Jump to content
You must now use your email address to sign in [click for more info] ×

Recommended Posts

  • 3 weeks later...

To be honest, InDesign doesn't have the best ePub workflow either. In order to make ePub export really useful, it would have the following features:

  • Normally I create two separate files for cover and book contents. When creating an ePub I'd like to make a rectangular mask selection from the cover file to include as first page in the ePub file. The same for the back cover at the back of the book and optional cover flaps
  • Option: skip one or more cover pages. Also, some pages are intenionally blank (for example to start a chapter on the right page). These can also be removed.
  • Option: Page numbers and any other master text fields from the master spread can or cannot be included as text in a reflowable ePub
  • Option: Tables and anchored image captions can or cannot be embedded as picture (converted to bitmap)
  • Option: anything that looks like an URL can or cannot be converted to an actual hyperlink
  • Option: Rotate large graphics that were facing outward (from the spine) back to the text orientation
  • Option: Fill and update metadata from tagged text frames (like Title, Author, Copyright notice). All these fields are present in the print text

That last option would require text frames in Publisher to be taggable. This is not the case as of today.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 9/1/2018 at 11:23 PM, Medical Officer Bones said:

Jutoh doesn't support fixed epub and only a tiny subset of epub 3. Instead of Jutoh, Sigil is comparable and completely free for flowing epub ebooks.

https://sigil-ebook.com/

Although I understand the technical reasons why the Publisher developers decided to forego html and epub export, the fact remains that without this option Publisher will be unable to compete with the current crop of DTP layout software.

... ...

Huh! Tried to have a download of a ePub creating app on sigil-ebook... instead it was asked a very complicated GitHub registration. I absolutly don't understand what to do with it. Doesn't look like any kind of app I could use... <8O(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Castle Al said:

Huh! Tried to have a download of a ePub creating app on sigil-ebook... instead it was asked a very complicated GitHub registration. I absolutly don't understand what to do with it. Doesn't look like any kind of app I could use... <8O(

Shouldn't be any need to register. Just click on the Get link at the top of the page, which will get you a page with info you need to read before going to the Releases page to get the installers. If you're on Mac be sure to read the file that describes the installer format.

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

no need to register as Walt said

 

and about "what to do" - it's not a clickety-click-mouse app, in brief:

 

- you open HTML with it

- you add CSS stylesheet

- you add pictures if any (cover at least)

 

and then you start to make an epub by adding CSS classes to paragraphs, divide chapters, insert graphics...

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Calibre, as a Swiss army knife for all things ebook, including editing of epub and conversion to and from mobi, azw/3 or any other format you might want to read. Both solutions require some knowledge of html and css. In general I would follow the do one thing and do it well philosophy though.

One way to do it without much knowledge is to open another epub and use it as a template for whatever it is that you're working on.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was about to start learning Publisher having used InDesign for 10+ years but first looked for ePub export. 

Main and only reason for using Publisher is to produce ePub books for iBooks and Amazon etc. 

No ePub !!!!  Can't believe it. Please tell us you have it in the works. Then I will continue to learn the app - it looks very good. Otherwise I have to go back to InDesign. Can't wait forever.

Why has such a forward looking team missed the 4th wheel on their new car design?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Staff

@Stuart Reid

Welcome to the Serif Affinity Forums :) 

I have merged your post into this popular relevant thread. There is another long one here too and some more here for this popular request

Patrick Connor
Serif Europe Ltd

"There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man. True nobility lies in being superior to your previous self."  W. L. Sheldon

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 10/13/2019 at 6:39 PM, walt.farrell said:

Shouldn't be any need to register. Just click on the Get link at the top of the page, which will get you a page with info you need to read before going to the Releases page to get the installers. If you're on Mac be sure to read the file that describes the installer format.

Damit! I go on that page... but it is this kind of carry Linux type of bla-bla-bla :/ Where is the Sigil app/or installer to download on the page? :S
Clicking on Sigil-0.9.18 won't do it... And what are these other links

 at the bottom ?
Is it impossible to find a nice installer to avoid a "normal" lambda user to get completely crazy?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Castle Al You have to read the and decipher info on the main page you linked to get that the txz file is what you want. To the package maintainers, it's apparently more important to save a few MB at distribution time than to stick with standard delivery methods.

https://bmb.photos | Focus: The unexpected, the abstract, the extreme on screen, paper, & other physical outputTools: macOS (Primary: Ventura, MBP2018), Canon (Primary: 5D3), iPhone (Primary: 14PM), Nikon Film Scanners, Epson Printers

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...
On 9/1/2018 at 9:16 PM, Dave Harris said:

Yes, we'll add more export formats in future to support e-publications. (I'm not going to commit to exactly which ones.) For this initial 1.7 release we chose to coast with our existing PDF because we had so much else to do. We have left a lot of work to do over the coming years.

Well, it's been 1 year since that and I don't see the option to export to an epub file.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, sbyseven said:

Well, it's been 1 year since that and I don't see the option to export to an epub file.

Yes, but we're still in the early days of actual Publisher releases so far (1.7 was the first one; 1.8 is in beta), and as Dave said "[they] have left a lot of work to do over the coming years."

There are many functions that the users want, and Serif can't do all of them at once, or all of them first :)

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Please guys, take care of the ePub file export function. It is SO much needed!!!

I don't want to pay again for a different application when the one I already own has all potentiality to do the job!!

Please put it in your 'high priority' shelf for future releases!!!

Thank you!!!!

Leonardo

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 11/28/2019 at 10:31 AM, sbyseven said:

Well, it's been 1 year since that and I don't see the option to export to an epub file.

True, but bug crushing is just as important or more so than new features.  What I would really like to see is a road map and where the greatly need epub export sits on that list.  Over a year ago Patrick said it was in there radar, but will it be yet another year? Two?

I would love to hear an official word on epub.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a HUGE opportunity going missing here. I am forced to use InDesign to create our Epubs because the source materials are all IDML files, which Affinity Pub now supports. (MANY thanks for that) 

BUT Indesign produces files with  a bloated CSS file containing much  unneeded code. Epub devlopers are forced to use other tools like Calibre and Sigil to fine tune the code. 

There is a huge need for a feature in Affinity Publisher that can produce very clean HTML5 code using the kinds of simplified CSS files developed by  Jiminy Panoz  https://friendsofepub.github.io/Blitz/documentation/docs.html#css-doc 

It would not take a huge amount of resources to tackle this and the resulting market for an efficient IDML to epub flow could be quite significant.  

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE reconsider your roadmap and investigate this option.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks to Guyon's and Ostonica's interventions.
1. I'll have a try with Amazon's feature, hoping it can handle about 250 pages (including sometimes pictures).
2. And yes to Affinity working on e-pub output. I would even pay an extra fee for it (though Scrivener is supposed to do that... but not that easily)!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, Guyon said:

@ostonica

I have used Ultimate eBook Creator for small projects on Amazon.  It worked really well.

https://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-eBook-Creator-publishing-iBookstore/dp/B00K7DFZM8#customerReviews

PC CD only, it seems... with a price that invites me to work further on with trying to master the e-pub exports from Scrivener.
:7_sweat_smile:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Guidelines | We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.