Comments on: Experimenting with epub – Creation http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:38:33 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Steve Jordan http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-1136297 Steve Jordan Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:30:18 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-1136297 Doing a right-click or shift-click and using "Save As..." instead of simply clicking on the item to download, usually solves this problem. If you downloaded to your hard disk with the same browser you used to download your website file, I'm not sure why the browser saw the file as different in the two instances. ePub is a new extension on most computers, and they don't always recognize it. You may have to get into your computer's file association controls and add ePub to your preferences (it will allow you to save the file, open it with a designated application, or give you the choice on each download). Your browsers have the same file type preferences (under Tools menu), and you should set them there, too. That way, your machine will hopefully be able to distinguish between an ePub and a ZIP file and handle them appropriately. Doing a right-click or shift-click and using “Save As…” instead of simply clicking on the item to download, usually solves this problem. If you downloaded to your hard disk with the same browser you used to download your website file, I’m not sure why the browser saw the file as different in the two instances.

ePub is a new extension on most computers, and they don’t always recognize it. You may have to get into your computer’s file association controls and add ePub to your preferences (it will allow you to save the file, open it with a designated application, or give you the choice on each download). Your browsers have the same file type preferences (under Tools menu), and you should set them there, too. That way, your machine will hopefully be able to distinguish between an ePub and a ZIP file and handle them appropriately.

]]> By: Pim http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-1136183 Pim Thu, 27 Aug 2009 12:59:51 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-1136183 I have downloaded a free epub ebook to my harddisk. It downloaded as an epub file (not as a zip file). Now I made a download file on my website of the same epub document, but when I want to download it, it gives the extension .zip en not .epub. How can I make a download file on my website so that people can download this epub file on the same way as I downloaded it (as an epub file and not as a .zip file)? I have downloaded a free epub ebook to my harddisk.
It downloaded as an epub file (not as a zip file).

Now I made a download file on my website of the same epub document, but when I want to download it, it gives the extension .zip en not .epub.

How can I make a download file on my website so that people can download this epub file on the same way as I downloaded it (as an epub file and not as a .zip file)?

]]> By: Joseph Gray http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-1075443 Joseph Gray Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:04:42 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-1075443 The first question you need to ask is how is the customer going to deal with what you send them. If this is textual material and they have the hardware or software to read epub, then it may be what you want. If your XML files contain text that is to be read (not an XML database for example), then you could convert them to XHTML. I'm not sure what you can do with the PDF. If you included it as an alternate format, it may display in Adobe Digital Editions (I don't know for sure), but no other epub reader I know of will know what to do with it. FYI - the Sony 505 and 700 use Digital Editions internally. You can also install the Flash-based version of ADE on a computer. You would also need to create the supporting OPF and NCX files that define the metadata and structure of an epub ebook. Not knowing your purpose or what type of XML data you are dealing with, that's the best I can offer. If you are contemplating epub use, you should have a look at the actual standards documentation at IDPF.org. You can also find lots of helpful advice on creating epub over at the MobileRead.com forums. If an ebook format suits your purpose, you will find that some very complicated layouts can be done within the confines of the epub standard. Almost anything you can do with XHTML 1.1 and CSS 2.1 is supported by epub. Check the standards documents for the few exceptions. The big caveat is that currently, no reader software supports everything that epub is capable of. The first question you need to ask is how is the customer going to deal with what you send them. If this is textual material and they have the hardware or software to read epub, then it may be what you want.

If your XML files contain text that is to be read (not an XML database for example), then you could convert them to XHTML. I’m not sure what you can do with the PDF. If you included it as an alternate format, it may display in Adobe Digital Editions (I don’t know for sure), but no other epub reader I know of will know what to do with it. FYI – the Sony 505 and 700 use Digital Editions internally. You can also install the Flash-based version of ADE on a computer.

You would also need to create the supporting OPF and NCX files that define the metadata and structure of an epub ebook.

Not knowing your purpose or what type of XML data you are dealing with, that’s the best I can offer. If you are contemplating epub use, you should have a look at the actual standards documentation at IDPF.org. You can also find lots of helpful advice on creating epub over at the MobileRead.com forums.

If an ebook format suits your purpose, you will find that some very complicated layouts can be done within the confines of the epub standard. Almost anything you can do with XHTML 1.1 and CSS 2.1 is supported by epub. Check the standards documents for the few exceptions.

The big caveat is that currently, no reader software supports everything that epub is capable of.

]]> By: Ramanathan http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-1074580 Ramanathan Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:08:18 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-1074580 Hi, This document was very nice. I have a question. I have a zip file. Which consists of image files, xml files and pdf files. Now we are zipping this and sending to customer. My question is instead of zip format can we create .epub format? Regards Ram Hi,

This document was very nice. I have a question.

I have a zip file. Which consists of image files, xml files and pdf files. Now we are zipping this and sending to customer. My question is instead of zip format can we create .epub format?

