PDF files with two-column layouts particularly well. It auto-detects two-column documents. The other notable feature is that it also preserves the original fonts and graphics without dithering them unlike many other converters.

The conversion process is fast and fully automatic. You can take a folder full of PDF documents and convert them into the Kindle friendly PDF format by the simple drag-drop process.

The PDF Conversion – Just Drag ‘N Drop

Drag and drop a single PDF document or a folder to the K2PdfOpt icon.

The conversion process is fast and the new PDF files are saved same place as the originals with “_k2opt” at the end of the name of each.

Retaining the original feel of the graphics and fonts comes at a price because the bitmap method increases the final file size. But that’s a small price to pay for a better reading experience. The bitmap conversion also handicaps searching within the document.

These few cons aside, K2PdfOpt is one of the best tools available for making your PDF files more Kindle friendly.