Handbook

Welcome to the FlightDeck EPUB Handbook! The pages below will give you more detailed information on how to fix common EPUB issues, and example code you can use when updating your EPUB files. This handbook will expand over time, and we would love to hear from you how we can make it more helpful. Please contact us if you have any ideas for new sections or questions about the current content.

General

• QA Checklist: This is an extensive checklist of items to consider and review in your eBook files, and should provide you with a solid starting point for your own Quality Assurance process.
• File Encoding
• Zipping an EPUB
• Loading EPUB files into reading systems
• Adding Fallbacks
• Adding a Page List to your EPUB
• Setting the "Start Reading" location for your EPUB
• Suggestions for Kindle Format 8
• Cover Images
• ISBNs
• Embedding Fonts

EPUB 2

• Adding a <guide> to your OPF file

EPUB 3

• Adding landmarks to your EPUB 3 Nav document
• Embedded media (audio/video)
• Backwards Compatibility

External Resources

• IDPF: The organization that maintains the EPUB standard.
• EPUB Zone: The community and news site for all things EPUB.
• EPUB 3 Best Practices: [Book] A helpful guide to EPUB 3 formatting and coding.
• Book Industry Study Group (BISG): BISG is the leading book trade association for standardized best practices, research and education.
• BISG EPUB 3 Support Grid: This site shows which features of the EPUB 3 spec are supported on the major reading systems.
• BISG Field Guide to Fonts in E-books: A thorough resource covering all aspects of this important subject.
• EPUB 3 Accessibility Guidelines: These guidelines, maintained by the IDPF and DAISY, give you detailed information on accessibility standards in EPUB 3 and assistance in getting your files up to the standard.
• Accessible EPUB 3: [Book] A detailed guide to creating accessible EPUB 3 files.
• Top Tips for Creating Accessible EPUB 3 Files: A short introductory list from the Diagram Center.
• #eprdctn: This hashtag is the central location for eBook developers on Twitter to rant, ask questions, and give advice.
• ePUB Secrets: A very informative updated blog about creating EPUB files.
• Kindle Publishing Guidelines: Amazon's publishing guidelines and tools.
• Google Fonts: Free, Open License fonts
• Unicode Code Charts
• Official list of language codes

Tools:

• EPUBCheck: The standard validation tool for EPUB files (FlightDeck includes EPUBCheck's output in the Validation report).
• eCanCrusher: The easiest-to-use tool for zipping and unzipping EPUB files.
• Apple Scripts for zipping and un-zipping EPUB files
• GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program: A free image editing program similar to Photoshop.
• Inkscape: A free vector graphic editing program.
• ImageMagick: A free image editing command line tool. You can easily scale images under the 3.2 million pixel limit with a Windows batch script containing this command:
  convert %~n1%~x1 -resize 3200000@^> "%~n1_new%~x1"
• Irfanview: Another free image editing tool, with batch conversion and editing capabilities.
• Readium Chrome Extension: A great way to view your EPUB files. Supports EPUB 3.
• KindleGen and Kindle Previewer: Amazon's official conversion and previewing tools.
• Kobo EPUB Guidelines: Details on what Kobo officially supports in EPUB files.