Anchoring object to chapter heading

Question

I have an image which comes before the chapter heading.

I created the chapter heading with a paragraph style and made it start on the next page.

In the export tagging, i selected split document.

I then positioned the image in the middle of the page (not inline) and then anchored it to the beginning of the chapter heading.

When i export the indesign file to epub. The image sits on its own page and the chapter starts on the next page.

How do i ensure that the image is above the chapter heading on the same page?

James Gifford—NitroPress · Accepted Answer

You're probably quite close to an acceptable result. One thing I did not make clear is that the position settings in my example are just that, examples — ones that worked well for my sample layout.

The two elements (heading paragraph, and icon image) are not as closely 'coupled' as in InDesign and can be positioned independently in EPUB.

Adjust the four values of spacing to get each one where you want it on the EPUB display, and relative to each other:

Paragraph top spacing value in ID (this will set space between top page margin and top of heading);
Paragraph bottom spacing in ID (space between heading and following text);
Top spacing value in Object positioning menu (sets spacing between top margin and top of image);
Bottom spacing value of Object (may be of little effect but can control space between the elements).

Adjusting those should get you to the EPUB page spacing you want. Remember it's about 144px per screen inch, which may be a scaled value depending on the reader.

Also, make sure there are no other spacing definitions in play — such as a top spacing value in the text frame. These are usually discarded in the export process, but some settings can stack and cause confusion.

In the "Rule Above" spacing to get the heading down in the InDesign layout, I recommend using a thin rule (1 pt, set to color None) and a large offset (such as 18 picas or 3 inches), rather than a thick line setting. The line is passed to the EPUB export, and is usually ignored or irrelevant, but it it not always predictable how the reader will handle it.

James Gifford—NitroPress · Answer

Okay, it was time I revisited this specific layout process anyway... 🙂

Here is the InDesign layout—

The heading paragraph needs no special setup, just font, centering and space below.
- Use the "Rule Above" hack to space the heading down the layout page.
Place and anchor your icon graphic at the beginning of HEADING.
Click the anchor icon and set the positioning to —
Set the Text Wrap for the graphics frame to "Jump Object" (clear both left and right).
Tweak all of this for the print/ID layout you want.

For EPUB export —

Right-click on the icon.
Under "Object Export Options" set —
Export to reflowable EPUB with more or less standard settings.

You should get this—

In Kindle Previewer —
And in EPUB (Calibre Reader) —

There are many points at which you can tinker with the spacing, fine points of icon size, etc. With enough attention to detail and using some of the other settings, you can even get a fairly close match between the ID/print/PDF layout and EPUB. (That's not always the case, as my prior example — which I could, now, three years later, improve — shows.)

Happy to answer further questions.

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