Making an EPUB file

Professional Workflow

Personal Workflow

Opening the EPUB

• mimetype

• META-INF

• OEBPS/ Content

EPUB is a package masquerading as

a file format.

-Bill Kasdorf, APEX content solutions

mimetype• Text file

• Contents of file:application/ePub+zip

• Defines the media type as Open Container Format (OCF)

META-INF

• Contains the container.xml file<?xml version="1.0"?><container version="1.0"

xmlns="urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:container">

<rootfiles> <rootfile full-path=”OEBPS/content.opf" media-

type="application/oebps-package+xml"/> </rootfiles></container>

META-INF

• Optional files:–encryption.xml–signature.xml– rights.xml–manifest.xml–metadata.xml

OEBPS/ Content

• Contains all viewable documents (XHTML & .jpg) and stylesheets (CSS)

• Contains the .opf file• Contains the . ncx file (replaced in

EPUB3 with a simplified toc.html file, but only for EPUB3 devices)

.ncx file

Finishing the File

• Once all files are created they and added to the appropriate files, you will need to rezip the files.

• Every file but the mimetype gets zipped (mimetype must be read first).

• You can do this through the command line/ terminal, script, or through an Epub program like Calibre.

• Once zipped, you need to validate.

Validation

• Like all mark-up languages, EPUB needs to be validated.

• It will pick up errors in ncx opf and html files.

• It will alert missing or miscapitalized files.• Use EPUB Check available from Google

code or Safari.

Free Tools• Coding– Notepad++ (PC)– TextWrangler (MAC)– iBooks author (MAC)

• Creating/ Zipping– Sigil– Calibre– ePub Zip from MobileRead

• Quality Checking– Adobe Digital Editions– EpubCheck– Kindle Direct: Gen & Previewer

Resources• Twitter: #eprdctn• Liz Castro– EPUB Straight to the Point– Pigs, Gourds, & Wikis

• Mobile Reads Forum• IDPF• DefectivebyDesign.org