Regards
Ram

]]> By: Julien Couvreur http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-683764 Julien Couvreur Mon, 07 Jan 2008 09:45:13 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-683764 I was reading the dev reference pages on the mobipocket format and found some interesting considerations there. The mobi format can be built from OPF+HTML+IMG files, but they are optimized for access by low-power devices. Conversely, I'd be concerned that simply zipped OPF+HTML+IMG files are probably going to be resource hogs... I was reading the dev reference pages on the mobipocket format and found some interesting considerations there. The mobi format can be built from OPF+HTML+IMG files, but they are optimized for access by low-power devices.
Conversely, I’d be concerned that simply zipped OPF+HTML+IMG files are probably going to be resource hogs…

]]> By: Ebook Creation Links | Idiotprogrammer http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-612397 Ebook Creation Links | Idiotprogrammer Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:26:45 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-612397 [...] workflows for using .epub (Oct 2007) [...] [...] workflows for using .epub (Oct 2007) [...]

]]> By: Joseph Gray http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-601984 Joseph Gray Wed, 31 Oct 2007 18:55:37 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-601984 Pond, Yes, the Wordpress software put the curl in the quotes :-) If you download the sample file, you will find regular quotes, along with better formatting. Pond,

Yes, the Wordpress software put the curl in the quotes :-) If you download the sample file, you will find regular quotes, along with better formatting.

]]> By: pond http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-601931 pond Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:47:37 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-601931 Thanks from me, too. One thing to be aware of is that the quoted examples of files all contain 8-bit curly quotes instead of the plain vanilla straight quotes xml requires. No doubt the content creation tool 'smartened' your quotes here. Thanks from me, too.

One thing to be aware of is that the quoted examples of files all contain 8-bit curly quotes instead of the plain vanilla straight quotes xml requires. No doubt the content creation tool ’smartened’ your quotes here.

]]> By: Joseph Gray http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-601798 Joseph Gray Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:46:55 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-601798 There is one other important fact about the "mimetype" file that I hope I made clear in the article. Just to make sure, I'll mention it here again. The "mimetype" file must be added to the Zip archive first. This, along with the file being uncompressed, places the mimetype information in a fixed location within the epub file, allowing easier determination that this is an epub file and not just a normal Zip file. There is one other important fact about the “mimetype” file that I hope I made clear in the article. Just to make sure, I’ll mention it here again. The “mimetype” file must be added to the Zip archive first. This, along with the file being uncompressed, places the mimetype information in a fixed location within the epub file, allowing easier determination that this is an epub file and not just a normal Zip file.

]]> By: Joseph Gray http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-601782 Joseph Gray Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:39:56 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-601782 Rob - I use 7Zip and not WinZip, although I'm sure that WinZip has some method of specifying no compression when you add a file. In 7Zip, you select "store" as the method of compression. As I mentioned in the article, the "mimetype" file is only 20 bytes and will most likely not compress anyway. Give it a try. Preston - Thanks for pointing out the link error. I just fixed it, along with some spelling and formatting errors that crept in. Rob – I use 7Zip and not WinZip, although I’m sure that WinZip has some method of specifying no compression when you add a file. In 7Zip, you select “store” as the method of compression. As I mentioned in the article, the “mimetype” file is only 20 bytes and will most likely not compress anyway. Give it a try.

Preston – Thanks for pointing out the link error. I just fixed it, along with some spelling and formatting errors that crept in.

]]> By: Preston http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-601760 Preston Wed, 31 Oct 2007 14:06:21 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-601760 Excellent article. Thank you very much for putting this together. I've already bookmarked it. However, I did want to alert you to a broken link. The link in this sentence "For details on what this is and how to generate one, a Wikipedia article, which ponts to some online UUID generators." is missing the "h" from "http". Excellent article. Thank you very much for putting this together. I’ve already bookmarked it.

However, I did want to alert you to a broken link. The link in this sentence “For details on what this is and how to generate one, a Wikipedia article, which ponts to some online UUID generators.” is missing the “h” from “http”.

]]> By: Rob Preece http://www.teleread.org/2007/10/31/experimenting-with-epub-creation/comment-page-1/#comment-601753 Rob Preece Wed, 31 Oct 2007 13:56:25 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/blog/?p=7442#comment-601753 Thanks for this write-up, Joseph. Is there some means, in WinZip, to prevent compression of particular files as they're being added to a Zip archive? I look forward to being able to add ePub to my list of supported formats (I wish I could look forward to having only one supported format but I think there'll be a long wait for this. Rob Preece Publisher, www.BooksForABuck.com Thanks for this write-up, Joseph. Is there some means, in WinZip, to prevent compression of particular files as they’re being added to a Zip archive?

I look forward to being able to add ePub to my list of supported formats (I wish I could look forward to having only one supported format but I think there’ll be a long wait for this.

Rob Preece
Publisher, http://www.BooksForABuck.com

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