Kindle firmware update 2.3.3 allows PDF files to be sent
to the device without conversion to e-book file format. Or
Amazon will convert them, for a small fee, or for free. See
details on their website.

Users report varying results, so YMMV. There are also
commercial services which do file conversions.

I spent my weekend figuring out the following hack...

To convert old text-based files to PDFs readable on Kindle 2,
on your PC, without mangling the format:

Open the document in Wordpad.

Click EDIT, then SELECT ALL, then the BOLD button. BOLD
typically produces a more Kindle-friendly file. Or, you can specify
font & size. Or both. You may have to experiment to find a font
size which displays well on the Kindle.

Do not save the file - You'll lose the formatting if you do.

Instead, click FILE, then PRINT, then select "letter" format and
"landscape" mode.

Since you've previously installed Foxit PDF reader (free) and Foxit
Creator (also free) the file will be converted to a pdf by Creator, which
is a virtual printer. If you're not familiar with Foxit, the reader is small,
& quite fast - Why I use it.

To close Wordpad, click File, Close - It'll ask you "Save Changes"?
Select "No", otherwise you'll lose your original file format. As usual,
it's better to work with copies than source files...

OK, now you've got a pdf to upload to the Kindle. I'm using Calibre
(slow, but free). Add the book to Calibre's list, but do not convert it
to e-book format - Make sure you've got auto-generation of e-books
disabled. Click the sidebar to the "Send to Device" button,
then select "Send to main memory in specific format". Scroll to the
bottom of the pop-up and select "PDF".

Eject the Kindle from your PC & inspect the result. To reconnect
remove the USB plug for a second, then plug it back in. It takes
several minutes for Calibre to go through it's handshaking rigamarole,
a good time to convert another file :)

If you know a better way I'd like to hear about it...

Jack
-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist