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Known Participant
October 27, 2022
Question

Indesign to fixed epub-Problem with Calibre

  • October 27, 2022
  • 3 replies
  • 912 views

So I converted an Indesign file to a fixed epub. It seems to be working fine on ibooks and Adobe digital editions but when I open it up on Calibre all my words are scrambled. What could be the problem? 

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3 replies

James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
October 27, 2022

First, the Apple reader is nonstandard in many ways and should not be used as a primary test/proofing reader unless you are going to publish only to iBooks.

 

ADE is an awful tool that should not be used for anything, even quick evaluation or proofing.

 

The preferred standard reader for evaluation (and use) is Thorium, but current editions have a code bug that causes font size issues. A backup, almost as good and without that flaw, is Calibre. That you are okay in the first two (nonstandard) readers and having problems with a standard one is puzzling.

 

I can't seem to open your sample properly — clicking the link takes over the browser and shows an partial graphics page. I can't find a way to download it for viewing separately (probably an issue with my browser plugin EPUBreader). Could you ZIP the sample file and post it again?

 

Got it by disabling my reader plug-in. It appears to open fine in Calibre although I am not completely sure I am seeing your intended fonts.

 

I'd suggest the issue is with something on your system, but I can't begin to guess what. Well, I can guess — it's related to embedded fonts, something I strongly counsel against for reflowable EPUB, and is probably because your system has two copies of the fonts installed. It's fairly common to see a document created with one font set, and then the system trying to display it with another font set of the same name but different source/foundry/mapping.

 

See if you have duplicate font sets for the fonts you are using.

 

AmnaAbbasAuthor
Known Participant
October 27, 2022

Thank You for your detailed response. I did delete any font duplicates but am still experincing the same issue. 

Attaching a picture of what it appears like on my Calibre. I tested other epubs which turn up fine. 

James Gifford—NitroPress
Legend
October 27, 2022

Yes, that looks very much like a duplicate-font problem. The file is built and mapped with Version A of a font, but the reader is pulling up Version B for display... which is always odd in that the fonts in FXL EPUB are embedded.

 

Are you on a Mac? I understand there are several different caches/locations of fonts on that platform, and I've seen discussion of how to resolve it. I don't know the details, though.

 

Willi Adelberger
Community Expert
Community Expert
October 27, 2022

Do you work with paragraph and character styles?

AmnaAbbasAuthor
Known Participant
October 27, 2022

Yes, all of my text is html tagged aswell 

AmnaAbbasAuthor
Known Participant
October 27, 2022

Apologies, the above file is one I rendered with. Attaching the original here.