CreativePro Forum

Return to Member Forum

• Author
  Posts
• • February 10, 2015 at 9:19 am #73236
    Anonymous

    Inactive

    Hi,

    I formatted some ebooks in epub format using CS6 and uploaded them to KDP. Everything turned out fine, except for the following issues:

    All this applies to the file that is sold by Amazon:

    1-the line spacing variation choice in of the booke is locked(according to the Kindle app that I have installed on my Nexus and Samsung phone)

    2-the default preview font for the look inside feature (or zoom level, depending on how you look at it) shows the font in a smaller font than the vast majority of other books (when building my ebook in indesign I left the same characteristics of the fonts as in the print version 10.5 and 13.5 lead)

    3-although I made a manual table of contents (aside from the NCX) for people’s convenience using cross-referencing, that table of contents is not accessible from the Kindle Cloud Reader when reading from the computer. Only the “Cover”,”Beginning”, “Page”, “Location” options are available, while “Table of Contents” is blackened. Note: the NCX TOC works fine in the kindle app.

    Can someone help me figure out
    (1) what I did wrong (if the case) with the line spacing
    (2) the font size choice (is it too small, does it matter? if I make it bigger will amazon take it into account?)
    (3) how to signal in the epub that I want the “table of contents” to be taken into account in the Kindle Cloud Reader

    Thanks in advance

  • February 10, 2015 at 10:39 am #73239
    Jean Kaplansky

    Member

    I suspect that you’ve hard coded the 10.5/13.5 font and lead in points rather than pixels. Kindle does not like this. It sees the world in pixels. Further, you’re better off coding things in terms of ems.

    Kindle “look inside” is essentially Kindle’s cloud reader, so the features are very limited. I suspect that the 10.5 value, rather than a whole number is confusing the heck out of the rendering engine. (Kindle doesn’t like fractions, either.)

    The font size at 10.5pt is WAY too small for a kindle, which sees things in pixels. The rule of thumb is that the default size is 16px – which may be relative to the screen resolution of the device, or converted in some other way. However, if you go with 1em = 16px, you should be able to figure out the proportional math from there. You can use fractions with ems: e.g., .5em, .75em, are perfectly acceptable.

    WRT Kindle Cloud reader: Again – very limited functionality here. I’m not even sure where the Kindle Cloud reader pulls the TOC from (the nav.xhtml or the NCX – I know it’s the nav.xhtml for KF8 supporting apps and devices. I do not know the last time Kindle Cloud reader was updated, and therefore do not know how limited the support for KF8 may or may not be).

    Make sure that you have a nav.xhtml file in addition to the NCX and try again. This may be the missing “magic smoke” to your TOC problem.

    Hope this helps.

    Best regards,
    Jean

  • February 11, 2015 at 1:10 am #73260
    Anonymous

    Inactive

    Jean,

    Thanks a lot for the precise advice. Will go and change things in ems or pixels. Aside from the fraction-friendliness, are there any other particular advantages in using ems instead of pixels?

    As far as the TOC, I will unlock those epubs and see what’s inside.

    Gratefully,
    Ciprian

• Author
  Posts