Reply To: Two Columns layout don't show up in Epub Export

Jerry,

Technically Epub 2 and 3 do support the column-count CSS but it doesn’t work correctly on ereader or tablet screens. By that I mean, you will see two columns but it breaks the text mid-chapter (or per HTML document), not per-page (or screen in this case) like you see in print or in InDesign, so your reader will have to read the left column until the end of the chapter, then go back to the start of the chapter and read the right hand column to the end of the chapter. I’ve tested columns over the years on different ereaders with the same outcome, and while I would love to use multiple columns in reflowable ePubs, ereader software (either e-ink, tablet, or app) is still not up to the task to render it correctly on the fly.

To get the two columns, it’s only possible by unzipping the ePub and doing the CSS work by hand, Anne-Marie is correct, from an InDesign export standpoint its not possible in either ePub 2 or 3 exports as InDesign export doesn’t support columns, probably because it really doesn’t work correctly in any ereader.

Aaron