Ron Bilodeau Ebookcraft2017 Handout

Preparing Your InDesign Files
for ePub Export (updated for CC)
Ron Bilodeau
Silvadeau Consulting O’Reilly Media, Inc.
eBook Conversion/Custom Workflows Production & Design Specialist
http://silvadeau.wordpress.com/ http://www.oreilly.com
ron.bilodeau@gmail.com ron@oreilly.com
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Preparing Your InDesign Files for ePub Export (updated for CC)
Ron Bilodeau
Organized Content Flow
Options for controlling the order of your content when exported to ePub:
1. Single text flow with linked frames 2. Order based on XML Structure
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Organized Content Flow (cont.)
Options for controlling the order of your content when exported to ePub:
3. Order based on
Articles Panel
(New as of CS5.5)
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Consistent Use of Styles

Always create and use Paragraph and
character styles to style text.
And, if you prefer to have more control over how your styles are named when
exported to ePub (like I do), there is now an Export Tagging tab inside the
Paragraph and Character Style Options (introduced in CS5.5).
This can be used to specify “Tag” and “Class” attributes for your document
styles. There is also an option to “Split” the ePub xhtml file when the style is
used (this is useful for things like titles, headers, etc.).
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Figure Preparation
Controlling figure ordering when exported to ePub

From page 2 of this presentation, if you are using option 1 (Single text flow with linked frames) for your Content Flow Organi-
zation, then you need to place your figures using 1 of the following 2 options:
Inline Anchored
*If you use the XML Structure Pane or Articles Panel to dictate the order of your figures, then you do not need to apply
the Inline or Anchored options listed above.
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Figure Preparation (cont.)
Applying Figure export settings

New (as of CS5), is the Object Export Options dialog.
When exporting for ePub, this dialog can be used to set Custom Rasterization,
Custom Image Alignment & Spacing, and also Alt Text.
This drop-down contains a variety of
epub:types that can be used to tag various
HTML elements within the exported ePub file.
(Default)
(JPEG) (Use Existing Image for Graphic Objects)
(GIF) (Rasterize Container)
(PNG) (Rasterize Content)
(72)
(96)
(None) (150)
(Default) (300)
(Fixed)
(Relative to Text Flow)
(Relative to Text Size) (Float Left)
(Custom Width) (Float Right)
(Custom Height) (Alignment & Spacing)
These settings are not exclusive to linked figures.

You can also use this dialog to tell InDesign to export any Object (or group of Objects) as
a single optimized ePub-ready image.
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Interactive Navigation
Hyperlinks and Cross-References

If your hyperlinks and cross-references are properly set up using InDesign’s built-in functionality, then they will translate
seemlessly to clickable hyperlinks when exported to ePub.*
Footnotes
Properly set up footnotes will also translate seemlessly to clickable hyperlinks when exported to ePub. The footnote reference link
will take you to the footnote. Then, clicking the number at the beginning of the footnote will take you back to the reference.
* There is a bug in CS5 that breaks some of these hyperlinks, but it is fixed as of CS5.5
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Ron Bilodeau
Interactive Navigation (cont.)
InDesign-Generated TOC
If your file includes a properly generated Table of Contents, that too will be converted seemlessly to clickable
hyperlinks when exported to ePub.
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Ron Bilodeau
Using the InDesign Book file

If your project includes more than 1 InDesign file, then the Book file is necessary to properly export for ePub.
Most of us are familiar with the benefits of using a Book file for print production, such as pagination and style-syncing.
But it is just as important for ePub export of multiple InDesign files (if not more so).
Here are some ePub-specific things that a Book file does for you:
• Dictates the order of your ePub xhtml files
• One-step export to ePub
• Book Style Source used to indicate location of ePub TOC
and File Info (metadata)
• Also used to sync and update style and cross-reference
information across included documents
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Including Metadata
In order to have InDesign include some basic metadata with your exported ePub file, you need to add it to the Description tab
within the File Info dialog (File/File Info...).
You only need to add this information to 1 of your InDesign files (if there are more than 1), but make sure that it is the file
designated by the Book panel as the style source.
As of CS5.5, the date info is added automatically, based on the day the ePub file is created.
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Setting up the ePub TOC

