What happens when you convert LRF to PDF
- The LRF is converted by Calibre, the widely used open-source e-book manager, on our conversion server.
- The book is laid out on A4 pages with margins of about 1.9 cm, keeping the chapters, headings, images and table of contents the book has. E-books have no fixed pages, so the page breaks are new.
- This conversion runs on our server: the file is uploaded, converted, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result has been sent back to you. Nothing is kept. Files up to 25 MB are accepted.
How to convert LRF to PDF online
- Press "Choose LRF files" and select one or more files, or drag them onto the box. Files up to 25 MB each can be converted.
- There are no settings to choose: the converter keeps everything the target format can hold.
- Press "Convert to PDF". The file is uploaded to our conversion server, converted in a few seconds, and deleted together with the result as soon as the result is sent back.
- Save each PDF with its download button. Our server has already deleted both your LRF and the PDF by then.
Why convert LRF to PDF?
LRF files usually come from books bought for the first Sony Reader e-readers. People convert them to PDF because a PDF looks the same on every device and is what forms, portals and printers ask for.
In short, LRF is good at what it was made for, and PDF is the more practical choice when the file has to open, upload or print somewhere else. LRF opens on early Sony Reader models and in Calibre, while PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer.
How to convert LRF to PDF on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android
On Windows
Open this page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox, drag your LRF files in from File Explorer, and press Convert. Each PDF is saved to your Downloads folder.
On a Mac
Safari, Chrome and Firefox all work. Drag the LRF files from Finder onto the drop zone and the PDF files land in Downloads.
On iPhone and iPad
Open the page in Safari and tap Choose LRF files. You can pick from Photos or from the Files app. The converted PDF appears in Files, in the Downloads folder.
On Android
Open the page in Chrome, tap Choose LRF files and pick them from Files or your gallery. The PDF is saved to the Download folder, where any file manager can find it.
Best settings for LRF to PDF
There are no settings: Calibre keeps the book's own styling, chapters and table of contents where the target can hold them.
Keep the original file; each conversion rebuilds the book, and converting back will not restore what the target could not hold.
LRF vs PDF: the differences
| LRF | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Sony BroadBand eBook | Portable Document Format |
| Type | e-book | document |
| Created by | Sony | Adobe |
| First released | 2006 | 1993 |
| Compression | Lossless | Lossy or lossless |
| Transparency | n/a | No |
| Animation | n/a | No |
| Vector or raster | n/a | Vector |
| Colour | n/a | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| What it holds | a book's text, images and table of contents, laid out for the Sony Reader | any colour, pages can mix text, vectors and images |
| In a browser | opens on early Sony Reader models and in Calibre | opens in every browser's built-in viewer |
| Common uses | books bought for the first Sony Reader e-readers | documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files |
| MIME type | application/x-sony-bbeb | application/pdf |
About LRF and PDF files
What is an LRF file?
LRF is the format of Sony's first Reader e-readers from 2006. Sony switched its store to EPUB in 2008, so today LRF books open almost only in Calibre.
What is a PDF file?
A PDF fixes the layout of every page so it looks the same on any device. Converting a PDF to an image renders each page to pixels; converting an image to PDF wraps it as a page.
LRF to PDF not working? Common problems
- "Files up to 25 MB can be converted." Server conversions have a size limit. Most of a large book is its pictures; a copy with smaller images will convert.
- "The conversion took too long and was stopped." Very long or complex files can pass the 90 second limit. Split the file and convert the parts.
- "This file is not really in LRF format." The converter checks every file before it runs anything, so a file of another format renamed to .lrf is refused. Choose the page for its real format.
Convert LRF to PDF from the command line
This page uses Calibre. Installed on your computer, its ebook-convert command does the same conversion:
ebook-convert input.lrf output.pdfConverting on your own computer keeps the file entirely local, which is worth it for very large or very sensitive documents. For everything else, the converter on this page does it without installing anything.
LRF to PDF converter FAQ
Will I lose quality converting LRF to PDF?
The text, images, headings and table of contents are kept. A PDF has fixed pages, so the book no longer reflows to fit a small screen.
Why is the PDF a different size from the LRF?
A PDF embeds its fonts and lays every page out in advance, so it is usually larger than the LRF.
Are my LRF files uploaded?
Yes, for this conversion. A faithful LRF to PDF conversion needs Calibre, the open-source e-book manager, which cannot run in a browser. The file travels over an encrypted connection, is converted in a private temporary folder, and is deleted together with the PDF as soon as the result has been sent back to you. We do not keep, read or share it.
Can I convert several LRF files to PDF at once?
Yes. Select or drop as many files as you like; they are converted one after another and each gets its own download button.
How do I open a PDF file?
PDF opens in every browser's built-in viewer. PDF is common for documents, forms, invoices and print-ready files.
Is this LRF to PDF converter free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no watermark. Because this conversion uses our server, there is a fair-use limit of 25 MB per file and a number of files per hour, which stops the service being overloaded.
Can I convert LRF to PDF on my phone?
Yes. It works in Safari on iPhone and iPad and in Chrome on Android. The conversion happens on our server, so it is as fast on a phone as on a computer; the PDF is saved to your Downloads folder.