After last weekend's shopping frenzy, many of you may already be the proud
owners of an
iPad, the ubiquitous gadget
du jour. One
of iPad's main features is the possibility to use it as ebook reader, thanks to
the iBook app and the iBookStore, Apple's own online ebook service. Unlike
other ebook readers which work with multiple formats, iPad
only opens
ePUB ebooks. That means that if you already have a nice collection of
ebooks in other formats, such as PDF, you'll need an
ebook converter.
Converting ebooks from PDF and other formats to
iPad-friendly ePUB
is easier than you might think. All you need is a DRM-free ebook, Calibre (the
excellent ebook manager we reviewed a while ago) and follow these simple steps:
1. Download and install
Calibre
on your computer. As the program doesn't seem to have support for iPad yet,
simply select
Default as your device in the ebook reader
selection screen. Remember Calibre is available for Windows, Mac and Linux.
2. Select the ebook you want to convert, or add it to the
program's library if you haven't done it yet. Then right click on the title and
add any missing meta information – or fix wrong data if necessary.
3. Click the
Convert E-books button on the
top toolbar. You can choose between converting one single ebook or doing a bulk
conversion. Check the
input format (on the top left corner)
and above all, the
output format on the top right corner: you
should choose "ePUB" in the drop-down menu.
4. Browse the other options in the left sidebar to make
sure everything's configured to your liking. You can modify the margins, change
the book cover and customize other details. When you're ready, hit the
OK
button and Calibre will convert the ebook in a few minutes.
5. The only thing left now is dragging and dropping your
newly converted ePUB ebook into iTunes. Then, when you connect your iPad to the
computer, drag the ebook from the library to the iPad, under the
Devices
title in the iTunes sidebar. Enjoy your reading!
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