Convert Any Text File to ePub for the iPad
Posted 04/15/2010 at 2:43pm
| by Cory Bohon
ePub2Go (free web service)

If you have any PDF documents lying around that are less than 30MBs, then ePub2Go is a great web service that can do the conversion process with little fuss. The web app is free, but bear in mind that any PDFs you wish to convert with this service need to be formatted properly and be vector art free.
To begin your conversion process, select where you’ll get the PDF document: locally or online. The online feature will allow you to specify a URL where a PDF document is located, which is great if you're using an online service like Project Gutenberg or Google Docs that can export to PDF.
For this tutorial, we're going to convert a PDF from our deskstops. Select the "PDF is on my Computer" button to find the file on your hard drive. Once you browse to the file and press the Upload PDF button, the service will go ahead and convert your document.

When the conversion process is complete, you’ll get two options: email the book to Stanza on your iPhone, or View and Save the document on your computer. We’ll select the "View/Save on my computer" option.

When we downloaded the file from the service, it didn’t have the .epub extension, so you’ll have to add it manually in order for iTunes to recognize and import it. You can also take this time to rename the file. To do this, select the file in the Finder and press Command + I (or right-click and select Get Info). In the File Name and Extension field, type in the filename followed by the .epub extension.
You can now close this window and drag and drop the file onto iTunes. You’ll have to thenmanually add the artwork using the iTunes Get Info window (Command + I).
Which conversion program is the best option for me?
Overall, we would have to recommend Calibre for being the most fully-featured e-reader and ePub export tool. It accepts a wide variety of file types, exports to a wide range of formats, and enables you to add as much metadata as you like (including cover art).
However, if you're away from home base and desperately need something converted at the speed of light--or don't really mind the lack of metadata--then ePub2Go is definitely our second choice.