FAQ & Resources

General FAQ Technical FAQ Resources

Technical FAQ

Formats & Device Support

What eBook formats does AptaraDirect offer?

AptaraDirect gives you the opportunity to create the following eBook formats:

  • EPUB (Fixed Layout, Reflowable)
  • Mobi / PRC / Kindle Format (Fixed Layout/KF8, Reflowable)
  • ePib (Fixed Layout for Barnes & Noble NOOK Kids)

Which devices support the above formats?

See the below chart for details on device support.

eBook Format/Device Matrix
Format Layout
Fixed Layout Reflowable Layout
EPUB Apple iPad and iPhone (iOS) iPad, iPhone (iOS), Nook, Kobo, and Sony devices
Mobi/KF8 Amazon Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD All Kindle devices
ePib Barnes & Noble Nook Tablet or Nook Color N/A

For a detailed overview on the eBook formats AptaraDirect can create, please visit the eBook Formats section in our Resources Page.

What digital output formats does AptaraDirect offer?

We can also create the following formats based on your submitted files:

  • XML (DocBook, NLM, Custom DTD)
  • Microsoft Word (Styled and Unstyled)

For more details on these formats, please visit the Source Files section in our Resources Page.

Validation & Quality Control

How are EPUBs made through AptaraDirect validated?

EPUB files converted through AptaraDirect are validated against the most recent EPUB standard issued by the IDPF. There are several open-software options for validating EPUB files, such as epubcheck and EPUB-Checker (Pagina).

Which guidelines does AptaraDirect follow for EPUB creation?

EPUB files are developed in accordance with the latest IDPF EPUB2 specifications and latest Apple iBookstore specifications. Conversion to IDPF's EPUB3 specification is also available, which incorporates greater flexibility with rich media elements such as audio, video, read-aloud, and animation. However, keep in mind this functinality may not be compatible with all reading devices. Please contact us if you are uncertain which format is appropriate for your project.

What quality checks are performed on converted files from AptaraDirect?

We perform intensive quality checks on your eBook files and digital output files to make sure they meet standards set both by you and the industry.
See the following tables for details on our quality control regarding ebook formats:

EBOOK FORMATS

Reflowable EPUB
No. Category Details
1. Special Instructions
  • Special instructions from the customer are reviewed, if provided.
2. File Naming and Directory Structure
  • 13-digit eISBN.EPUB
    (e.g.: 9781580084123.EPUB)
3. eBook Order
  • Book order is checked per provided source material.
4. Metadata
  • Book Title, Subtitle, Author and On Sale Date are verified against work order (manifest) file.
  • If manifest is not provided by client, then we check the following:
    1. ISBNS on back covers (eISBNs are not available)
    2. Pickup author info from back covers
    3. Book title, subtitle, and on sale date as per book
  • Unicode appearance is checked on iPad.
  • Any nonvisibility of entity is corrected accordingly.
5. Table of Contents
  • All TOC Links are One-way linked.
6. Cover image
  • Cover is not blurry.
  • Logical Cover is included in OPF.
7. Cover image size
  • As provided by customer.
  • Cover is at center from all corners.
8. Back Cover
  • As per the requirement provided by customer.
9. Title page
  • Simple Title page is tagged properly.
  • Complex Title page is captured as an Image.
10. Copyright Page
  • As per source.
11. *Formatting
  • As per PDF Layout (as much as possible).
  • Blank pages are excluded from the eBook.
12. Links
  • Footnotes / Endnotes (if they are numbered).
  • Tables of contents.
  • External URLs and Emails.
  • Figures/tables/chapters/parts/appendixes, etc.
13. Tables
  • Simple tables are converted into HTML and complex tables are converted as images.
14. Special Characters
  • All characters are coded as Unicode (as much as possible).
  • HTML entities in OPF.
  • Characters that are not supported by a handheld/desktop reader are rendered as images.
15. Validation
  • EPUB is validated properly against latest EPUB standards.

Fixed-Layout EPUB

No. Category Details
1. Special Instructions
  • Special instructions from the customer are reviewed, if provided.
2. File Naming and Directory Structure
  • 13-digit eISBN.epub
    (e.g.: 9781580084123.epub)
3. eBook Order
  • Book order is checked against the source files.
4. Metadata
  • Book Title, Subtitle, Author and On Sale Date are verified against work order (manifest) file.
  • If manifest is not provided by client, then we check the following:
    1. ISBNS on back covers (eISBNs are not available)
    2. Pickup author info from back covers
    3. Book title, subtitle, and on sale date as per book
5. Formatting
  • Formatting is followed per source files provided.
6. Image Cropping
  • White lines at top, bottom, left, right, and between merged images are checked.
  • Gutter space (if any) will be corrected.
7. Image Size
  • Dimension is not greater than 2 megapixels.
  • All images are web optimized.
8. HTML
  • Viewport is consistent per defined image dimensions.
  • Viewport values match those defined in CSS.
  • Alt values are present per requirement.
9. Validation
  • EPUB file is validated properly against latest EPUB standards.

