Fixed Layout

UNDER REVISION

Open Indesign File.

1. Move type to its own layer
2. export pages (backgrounds) to jpg (150 dpi)
3. it is only technically necessary to export pages that are a) not full page or b) have more than one image. But it doesn't hurt to export all of them
4. re-place new backgrounds in the InDesign file on their own layer
5. Check back cover/drm from pdf. Add in additional pages if necessary
6. Add in cover page at start (remember to unclick Allow Document Pages to Reshuffle)
7. Note any rotated text. It is often better to straighten it and then re-rotate it in the epub using css

If longer and we want a ToC

1. If Necessary: add page numbers to layer on master page -> style
2. on pages palette, select all pages -> Overide All Parent Page Items
3. Create ToC based on page number style
   • tick Include Hidden Layers
   • tick Create pdf Bookmarks
4. place ToC on pasteboard

Export the publications as print pdf

• Export as Pages
• Tick Include: Bookmarks; Hyperlinks

Use script

• https://github.com/b-t-k/Fixed-epub-creator

• Add cover image to pdf folder Run script.

• Copy fonts over to script folder
• Set options for page start

Re-Run script.

Open in Sigil

1. Run its handy PageList plugin to generate the page list in nav.xhtml
2. Open nav.xhtml and edit Landmarks and Contents if necessary
3. Add in alt text (Usually by exporting the spreadsheet and reimporting)
4. Edit content.opf to update title, author etc. metadata and accessibility metadata
5. Reorder the <p>s so their order marches the intended reading order
6. Add <h1>s etc. if it is a non-fiction title (see below for css)
7. Change titles for Title page, Copyright, About the Author etc.
8. add sections to above and put in aria roles.
9. Thoroughly proof type to see if spans or italics etc. are causing any issues. For example occasionally type that is broken out of a sentence (italics, different font, coloured type etc.) will shift up a few pixels. Italics are moved to their own line and I usually delete the `</p><p> to reintegrate the italics etc. using <i> or <em>

Notes and Issues

If the versos (odd number pages) are all streaky its because the recto has bled over onto that side of the spread. Sometimes by even the smallest amount...

Transparent type

(but still visible to screen readers) See Heading semantics

.visually-hidden {
  position: absolute;
  left: -9999px;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  white-space: nowrap
}

Hide from Screen readers

<div aria-hidden="true">
    text
</div>

Obfuscated Fonts

If you export a TEMP epub from InDesign you can copy encrypted fonts over to your new file. This is necessary if the designer uses an exclusive Adobe font, but can be used for all the fonts unless you have to edit the text.

Version 1

This seems to work ok. It avoids having to edit the manifest and css.

1. copy the encrypted fonts from the TEMP epub to the font folder before running the script the second time
2. unzip the epub
3. copy the META-INF/encryption.xml file over
   • edit to remove the extra fonts (if necessary)
4. copy the bookid identifier from the content.opf of the original to the new file
   • e.g. <dc:identifier id="bookid">urn:uuid:29d919dd-24f5-4384-be78-b447c9dc299b</dc:identifier>
5. re-zip the file

Version 2

1. unzip the epub
2. copy the META-INF/encryption.xml file over
   • edit to remove the extra fonts (if necessary)
3. copy the bookid identifier from the content.opf of the original to the new file
   • e.g. <dc:identifier id="bookid">urn:uuid:29d919dd-24f5-4384-be78-b447c9dc299b</dc:identifier>
4. copy the encrypted fonts over
5. add them to manifest in the content.opf file
   • <item id="FONT_NAME.otf" href="font/FONT_NAME.otf" media-type="application/vnd.ms-opentype" />
6. add css
   • @font-face { font-family: "FONT_NAME"; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; src: url("../font/FONT_NAME.otf"); }
7. re-zip the file

Build in a Fallback for kindle

See if you can get a similar font that is smaller to use in Kindle ebooks.

<p class="kindle">

@media amzn-kf8 {
  .kindle {
    font-family: supernett, serif;
    font-style: normal;
  }
}

Heading semantics

<h1 class="visually-hidden">This_is_the_title</h1>

<div style="left:355.24px; top:58.32px; font-size:68.00px; font-family:'FONT_NAME'; color:#FFFFFF;" aria-hidden="true"><p>This is the title</p></div>

.visually-hidden {
  position: absolute;
  left: -9999px;
  width: 1px;
  height: 1px;
  overflow: hidden;
  white-space: nowrap
}

<style>
.rotated-element {
    left: 210px;
    top: -130px;
    transform: rotate(12deg);
}

@media amzn-kf8, amzn-mobi {
    .rotated-element {
        left: 0;
        top: 0;
        transform: none;
    }
}
</style>

//DESCRIPTION: Move Selection to Text Layer
// Moves selected items to a layer named "text"
// If the layer doesn't exist, it will be created

var doc = app.activeDocument;
var targetLayerName = "text";
var targetLayer;

