From 1.73, ePub Maker supports CSS template, a default CSS file for all ePub files.

The CSS file path is like

ePub Maker Folder\lib\OPS\style.css

You can edit this CSS file, all styles in this CSS file will be applied to any epub files ePub Maker created.

The most important things in the default CSS are two lines

a:link { text-decoration: none; }    /* links not underlined */

This line control the default style of links, now it makes the link epub shown without underline(generally with a lighter color than normal text), so if you want underlined link, you should delete or modify this line.

p { text-indent: 2em; text-align: left; }    /* default paragraph style */

This line controls the default style of paragraphs. Now it  makes all paragraphs left aligned and indented for 2 units. If you want other styles, you should modify it.

Now there’s a problem in 1.73, that’s no option for user to choose not to use the default CSS file, that’s eally a problem that we missed. We will add it in next version.

Some user, encountered a strange problem with equations when converting from Word to ePub with ePub Maker.
Equations show as black window or square in ePub reader, or a black image with a little vague thing in.

This is a typical PNG problem on ePub – PNG images generated by MS Word can not be recognized correctly by ePub readers.
It’s a bug of Microsoft or a bug of ePub readers(Adobe and Apple).
And this PNG problem only occurs on equations in Word, not other normal picutures. But if you create ePub from HTML, and there’re some PNGs with low colors, you will see the same problem.
To aovid this problem, you have to let Word use GIF instead of PNG as the image format for equations. (Fortunately Word can export images both in PNG and GIF)-

In Options / General/ Web Options/Browsers  in Word, check off “Allow PNG as a graphic format” see the screeshot

Check off Allow PNG in Word 2003

We received many example epubs from customers, many of them with long and complicated filename, some of them have problems, due to the long name, especially with some special characters.

It seems many people like simple steps but not simple result. Considering the poor compitablity of ePub Readers, we must not use long name with special characters as possible as we can.

The filename is not just one filename for the epub file, actually, the link inside, the images URI and other media URI, the content, the OPF file and NCX file in ePub all will reference the filename as path, thus it creates many compex long URIs, some with unsupported characters, so you will encounter unexpectable problems of the epub.

In ePub Maker 1.73 we already abolished the support of filename with special characters, to avoid such problems. And in next version we want to change URI path to some fixed path, such no matter what the source file name is, we only give images a path of “img”.

There’s a blog by Liza Castro about filenames in ePub, and I cited her recommendation here, and of course it’s also what we recommend to our customers

I recommend restricting filenames to the 26 unaccented letters of the English alphabet, the dash (-), and the underscore (_).

For her full blog about filenames in epub please visit

http://www.pigsgourdsandwikis.com/2011/11/non-allowed-characters-in-filenames-in.html

These days, several customer asked why the link in result ePub not underlined and how to restore it.

Yes, ePub Maker applies an elegant style of link by default, it’s not underlined, but light gray colored.

Though there’s no option for user to choose of the style of link, user can modify the link style for a book or for all manually.

ePub Maker has a function of “Edit”, user can edit CSS file directly, of course including the style of links. Please reference the help file After Making section.
In brief, just do the followings,

1. Associate a text editor in Advanced Settings tab.
2. Make the epub file as usual.
3. After making, the Edit menu is accessible, click Edit/CSS menu item, then your text editor will open the CSS file as  text file.
4. Find a line near bottom
   

   a:link {color:#555;text-decoration:none;}

   you can change it to your style, such as if underline, like

   a:link {color:#555;text-decoration:underline;}

   and save the file.

5. click re-compile(F8) in the edit menu.

User can also modify the template CSS file in the folder of ePub Maker, perhaps the path is

ePubMaker1.x\lib\OPS\style.css

then user can always have their own styles of book.