The Table of Contents Styles dialog that is used to create an auto-generated TOC for print is also the same dialog that is used to
create the built-in ePub TOC (toc.ncx (ePub 2.0) and/or toc.xhtml (ePub 3.0)), that is accessible by most, if not all, ePub readers.
If you already have a TOC set up that includes the same styles that you would want in your ePub, then there is no need to cre-
ate another style. Just select that one when exporting to ePub.
But if you don’t already have one, it is very easy to set up.
You only need to worry about 3 fields in the dialog when setting it up for ePub:
• TOC Style (Give it a name)
• Include Paragraph Styles (these are the
styles that will create your entries)
• Make sure to check the Make text anchor
in source paragraph option (otherwise the
ePub links will be broken)
Once the TOC Style is established, just save
it and that is it. (But make sure that it lives in
the file that is established as the style source in
your Book panel.)
When you are ready to export your files to
ePub, select it from the drop-down list in the
Export Options dialog.
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ePub Export Settings (CC)
General Tab
(EPUB 2.0.1)
(EPUB 3.0)
(None)
(Rasterize First Page)
(Choose Image)
Drop down menu to select pre-

defined ePub TOC information
(Based on Page Layout) (see previous page)
(Same as XML Structure)
(Same as Articles Panel)
Split Document settings
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Ron Bilodeau
ePub Export Settings (CC) (cont.)
Text Tab
(End of the section (Endnotes))

(After paragraph)
(Inside a pop-up (EPUB 3.0))
(Map to Ordered Lists)

(Map to Unordered Lists) (Map to Static Ordered Lists)
(Convert to Text) (Convert to Text)
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Object Tab
(Fixed)
(Relative to text flow)
(Align Left)
(Align Center)
Check this option only if you wish to (Align Right)
ignore individual Object Export Options
settings and use the above settings
for all objects in your document(s) (Before Image)
(After Image)
(Before and After Image)
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Conversion Settings Tab
These Image options are similar to the

Object Export Options (page 6), but will be
applied to any objects with no individual
Object Export Options selected
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CSS Tab
ePub Margin settings

for readers that
support this option
This option will create extra

stylesheet elements to
account for Style overrides
You can now add a

custom Stylesheet (or
multiple), in addition to
the one that InDesign
generates automatically
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Ron Bilodeau
JavaScript Tab
If you have a custom JavaScript

file for your ePub, you can add
it here
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Metadata Tab
The Identifier and Date fields

will auto-populate on export if
left empty
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Viewing Apps Tab
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What is not included when exporting to ePub
• Master page elements • Any elements on the pasteboard

headers, footers, page numbers, tabs, etc.
• Fonts that are not OTF or TT

• InDesign-generated TOC or do not have the necessary embedable bits
CS3, CS4, CS5
(included if using CS5.5-CC)
• Unchecked Article Panel elements
Anything that exists in the Articles Panel, but is not
• InDesign-generated Index checked, will not be included when exported to ePub
CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.5, CS6
(index links now work if using CC)
• Any outlines that are created
within the InDesign document
• Paragraph Rules (ie. lines, shapes, icons, etc.)
above and below CS3, CS4, CS5
(included if using CS5.5-CC, but only if using the
Articles Panel or directly applying an Object Export
• Nested Styles setting)
CS3, CS4, CS5
(included if using CS5.5-CC)
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Ron Bilodeau
References & Resources
• http://silvadeau.wordpress.com/
My blog that I use to post helpful information about InDesign, eBooks, and other things that I find interesting.
I could use some more content and am always interested in attempting to solve real-world workflow and eBook problems.
So if you have any problems or suggestions, please pass them along.
• http://indesignsecrets.com/
The world’s #1 resource for all things InDesign.
• http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com/
Liz Castro’s blog, which is a great resource for ePub-related info, updates, and tips.
• http://www.rorohiko.com/
Great source for InDesign scripts and plugins that are geared toward automating your workflows.
They also offer top-notch custom scripting.
• http://in-tools.com/
Another great source for InDesign scripts and plugins for automation.
• http://www.automatication.com/
Creator of Multi-Find/Change, which is (by far) my favorite InDesign plugin. I use it daily to quickly and easily wipe out
many otherwise tedious and time-consuming tasks.
• http://idpf.org/
The global trade and standards association for electronic publishing.
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Preparing Your InDesign Files

for ePub Export (updated for CC)

Organized Content Flow

Organized Content Flow (cont.)

Consistent Use of Styles

Controlling figure ordering when exported to ePub

Figure Preparation (cont.)

Applying Figure export settings

These settings are not exclusive to linked figures.

Hyperlinks and Cross-References

Interactive Navigation (cont.)

Using the InDesign Book file

Setting up the ePub TOC

ePub Export Settings (CC)

Drop down menu to select pre-

Split Document settings

ePub Export Settings (CC) (cont.)

(End of the section (Endnotes))

(Map to Ordered Lists)

ePub Export Settings (CC) (cont.)

ePub Export Settings (CC) (cont.)

Conversion Settings Tab

These Image options are similar to the

ePub Export Settings (CC) (cont.)

ePub Margin settings

This option will create extra

You can now add a

ePub Export Settings (CC) (cont.)

If you have a custom JavaScript

ePub Export Settings (CC) (cont.)

The Identifier and Date fields

ePub Export Settings (CC) (cont.)

Viewing Apps Tab

What is not included when exporting to ePub

• Master page elements • Any elements on the pasteboard

• Fonts that are not OTF or TT

References & Resources

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