Some frequently asked questions about problems a reader or publisher might encounter when reading an e-book. EPUBs from ePub Pro are created in such a way as to minimize these problems as much as possible.
Why does a large white space sometimes appear in my e-book?
A white space in an EPUB usually occurs because an image is too large to fit on the screen. Instead of scaling the image, space is reserved where the image is not displayed correctly. This can be due to outdated formatting or a limited e-reader.
Why is the caption of an image sometimes on the next page?
Captions in EPUB files are often technically placed separately from the image. If the combination of image and text does not fit on one screen, the e-reader may decide to move the caption to the next ‘page’. This is a consequence of the dynamic nature of reflowable EPUB formatting.
Why are some chapter titles not visible in the table of contents of my e-book?
If an EPUB does not use a correct semantic heading structure (such as <h1> or <h2>), the table of contents may be incomplete. Most e-readers generate their navigation structure based on these HTML tags. Missing titles usually indicate poor formatting during production.
Why is the text sometimes unevenly distributed or justified in strange ways?
In a reflowable EPUB, the e-reader itself determines how text is justified. Some devices justify text (aligning both left and right), which can lead to strange spacing. This is normal behavior but can sometimes feel unnatural, especially on narrow screens or with large fonts.
Why can’t I adjust the font size in some e-books?
If the EPUB is incorrectly built with fixed styles (for example, via inline CSS or fixed font sizes in pixels), this can hinder the ability to adjust the text size yourself. Good EPUB files use relative sizes, so the reader has full control.
Why do words sometimes break strangely at the end of lines?
This is due to automatic hyphenation, which is controlled by the e-reader or the operating system. Sometimes the system uses hyphenation algorithms that do not align well with the language of the book, especially if the EPUB does not contain correct language metadata.
Why are tables or diagrams difficult to read on my e-reader?
Tables are tricky in a reflowable EPUB because they do not scale well with small screens. If a table is too wide, it will be cut off or distorted. The solution usually lies in redesign: presenting information in list or paragraph form works better on e-readers.
Why does the e-book look different on my phone than on my e-reader?
EPUBs are interpreted differently by each device or app. Just like with websites, the ‘browser’ (or e-reader software) determines how the code is displayed. Differences in font, margin, line spacing, or image display are therefore often unavoidable between platforms.
Why are footnotes sometimes difficult to use in an EPUB?
In some EPUBs, footnotes are only included as text, without clickable references. In other cases, the link back from the footnote to the original text does not work properly. Well-built EPUBs use internal hyperlinks for smooth navigation.
Why doesn’t searching within the book work well?
Search functionality depends on how the text is encoded. If an EPUB makes extensive use of image-text (such as scanned pages or placed text blocks), or if text is incorrectly normalized (for example, with invisible characters), then searching works less well.