Control how a PDF is read in
A PDF reaches the converter in one of two ways. A scanned PDF is a stack of images and they are pulled out as they are. A vector PDF, a digital release or a typeset score, has to be rendered to pixels first, and the renderer has to pick a size. Today it renders to the height of your screen. The planned import controls add the other choice, render to the screen width so a wide page is not shrunk to fit its height, and a fallback to the older image extractor for the rare PDF the current one reads wrongly. We are being straight with you: it is not live yet, so this page does not offer it.
What works today: PDF input on every page, scanned PDFs extracted page for page, vector PDFs rendered to screen height, and the live preview showing each page before you convert. The engine underneath takes both planned settings; what is planned is the control in the studio.
The PDF import controls are coming soon
These controls are planned, not live yet. Drop the PDF and check the preview in the meantime.
Vote for this on the roadmapWhat the PDF import controls will do
Render to width
For a vector PDF, render each page so its width fills the screen width. A landscape page becomes a tall image you read by scrolling instead of a small one you squint at.
Render to height, as today
The current default stays: each page is rendered to the screen height, which is right for portrait pages and is what every PDF gets now.
The older extractor as a fallback
A few PDFs embed their images in a way the current reader orders or crops wrongly. The planned switch runs the older extractor on those, so a bad import has a second route.
Until then: the current import
Drop the PDF and check the preview. If a vector page comes out too small, converting it with the Custom profile at a taller size is the live workaround.
Honesty first
An import switch nobody can see the effect of is a guess. The controls ship when the preview re-renders the PDF with the chosen setting.
The live converter helps now
PDF input works on every page today, scanned and vector, and the sheet music page shows what the current renderer does with a typeset vector PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Can I fit a PDF to the screen width right now?
Not yet, and we will not pretend otherwise. Vector PDFs render to screen height today, and the Custom profile with a taller canvas is the workaround for a wide page.
How do I know whether my PDF is scanned or vector?
Zoom in on a letter in any PDF viewer. If it stays sharp at any zoom it is vector; if it turns into pixels it is scanned, and the width setting does not apply to it.
When would I need the older extractor?
When the preview shows pages out of order, cropped or doubled from a PDF that looks fine in a viewer. It is rare, which is why it is a switch and not the default.
Will you announce when it is ready?
Yes. When the controls ship they appear when a PDF is in the queue and this page hosts them. You can vote for them on the roadmap in the meantime.
MangaConverter runs on Kindle Comic Converter (KCC), the open-source engine, which carries both PDF import options. Passing them from the studio is planned, and this page will host the controls once they work.