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liamh82859340
Participating Frequently
April 4, 2024
Answered

fixed layout epub exported from indesign with image over two pages (spread) appears with scroll bar

  • April 4, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 1153 views

fixed layout epub exported from indesign with image over two pages (spread) appears with scroll bar in the epub. Should only show image accross the two pages without center having scroll bar. How to fix. Thanks

 

This topic has been closed for replies.
Correct answer BobLevine

When you export, choose to combine the two pages as spreads. 

 

But, please be aware that fixed layout epub is an awful format that is highly limited to very few epub readers.

2 replies

James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
April 4, 2024

Bob's dealt with the technical issue, but let me throw in the two basic caveats: fixed-page EPUB (FXL) is a specialized and largely deprecated format, suitable ONLY for "picture as a page" books. Which, to be fair, it sounds as if yours is. And to further clarify, FXL is a very poor choice for "text" books although many novices choose it as what seems to be the simple and obvious option, like PDF. (It's not. Text books should be reflowable EPUB.)

 

The other point is that EPUB is highly dependent on the reader. While there is an option/fix for your specific problem, you are at the mercy of whatever reader every user chooses to use, and hardly any two of them display pages in the same way. You may well discover or get complaints that your book displays poorly or awkwardly for another user, and there is little you can do except suggest they use the same reader you have found to work correctly. (If that's iBooks, fine, but Apple's reader is not quite standard and books that appear properly in it may not appear correctly in a more open-market reader like Calibre or Thorium. You are thus limiting sales and a satisfied user base to the Apple ecosystem.)

 

But good and simple solution to a problem here; that's just not common with EPUB export!

 

ETA: one of the faults of fixed page, especially with converte spreads, is that screen sizes are only so large. I'm not sure zoom and pan is an asset when trying to view art or "arty" pages. The primary rule for book design and publishing, to me, is "respect the medium" — and it's a fault, I think, compounded/enabled by most FXL layouts, to try to make digital pages replicas of print ones. What works in a coffee-table format doesn't work, really, on even the largest common tablet screen.

liamh82859340
Participating Frequently
April 4, 2024

Thanks for your input. I am aware of the limitations, but I want to get my first serious publication (at 80 years of age) onto the market. Then, I can appraoch someone to print it as an art book. Actually it is a meditation guide with images and poetry.

James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
April 4, 2024

That's fine; I'd suggest only that Amazon KDP/Kindle might be your best path to both e-book and print.

 

Reflowable EPUB is somewhat more demanding, but can allow very elaborate, esthetically satisfying "art" layout as well — just not in the model of emulating print pages. It is generally a better reading/viewing experience across a variety of readers, as well.

BobLevine
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 4, 2024

What reader are you looking at this with? Is that a two-page spread converted to a single page on export?

liamh82859340
Participating Frequently
April 4, 2024

Hi Bob,

Thank you for commenting. The reader is ibooks. It shows both pages at a time. if the images do not overlap the center of the two pages there is not a problem. But if I have an image that crosses both pages it shows a scroll bar.  I also opened it in Calibre, but it only displays one page at a time. When I look to export to epub I do not see any choices to change anything, it just exports. If I export to a pdf, there is no problem.

 

I am using a Mac with a 32 inch screen. If I make the epub display about the size of an iphone or view it on the iphone it is perfect. Any ideas?

Thanks

 

BobLevine
Community Expert
Community Expert
April 4, 2024

Perfect!  Solved. Thank you.  

What would you advise? You mentioned it has a limited user base. It is an ebook with lots of illustrations and less text. It is more or less an Art book, that you might find in a museum.

 

Thanks


Have you considered a PDF?