// Check if the "text" layer exists
try {
    targetLayer = doc.layers.item(targetLayerName);
    // Try to access a property to confirm it exists
    targetLayer.name;
} catch (e) {
    // Layer doesn't exist, create it
    targetLayer = doc.layers.add({name: targetLayerName});
}

// Make sure the target layer is visible and unlocked
// targetLayer.visible = true;
targetLayer.locked = false;

// Move all selected items to the text layer
for (var s = 0; s < app.selection.length; s++) {
    app.selection[s].itemLayer = targetLayer;
}

"Invalid prefix attribute in root (package) element of the OPF file. Please supply a prefix attribute with valid rendition value in root package element of the OPF file" at Book/BookAssets" https://www.w3.org/TR/epub/#app-rendering-vocab

add rendition: http://www.idpf.org/vocab/rendition/# to prefix in package ???

see https://www.w3.org/TR/epub/#sec-metadata-reserved-prefixes

java error in epubcheck

Change url:
background-image:url('data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICR??AEAOw=='); to

background-image:('data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAPAAAP///wAAACH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAICR??AEAOw==');

Spreads

https://www.w3.org/TR/epub/#spread https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GEGU359TQLKDJZZH

Kindle?

• Force landscape with spreads (both Render a synthetic spread regardless of device orientation.)

<meta property="rendition:layout">pre-paginated</meta>
<meta property="rendition:spread">both</meta>
<meta property="rendition:orientation">landscape</meta>

• For individual pages: in spine <itemref idref="pg124" properties="rendition:spread-both"/>

Synthetic Spreads

Page 1

<body>
   <img src="map-pt1.jpeg" alt="World Map (Page 1 of 2)" aria-details="map-desc" />
   …
</body>

Page 2

<body>
   <img src="map-pt2.jpeg" alt="World Map (Page 2 of 2). Refer to previous page for description." />
   …
</body>

toc (TO CHECK)

<body>
  <nav id="toc" epub:type="toc" role="doc-toc" aria-labelledby="nav_contents"><h1 id="nav_contents">Contents</h1>

  <ol>
    <li><a href="page_1.xhtml">Cover</a></li>

    <li><a href="PAGE_XXX.xhtml">Digital Rights</a></li>

    <li><a href="PAGE_XXX.xhtml">Title Page</a></li>

    <li><a href="PAGE_XXX.xhtml">Start</a></li>

    <li><a href="PAGE_XXX.xhtml">Copyright Page</a></li>

    <li><a href="PAGE_XXX.xhtml">About the Author</a></li>
  </ol></nav>

 <nav epub:type="landmarks" id="landmarks"><h1>Landmarks</h1>

  <ol>
    <li><a epub:type="cover" href="page_1.xhtml">Cover</a></li>

    <li><a epub:type="frontmatter" href="PAGE_XXX.xhtml">Statement of Digital Rights</a></li>

    <li><a epub:type="bodymatter" href="PAGE_XXX.xhtml">The_TITLE</a></li>

    <li><a epub:type="backmatter" href="PAGE_XXX.xhtml">About the Author</a></li>
  </ol></nav>
</body>

opf Template (TO CHECK)

    <dc:title id="title">The_TITLE</dc:title>
    <meta property="file-as" refines="#title">TITLE, The</meta>
    <meta property="title-type" refines="#title">main</meta>
    <dc:title id="subtitle">THE_SUBTITLE</dc:title>
    <meta property="title-type" refines="#subtitle">subtitle</meta>
    <dc:title id="fulltitle">The_TITLE: THE_SUBTITLE</dc:title>
    <meta property="file-as" refines="#fulltitle">TITLE: THE_SUBTITLE, The</meta>
    <meta property="title-type" refines="#fulltitle">extended</meta>
    <meta property="belongs-to-collection" id="id-1">Orca SERIES_TITLE</meta>
    <meta refines="#id-1" property="collection-type">series</meta>
    <meta refines="#id-1" property="group-position">1</meta>
    <dc:creator id="creator1">AUTHOR_FIRST_AUTHOR_LAST</dc:creator>
    <meta refines="#creator1" property="role" scheme="marc:relators">aut</meta>
    <meta refines="#creator1" property="file-as">AUTHOR_LAST, AUTHOR_FIRST</meta>
    <dc:creator id="illustrator1">ILLUS_FIRST_ILLUS_LAST</dc:creator>
    <meta refines="#illustrator1" property="role" scheme="marc:relators">ill</meta>
    <meta refines="#illustrator1" property="file-as">ILLUS_LAST, ILLUS_FIRST</meta>
    <dc:identifier id="epubISBN">9780000000000</dc:identifier>
    <dc:identifier id="bookid">urn:isbn:9780000000000</dc:identifier>
    <dc:publisher>Orca Book Publishers</dc:publisher>
    <dc:language>en-US</dc:language>
    <dc:date>2024-MO-DA</dc:date>
    <dc:rights>Copyright © Text INSERT_YEAR AUTHOR_NAME, Illustrations INSERT_YEAR ILLUS_NAME</dc:rights>
    <dc:description>THIS_IS_THE_DESCRIPTION</dc:description>