ePub standards designer are busy in adding more multi-media into ePub, but some basic features ePub should have are still neglected.
Font size system is one.
We know there are unified font size units in traditional publishing system, from cm, mm, to pt, pc, and px. But all these static units are not suitable for eReaders. Because eReader allow users to zoom in or out, changing font sizes.
People may say there’s relative font size system in CSS, already adopted by ePub. But the relative font size system in CSS is only a seven level system expressed as “small” or “large” or “xx-large”, if you ever used this system you will know how coarse it is. It is far away from our requirement for well designed ebook.
For example, how can you set a paragraph only a little bigger than another paragraph? If you use “large” and “x-large” you will be disappointed by the huge difference.
Maybe some CSS user know em system and percentage system, i.e., you can set font as 1.1em or 110%, it truly works if the file structure is very simple or parts whose parent* font size is 1em or 100%, but if the parent font is 1.5em, your font will be 1.65, not 1.1.
Is it strange? Because em and percentage system are dynamic font size system, its size bases on previous one, so don’t know what the exact font size is, except you calculate one by one backward until the first one.
For example, if you set paragraph font size as 2em, but you set some inner text font size as 1.5em, you will see the this part is 1.5 size of other text. You think 1.5 should be smaller than 2.0? No, it doesn’t work as you imagine, it works in an odd way like this,
If it renders the paragraph as 20px, the inner part text is rendered not 15px, but 1.5*20, it’s 30px.
The number is for parent element font size, not for original basic font size.
So dynamic system is very unreliable for epublishing.
But beyond these, we have nothing till now.
Why there couldn’t be a precise relative font size system?
For example, we name the new unit as fs, we can express font sizes as 1fs, 1.1fs, 1.5fs,and so on.
So only if the eReader sets a value for 1fs, then it will show all font sizes in precise scale. Any part of the text has a relative but static font size, for example, a 1.5fs text will be rendered 150% size of the basic 1fs font size.
But now, we have to wait.

With the release of Mobi maker, there comes up a new question, how can I publish it both for epub and Kindle more efficiently?

The question can be,

1 Can I arrange my Word odcument for ePub and publish as Mobi?

As described in last post, it can do but the result quality is not guaranteed, you’d better arrange Word for Kindle.

2 Some may then think, how about arrange for Kindle and publishing both for ePub and Kindle?

That also can do, but you can not take advantage of ePub features in ePub edition.

Unfortunately, for professional publishers, we have to arrange for these two formats separately, that means you have to prepare original Word document in two files.

But that doesn’t mean we have to always maintain them both. The key for efficiency is you must arrange original Word document in good structure by styles, so that what you need in preparing another format is just changing some styles.

Here’s a more efficient solution. If you are an Word expert, you can create your own template. I think this is a need for digital publishers.

For example, you create an template for Kindle, you can just copy the content of a Word document (arranged for ePub) to create an edition for Kindle. but you needn’t maintain this Kindle editon. When you altered something in original ePub edition, you just copy it, create the Kindle edition and publish it again.

Remember, all the basic is that your original Word document must be well organized and structured. If the document is composed of scattered direct formattings, then it would be a disaster for you and the switch is impossible.

You know, there are several free tools converting ePub to Kindle, so creating an ePub and converting to Mobi a basic method for Kindle publishing.

Yes, that’s a good free way for common readers, but not good for professional epublishers.

You may encounter such problems from ePub to Kindle/Mobi, such as

Where’s my TOC? TOC lost!

Why it looks so different on Kindle form Nook or other ePub eReader?

Mobi is a simpler format than ePub, but that does not mean it’s simpler to publishing on Kindle, on the contrary, it’s more difficult to make your book looks good on a simpler format.

Many good thing in ePub are absent in Mobi, such as font, CSS, only limited methods and resources you can use for your book formatting. But you have to format your book, make it look professional.

So you need arrange your manuscript by another method for Kindle separately. you need create a copy for Kindle from your original manuscript, and apply simple formatting and styles for this edition. And of course, convert to Mobi by Mobi Maker.

Mobi Maker released, but the examples in the package are just the same of ePub Maker. Though it has no problem, it’s not perfect.

Now the example document, A Christmas Carol, has been modified for Kindle publishing, please visit the example page of Mobi Maker
http://epingsoft.com/mobi/examples.asp

This example reveals some basic secrets of Kindle publishing.

• Give up different fonts in Word document, for Kindle doesn’t support fonts. Add Italic formatting for some special part originally distinguished by other font.
• Rearrange spacing for some headings, because Kindle only supports some fixed spaces, such as one line, two line, there’s no precise space like 1.5 line or 8px.
• Change some font size smaller to make book title looks larger. The size difference between headings(such as heading 1 and heading 2)is so unobvious. And Kindle show headings in a fixed size, font size on headings simply has no effect.

Kindle and Mobi format are so simple and even primitive, comparing to other formats, especially modern web pages and documents.
So, in conversion and epublishing, those who are new to this field, may be always astonished and dissatisfied with the result effect which is far from their original design.

These difference and simplicity/shortage of Kindle, are the first secret thing you should know to be a better epublisher.

Now, let’s see these secret in Kindle one by one.

We are happy to announce that Mobi Maker first trial version now is available, user can download from the page of Mobi Maker.

Download Mobi Maker

This tool allows you create Kindle Mobi book from Word document and HTML files. similar to ePub Maker, Mobi Maker user can take advantage of MS Word as editor, further more, comparing to other Mobi generation tools Mobi Maker’s advantage is that TOC and sections can be created automatically.

But Mobi Maker needs KindleGen to be installed first, you can visit this page for details.

How to Setup KindleGen