Export in EPUB (Reflowable) Issue

[Alberto J]

Hi!

This is my first time trying export this on epub and I've been having some problem. I follow few tutorials on youtube on how to do it, however, I'm having issues to keep the chapter one title and the number page down below. I'm also having the issue of the cover and to seperate the title in one page and the copyright information in the other page.

The reason I tried to use "reflowable" and not "fixed layout" is because the "fixed layout" will keep the measuring margins of the print format and because I keep having this error (Kindle conversion has encountered an internal error while enabling Enhanced Typesetting on this book).

Here I put some images of how it suppose to look, how I have export it, and the results.

Any help or suggestions how to fix this I really appreciate it.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Okay, there's a lot of details to this and very few tutorials cover them broadly enough. (Many, even good, up-to-date ones, are "do A, now do B, now do C"... and each of those steps is an entire process that must be understood and mastered in itself unless you are lucky enough to have it work on a first simple pass. They give you no tools for dealing with flaws on each of these steps.)

I'd agree that reflowable is greatly preferable to fixed layout, especially for simple flowing text such as your novel (or equivalents like narrative nonfiction). There's no reason to preserve page structure unless it involves substantial visual content (such as 'art books,' graphic novels, complex how-to books, etc.)

But right off the bat it looks as if you are trying (too hard) to include all print-layout features and visuals in the EPUB. They are different mediums; they need to be regarded differently. Trying to emulate print page layout is contrary to what reflowable e-books are all about, especially as you have no control over the device, screen size, text size and other settings of either the reader app or the human reader's preferences. You need to provide a clean 'liquid' layout that fits everyone's end use.

So, first, I am not sure what's causing the the "non rectangular object" error, but it's likely something that doesn't belong in an e-book, some nonsquare graphic or text frame that does some function in the print layout. You will need to remove it, or null it out, to get a successful export.

Second, you are specifying and embedding fonts. This can be done. It (too) often is done. But IMVHO, it's contrary to the e-book medium, in allowing end readers to choose optimum fonts for their device and preferences, and it adds piles of finicky headache to the technical process, and will always cause some problems for some readers because of the lack of standardization.

So without seeing anything further, I'd suggest the following changes to your EPUB export version:

• Uncheck "Embed fonts" in the export menu.
• Be sure you're using EPUB 3.0 for this export. V2.xx is long obsolete.
• Make sure your content is one continuous text flow, start to finish, with no separate text boxes or flows. Reflowable EPUB wants one flow, and nothing else.
• If you have any graphics or styled text boxes, they must be anchored to the immediately prior text. Objects just stuck on a page either will not export, or will "fall to the bottom" of the document.
• Wherever you've used a manipulated frame or graphic object, either delete it for EPUB export (in a completely separate EPUB source doc, or by using conditional text, or, advanced mode, add a 'display: none' directive in CSS) or make it a simpler, rectangular object for a clean export.

That should get you to a successful first export, even if there are still details to tweak. Further questions welcome.

[Alberto J]

Hi James!
Thank you so much for the reply. So far is getting there, but there still few things I'm having problem.

First I found the "non rectangular object" error which was the pentagonal dinkus I made. I anchored where it divides the paragraph, but instead of horizontal it turns vertical and very small just like the image I upload as an example.

Second is that the "Chapter Two" changes to a regular font and got disoriented for some reason. I upload an image how it suppose to look and how is turning out. Other than that, the paragrah is in order.

I assume it has to do with "embed fonts", but I couldn't find it exacltly to uncheck it when I hit the export epub (Reflowable). I upload various images of the setting in the export process.

[Willi Adelberger]

It is very important for EPUBs, but not for only them, that the whole text on a page is in a single text frame, not as you have done with your chapter headlines. There is no useful reason to separate content in different text frames. If in some rare reason text frames are separated, they should be linked, but even that is not recommended in EPUBs.

Did you use bullets for the 3 dots? I would recommend that like •. Make the size with a character or paragraph style adequat.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

It's not absolutely essential for text to be in one frame per page, but Willi is correct that it's good practice and will sidestep any number of layout problems, in both print and export. 

Use InDesign paragraph style features to position and proportion text. Using separated frames is... clumsy. 

[Alberto J]

All Right! Now is taking shape! 

For the second cover inside the book I simply turn it into JPG and got the page well instead of having seperate content. I also put the "Chapter" titles and the dinkus inside a single text frame and works like a charm. The dinkus had to change it into standard typo in order to work. My only comcern is the font and space of the chapter title. Not only it changes the font but also leave a huge space between the word "Chapter" and Number of the chapter.

[James Gifford—NitroPress]

Spacing in InDesign and spacing in EPUB exports only loosely correspond. You either have to adjust the export spacing using CSS or use spacing in ID that will "translate" properly. 

CSS gives immense control, including things ID can't or won't do by itself. Janking the spacing in ID is more direct, but usually makes the doc utterly un-printable and is rather unintuitive as well.

You can have one doc for both print and EPUB using CSS; it's usually best to keep separate docs if you'll be adjusting spacing (which also makes it easy to change other things that differ between the versions).