How To Create a Project for an ePub eBook

This tutorial explains how to create a project for an ePub eBook. If you want to create a Kindle eBook, please use the dedicated Kindle tutorial instead.

There is an important difference between creating a PDF ebook and creating an ePub ebook.

A PDF is a fixed-layout format. This means the page size, layout, images, and text positioning stay exactly as designed. What you see in the editor is usually what the reader will see in the final PDF.

An ePub ebook is different. It is a reflowable format, which means the content adjusts automatically depending on the device, screen size, app, or reading settings being used.

For example, a reader may increase the font size, change the screen orientation, or read the ebook on a phone, tablet, desktop app, or e-reader. Because of this, the content must be flexible enough to reflow correctly.

For this reason, the formatting of your source content should be kept as simple as possible.

Avoid complex PDF-style layouts, including:

These elements may work well in a PDF, but they are not recommended for ePub because the content needs to reflow across different devices and reading apps.

For best results, use a clean document structure with:

To create an ePub eBook in Designrr, you must use the dedicated Kindle/ePub template. This template is designed for the ePub export workflow and helps keep the content structure compatible with reflowable ebook formats.

Before creating an ePub eBook, it is important to keep your source content clean and simple.

The following tutorial explains the ideal formatting structure for source documents, not only for ePub eBooks, but also for most ebook projects created in Designrr:

If your source content is formatted correctly before importing it, you can usually create ebooks in different formats without having to spend extra time fixing the layout.

Most users will create or import their ebook content from a Word DOCX file, Google Doc, or an ebook generated with WordGenie AI.

All imported or generated content is saved in the Docs section. From there, you can open the document, review the content, make any needed edits, and then create your ePub project.

When preparing an ePub eBook, the content should be organized in a simple, linear structure.

In the example below, the content is ordered clearly, with each element placed one after the other:

This is the correct type of structure for an ePub eBook.

Use standard headings, such as H2 and H3, for titles and subtitles. Then use regular paragraphs and standard images for the body content.

Avoid complex visual formatting, fixed layouts, multiple columns, floating elements, or design elements that depend on exact positioning. These may work in a PDF, but they are not suitable for ePub because the content needs to reflow across different devices and reading apps.

Tip 1: When adding images, resize them to a suitable size before or after importing them. Avoid using very large images, such as 5000 px wide images, if the image will only appear around 500 px wide in the ebook. Large images can add unnecessary file size to your ebook. Images can be resized using the Designrr built in editor.

Tip 2: For ePub projects, use the dedicated Kindle/ePub template and keep the layout simple. Do not spend time adding headers, footers, complex styling, or fixed-position design elements, as these are not suitable for the ePub export format.

Once your project is ready is time to generate/publish the ebook. To do that click on the 'Publish' button found on the lower part of the left sidebar.

Select the format you want: in this case ePub.

The first time you generate the ePub file, you will get the message below. Is perfectly normal, the ePub engine is removing all the unnecessary tags. Click on 'OK'.

Depending on the length of the content it will take from a few seconds to a few minutes. Once the ePub file is ready, click on the button. The ePub file will download to your hard disk.

Where is the table of contents?

The table of contents of your reflowable ebook will be automatically created by using the H2 and H3 elements of your ebook. Only the H2 titles will show in the ePub reader.

Please read this tutorial carefully to understand how the table of contents work: