We founded Bartik with the aim to improve reading accessibility of PDF files. As you cannot change font size in them, they are not well suited to those with visual impairments, or users that wish to read PDF files on smaller devices (not A4-sized). This has long been a painpoint for us in academia as well.
The converter that we built, in turn, converts static PDF documents into dynamic EPUB files, allowing one to change the font size, but also font family, margins, styles, and so on. eInk readers, for instance, which are often tablet-sized or smaller, particularly benefit from this. These have increased in popularity over the past years because of their ability to reduce eye strain, but reading PDF files on them is often a challenge.
Accessibility: The EPUB format allows for a customizable reading experiences with the ability to change styling.
Device Compatibility: EPUB files are better suited for eInk devices, which are typically tablet-sized or smaller, making them ideal for reading on the go.
Improved Readability: As highlighted by arXiv, improving the accessibility of PDF files is essential, especially in academia where much literature is still distributed on PDF format.
Cost and Usage
Free Trial: You can register without payment details and convert up to 40 pages for free.
Pricing: After the free trial, conversion costs are approximately $/€0.01 per page, reflecting the computational resources that are necessary for our conversions.
No Subscription: Charges are based solely on usage. Hence you pay only for what you need.
Advanced Conversion Capabilities
Equations, Tables, and Figures: Our converter is optimized to handle complex elements like equations and tables.
Better Accuracy: Unlike most free converters that only extract embedded text of PDF files, aim to render all elements: not just tables and figures but also equations, special characters and footnotes.
Device Compatibility
Support: The converted EPUB files work on major devices like the including Kindle Scribe and Paperwhite, as well as apps like Apple Books, KOReader, Moonreader and so on.
Ongoing Improvements: We hope to collaborate in the future particularly with eInk device manufacturers to further enhance the reading experience through EPUB files.
Additional Features
Table Conversion: We aim preserve the original design of tables but are working on an option for users to convert them to native text-rendered tables as well (allowing adjustable font sizes).