Reflowable MOBI

No. Category Details
1. File Naming and Directory Structure
  • 13-digit eISBN.prc
    (e.g.: 9781580084123.prc)
2. eBook Order
  • Book order is checked per provided source material.
3. Metadata
  • Book Title, Subtitle, Author and On Sale Date are verified against work order (manifest) file.
4. Table of Contents
  • TOC is created (even if not present in source file) and hyperlinked as per source file.
  • All TOC links are cross-linked and titles are underlined.
  • All links are in blue.
5. Cover image
  • Cover is not blurry.
  • Logical Cover is included in OPF.
6. Cover image size
  • Dimensions of cover image are set per Amazon Kindle standard (600 x 800 pixels).
7. Title page
  • Title page is captured as image.
8. Copyright Page
  • If there is no copyright page in the source file, we will add copyright page after the title page along with eBook ISBN.
9. *Formatting
  • As per PDF Layout (as much as possible).
  • Blank pages are excluded from the eBook.
10. Links
  • Footnotes / Endnotes (if they are numbered).
  • Tables of contents is linked.
  • External URLs and Emails are linked properly.
  • Figures/tables/chapters/parts/appendixes, etc., are checked.
11. Tables
  • Simple tables are converted into HTML and complex tables are converted as images.
12. Special Characters
  • All characters are coded as Unicode (as much as possible).
  • HTML entities in OPF.
  • Characters that are not supported by a handheld/desktop reader are rendered as images.
13. Validation
  • Mobi is validated properly against latest Amazon specifications.

Fixed-Layout Mobi

No. Category Details
1. Special Instructions
  • Special instructions from the customer are reviewed, if provided.
2. File Naming and Directory Structure
  • 13-digit eISBN.mobi
    (e.g.: 9781580084123.mobi)
3. eBook Order
  • Book order is checked against the source files.
4. Metadata
  • Book Title, Subtitle, Author and On Sale Date are verified against work order (manifest) file.
  • If manifest is not provided by client, then we check the following:
    1. ISBNS on back covers (eISBNs are not available)
    2. Pickup author info from back covers
    3. Book title, subtitle, and on sale date as per book
5. Formatting
  • As per source file.
6. Validation
  • MOBI file is validated properly against latest specification from Amazon.

EPIB

No. Category Details
1. Special Instructions
  • Special instructions from the customer are reviewed, if provided.
2. File Naming and Directory Structure
  • 13-digit eISBN_epib.EPUB
    (e.g.: 9781580084123_epib.EPUB)
3. eBook Order
  • Book order is checked against the source files.
4. Metadata
  • Book Title, Subtitle, Author and On Sale Date are verified against work order (manifest) file.
  • If manifest is not provided by client, then we check the following:
    1. ISBNS on back covers (eISBNs are not available)
    2. Pickup author info from back covers
    3. Book title, subtitle, and on sale date as per book
5. Formatting
  • As per source file.
  • White lines at top, bottom, left, right, and between two pages checked.
6. Region Magnification
  • Position and size of pop-ups are checked as per source file.
  • Pop-up size is around 150 percent of the original text. (This could change if it is a text-heavy book.)
6. Cropping
  • White lines at top, bottom, left, right, and between merged images are checked.
See the following tables for details on our quality control regarding digital output formats:

DIGITAL OUTPUT FORMATS

XML: DocBook DTD

No.

Category

Details

1.

Special Instructions
  • Special instructions from the customer are reviewed, if provided.

2.

File Naming and Directory Structure
  • Per customer instructions
  • e.g., liepe.zip

3.

Metadata
  • The following parameters are checked:
    • Doctype
    • Book Title
    • Edition
    • Book author name and affiliation
    • Copyright year and holder
    • ISBN
    • Publisher name and location, etc.

4.

Structure
  • Structure and hierarchy of book created based on table of contents
  • Completeness of content also based on table of contents

5.

Front matter, body, back matter
  • The following parameters are checked:
    • Cover page
    • Copyright page
    • Chapter title and chapter author
    • Image callout and its availability
    • Linking of numbered figures, tables, boxes, and references
    • Missing links for chapters, figures, tables, boxes, sections, and references
    • Hierarchy of sections
    • Consistency of various layout types
    • Availability of references, appendices, and glossary

6.

Validation

· XML files validated through NSGML and any provided tools from customer

XML: NLM Book DTD

No.

Category

Details

1.

Special Instructions
  • Special instructions from the customer are reviewed, if provided.

2.

File Naming and Directory Structure
  • Per customer instructions
  • e.g., liepe.zip

3.

Metadata
  • The following parameters are checked:
    • Doctype
    • Journal ID, acronym name, type, and title
    • ISSN
    • Publisher name and location
    • DOI
    • Volume and issue number, etc.

4.

Front Matter, Body, Back Matter
  • The following parameters are checked:
  • Article title, author, and affiliation
  • Publication date
  • Page range
  • Copyright statement and year
  • Image callout and its availability
  • Linking of numbered figures, tables, boxes, and references
  • Missing links for chapters, figures, tables, boxes, sections, and references
  • Hierarchy of sections
  • Consistency of various layout types
  • Availability of references, appendices, and glossary

6.

Validation
  • XML files validated through NSGML and any provided tools from customer
  • XML files validated through online PMC style checker

Regarding Microsoft Word files:

Unstyled Word documents would be developed without any styles for editing purposes.

Aptara conducts various quality checks to ensure the highest level of content conversion quality and accuracy.

Our standard quality checks are as follows:

  • Page size: Letter
  • Page margins: 1-inch on all sides (left, right, top, bottom)
  • Font: Times New Roman
  • Font size: 12 pt.
  • Line spacing: Double
  • Alignment: Justified
  • Document Hierarchy: Chapter title, author, and heading levels indicated through font size changes per MSP
  • Non-linear content: Images, figures, figure legends, boxes, and tables will be included at the end of the file