diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/__init__.py b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/__init__.py
index c1efe5b9af..6b977afc19 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/__init__.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/__init__.py
@@ -191,7 +191,9 @@ class Widget(QWidget):
             if not val: val = ''
             getattr(g, 'setPlainText', g.setText)(val)
             getattr(g, 'setCursorPosition', lambda x: x)(0)
-        elif isinstance(g, QComboBox) and val:
+        elif isinstance(g, QComboBox):
+            if not val:
+                val = ''
             idx = g.findText(val, Qt.MatchFixedString)
             if idx < 0:
                 g.addItem(val)
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/look_and_feel.ui b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/look_and_feel.ui
index 367233e2c0..cd0426ac53 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/look_and_feel.ui
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/look_and_feel.ui
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@
         <string>...</string>
        </property>
        <property name="icon">
-        <iconset resource="../../../../resources/images.qrc">
+        <iconset>
          <normaloff>:/images/wizard.png</normaloff>:/images/wizard.png</iconset>
        </property>
        <property name="iconSize">
@@ -122,14 +122,8 @@
      <property name="text">
       <string>Input character &amp;encoding:</string>
      </property>
-     <property name="buddy">
-      <cstring>opt_input_encoding</cstring>
-     </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
-   <item row="5" column="1" colspan="3">
-    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="opt_input_encoding"/>
-   </item>
    <item row="6" column="0" colspan="2">
     <widget class="QCheckBox" name="opt_remove_paragraph_spacing">
      <property name="text">
@@ -244,8 +238,22 @@
      </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
+   <item row="5" column="1" colspan="3">
+    <widget class="EncodingComboBox" name="opt_input_encoding">
+     <property name="editable">
+      <bool>true</bool>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
+   </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
+ <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>EncodingComboBox</class>
+   <extends>QComboBox</extends>
+   <header>widgets.h</header>
+  </customwidget>
+ </customwidgets>
  <resources>
   <include location="../../../../resources/images.qrc"/>
   <include location="../../../../resources/images.qrc"/>
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/pdb_output.ui b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/pdb_output.ui
index 17bdc0a984..a571a0035b 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/pdb_output.ui
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/pdb_output.ui
@@ -55,10 +55,21 @@
     </widget>
    </item>
    <item row="1" column="1">
-    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="opt_output_encoding"/>
+    <widget class="EncodingComboBox" name="opt_output_encoding">
+     <property name="editable">
+      <bool>true</bool>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
    </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
+ <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>EncodingComboBox</class>
+   <extends>QComboBox</extends>
+   <header>widgets.h</header>
+  </customwidget>
+ </customwidgets>
  <resources/>
  <connections/>
 </ui>
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/pmlz_output.ui b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/pmlz_output.ui
index 9754752c8a..bd70cf1039 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/pmlz_output.ui
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/pmlz_output.ui
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
    <string>Form</string>
   </property>
   <layout class="QGridLayout" name="gridLayout">
-   <item row="3" column="0">
+   <item row="4" column="0">
     <spacer name="verticalSpacer">
      <property name="orientation">
       <enum>Qt::Vertical</enum>
@@ -27,32 +27,47 @@
      </property>
     </spacer>
    </item>
-   <item row="1" column="0">
+   <item row="2" column="0">
     <widget class="QCheckBox" name="opt_inline_toc">
      <property name="text">
       <string>&amp;Inline TOC</string>
      </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
-   <item row="2" column="0">
+   <item row="3" column="0">
     <widget class="QCheckBox" name="opt_full_image_depth">
      <property name="text">
       <string>Do not reduce image size and depth</string>
      </property>
     </widget>
    </item>
-   <item row="0" column="0">
-    <widget class="QLabel" name="label">
-     <property name="text">
-      <string>Output Encoding:</string>
-     </property>
-    </widget>
-   </item>
-   <item row="0" column="1">
-    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="opt_output_encoding"/>
+   <item row="1" column="0">
+    <layout class="QHBoxLayout" name="horizontalLayout">
+     <item>
+      <widget class="QLabel" name="label">
+       <property name="text">
+        <string>Output Encoding:</string>
+       </property>
+      </widget>
+     </item>
+     <item>
+      <widget class="EncodingComboBox" name="opt_output_encoding">
+       <property name="editable">
+        <bool>true</bool>
+       </property>
+      </widget>
+     </item>
+    </layout>
    </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
+ <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>EncodingComboBox</class>
+   <extends>QComboBox</extends>
+   <header>widgets.h</header>
+  </customwidget>
+ </customwidgets>
  <resources/>
  <connections/>
 </ui>
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/txt_output.ui b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/txt_output.ui
index 6290a096c8..3a2516b98e 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/convert/txt_output.ui
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/convert/txt_output.ui
@@ -96,10 +96,21 @@
     </widget>
    </item>
    <item row="2" column="1">
-    <widget class="QLineEdit" name="opt_output_encoding"/>
+    <widget class="EncodingComboBox" name="opt_output_encoding">
+     <property name="editable">
+      <bool>true</bool>
+     </property>
+    </widget>
    </item>
   </layout>
  </widget>
+ <customwidgets>
+  <customwidget>
+   <class>EncodingComboBox</class>
+   <extends>QComboBox</extends>
+   <header>widgets.h</header>
+  </customwidget>
+ </customwidgets>
  <resources/>
  <connections/>
 </ui>
diff --git a/src/calibre/gui2/widgets.py b/src/calibre/gui2/widgets.py
index bc3c23876f..cab2e2d4df 100644
--- a/src/calibre/gui2/widgets.py
+++ b/src/calibre/gui2/widgets.py
@@ -616,6 +616,32 @@ class ComboBoxWithHelp(QComboBox):
         QComboBox.hidePopup(self)
         self.set_state()
 
+
+class EncodingComboBox(QComboBox):
+    '''
+    A combobox that holds text encodings support
+    by Python. This is only populated with the most
+    common and standard encodings. There is no good
+    way to programatically list all supported encodings
+    using encodings.aliases.aliases.keys(). It
+    will not work.
+    '''
+
+    ENCODINGS = ['', 'ascii', 'big5', 'cp1250', 'cp1251',  'cp1252', 'cp1253',
+        'cp1254', 'cp1255', 'cp1256', 'euc_jp', 'euc_kr', 'gb2312', 'gb18030',
+        'hz', 'iso2022_jp', 'iso2022_kr', 'iso8859_5', 'latin_1', 'shift_jis',
+        'utf_8',
+    ]
+    
+    def __init__(self, parent=None):
+        QComboBox.__init__(self, parent)
+        self.setEditable(True)
+        self.setLineEdit(EnLineEdit(self))
+        
+        for item in self.ENCODINGS:
+            self.addItem(item)
+    
+
 class PythonHighlighter(QSyntaxHighlighter):
 
     Rules = []