Kindle PDF Conversion: How To Read PDFs On The Amazon Kindle

Updated August 2010. All Kindle versions from the Kindle 2, the Kindle DX, and finally, the latest-generation 6-inch Kindle (otherwise known as the Kindle 3) now natively support PDF.

Users of these devices can now automatically read PDF files, use the landscape mode for wide-format viewing, and add bookmarks. While these features were inherent with the Kindle DX, the early version of the Kindle 2 did not have these capabilities then. But thanks to a software update, PDF reading is no longer an issue with the Kindle 2.

This would leave Kindle 1 owners to deal with the problem of PDF support. Although Amazon does offer a way to convert PDF and DOCX files to AZW (Amazon’s proprietary format) for the 1st generation Kindle, Kindle PDF conversion is still labeled as an experimental feature and there are no guarantees that the file will be formatted correctly.

That said, here are the ways on how to read PDF files on the Kindle 1.

Send the file to Amazon for conversion.

These are the steps to follow to have your PDF file converted as outlined in the Help page of Amazon.com. The same process applies for personal documents you want converted.

1. Open a new e-mail message in your e-mail client.

2. Check to make sure the “From” address is on your approved e-mail address list.

3. Enter the desired Kindle e-mail address in the “To” field. Use the “name”@kindle.com address for wireless delivery, or “name”@free.kindle.com for free delivery to the e-mail address associated with your Amazon.com account.

4. Attach your document or documents to the e-mail message. If you are sending multiple files, you can compress them into a .ZIP file.

5. Send the e-mail with attachments. A subject line is not needed.

6. Personal documents below 5 MB in officially supported file formats are typically delivered to the “name”@free.kindle.com e-mail address within 5 minutes (per document). Personal documents above 5 MB may take longer.

7. Personal documents below 5 MB in officially supported file formats are typically ready for wireless auto-delivery to your Kindle within 5 minutes (per document), not including actual wireless download time, which will vary with file size. Personal documents above 5 MB may take longer.

There are a couple of things to remember here: First, Kindle PDF conversion may take more than 5 minutes (unlike other docs); and secondly, fees – 15 cents per MB – apply for wireless delivery to your Kindle 1.

To have your PDF file converted for free, just send it to “name”@freekindle.com and the converted file will be sent to the email address linked to the Amazon account. From there, you can download the file to your Kindle via USB connection.

Do the Kindle PDF conversion yourself.

Here’s a step-by-step process if you want a do it yourself approach.

For a PC user – MobiPocket Creator

1. You can convert your PDF and Word files using the Mobi Pocket Creator which is a free software. You need to choose the MobiPocker Creator Publisher edition.

2. When you run the MobiPocket Creator, you should see on the right side of the main page an option to Import From Existing File. Among the file types included are Adobe PDF and Microsoft Word Documents.

3. Choose a file from your computer and then click Import. This process should be done in a matter of seconds.

4. MobiPocket Creator will then take you to the next page where you can Build the document as an ebook.

5. Once the Build process is done, you are given the option to preview the file. Or you can directly choose to Open folder containing ebook.

6. You will find a .prc file of your PDF or word document in the folder and this is what you should copy to your Kindle’s document folder via USB.

Here’s a video for this:

For a MAC user – Stanza

1. Open your PDF document using Stanza.

2. Then attach your Kindle to your MAC using the USB connector that comes with the device.

3. Select File, then Export Book As, then Amazon Kindle.

4. On the Save File dialog, browse to the Kindle. Note that the Kindle will appear under the name you gave it when you first registered.

As mentioned above, Kindle PDF conversion, whether through Amazon or any other software, could be a hit or miss. If you intend to do a lot of PDF reading on your Kindle, then upgrading to a Kindle 2, Kindle 3, or Kindle DXis worth considering.