Alternative ePUB reader

[franzik7]

Hello,

I have several presentations as ePUB files which I normally view in iBooks. I don't like iBooks for this purpuse very much as it always adds my presentation files in the library and furthermore iBooks doesn't simply switches between the pages (instead it animates the pages from left to right every time).

Does anybody know an alternative ePUB reader. I tried calibre, FBReader and Okular, but these apps don't show my presentation files correctly.

Otherwise, does anybody know if it's possible to deactivate the left-to-right-animations when switching pages in iBooks?

Thanks!

Franzik

 

[dwig]

True ePub files will often display slightly differently in different ereaders. How differently will depend on the reader's preference settings and the CSS code used in the ePub. ePub is not a format that is designed to look the same in different readers. It is designed to adapt the display to fit the display characteristics of a very wide range of reading devices.

You may also be encountering additional issues if the ePubs are "fixed layout" ePubs. This variant of ePub is not widely supported. You could also be thinking that you have files that meet the real ePub standards when in fact they are iBooks files. iBooks uses a proprietary file structure that is derived from ePubs. Most iBooks files will display in standard ePub readers but any features or attributes that use Apple's custom CSS attributes or structures will not reader properly if they render at all.

I suggest that you give Adobe Digital Editions a try. If it doesn't display your files "correctly" then the issue is with the files and not the reader, likely that they are iBooks files and not true standard ePubs.

 

[franzik7]

Thank you for your reply which explains a lot! I create my ePubs in Adobe InDesign using the fixed layout export option.

I downloaded and tried Adobe Digital Editions. My ePubs would be displayed correctly but this program has two disadvantages regarding presentations: First, it is quite slow to switch to the next page (it takes some time to display the next page, meanwhile it just shows blank white) and second, it is not possible to view fullscreen without any navigation bars.

But still, thank you for your answer and your hint!

 

[Lioness~]

Would recommend Calibre.
Besides iBook and Kindle that I have, Calibre does it all.

https://calibre-ebook.com/

 

[franzik7]

Thanks! As I wrote, I already tried Calibre. It's one of those readers which doesn't show ePubs with fixed layout as intended.

 

[Lioness~]

Thanks! As I wrote, I already tried Calibre. It's one of those readers which doesn't show ePubs with fixed layout as intended.

Missed that small text mentioning it. Sorry.
Send them an email, from what I've heard they are open minded and do a lot of improvements to their app.
I don't have an own experience, but if you're having problems finding what you're looking for, asking devs are a good shot.

 

[franzik7]

Alright, thank you!

 

[franzik7]

I'd appreciate further hints!

I have an additional question concerning this topic: Does anybody know if there is a way for ePub and/or iBook files to define how the transition between pages is conducted (for example, a simple page switch instead of an animated page switch)? There is a way to define it in InDesign but iBooks ignores this option (it probably doesn't even find its way into a ePub file). Maybe there is a way to alter existing ePub and/or iBook files afterwards.

 

[dwig]

I'd appreciate further hints!

I have an additional question concerning this topic: Does anybody know if there is a way for ePub and/or iBook files to define how the transition between pages is conducted (for example, a simple page switch instead of an animated page switch)? There is a way to define it in InDesign but iBooks ignores this option (it probably doesn't even find its way into a ePub file). Maybe there is a way to alter existing ePub and/or iBook files afterwards.

There is absolutely no way to do this with ePub, period. The reader app does what it wants. Some readers/apps may have preferrence options that allow the user to choose, but there is no way for the ebook file to take control. Whether there is some "secret sauce" that iBooks can add to the file I can't say, but if it can then only iBooks will be able to see it and act on it.

The big question is why are you trying to bend ePub into doing what PDF does vastly better?

 

[franzik7]

Thank you for your explanations!
PDF is/was an option, but it comparison it's unfortunately quite slow on computers which are not totally new.

 

[dwig]

Thank you for your explanations!
PDF is/was an option, but it comparison it's unfortunately quite slow on computers which are not totally new.

Performance of PDF readers will vary MASSIVELY on any computer depending on the options chosen when generating the PDF and the number of images in the original document. If you choose the PDF export settings properly, performance on low resource computers can be very good. Adobe's default setting are not optimal for compact files that display quickly.

 

[franzik7]

Thank you!

If you choose the PDF export settings properly, performance on low resource computers can be very good. Adobe's default setting are not optimal for compact files that display quickly.

Is there an alternative to Adobe's default setting for interactive PDF files (InDesign > Export > options: Adobe PDF interactive)? According to what I found out, Adobe's default setting for interactive PDF files is a must in order to include videos.

 

[dwig]

Thank you!


Is there an alternative to Adobe's default setting for interactive PDF files (InDesign > Export > options: Adobe PDF interactive)? According to what I found out, Adobe's default setting for interactive PDF files is a must in order to include videos.

I'm not sure what options are available, but if you are including video in a PDF it will result in a file that will be difficult for low resource devices to handle.

Including video in an ePub requires that you use the ePub v3 format, which has very little support among the available readers, or use the iBooks proprietary methods limiting it to iBooks as a reader. The common ePubs are v2 and have no support for video.