What is an ePDF?

An ePDF is a PDF prepared as the digital version of a book, designed to be read on a screen rather than sent to a printer. It is a fixed layout format, which means every page stays exactly as it was designed. The text, images, columns and spacing do not move around to fit different screen sizes.

Technically, an ePDF is still a PDF. It is not a separate file format like EPUB. In book production, we use the term to distinguish a screen friendly PDF from the PDF prepared for printing.

An ePDF is particularly useful when the layout of the book matters, or when you want a digital copy that you can sell or share directly from your own website, course platform, email or anywhere else you choose.

An ePDF and a print PDF start from the same book

The print PDF and the ePDF usually come from the same professionally formatted pages, but they are prepared for different jobs.

A print PDF has to meet the technical requirements of the printer. Depending on the book and printer, that can include bleed, precise page dimensions, print color settings, high resolution images and margins designed around the way the book will be bound.

An ePDF does not need those print production elements. It can instead be optimized for viewing on a screen, with a sensible file size, clickable links and navigation. It will normally include the front cover but not the spine and back cover, because those are parts of the physical printed object rather than pages of the digital book.

A good ePDF is more than a print PDF opened on a screen

You can, of course, open an ordinary print PDF on a computer or tablet. But that does not necessarily make it pleasant to read.

Printed books are designed as physical objects. Left and right pages may have different inner and outer margins. Blank pages may have been deliberately inserted so that a chapter starts on the correct side. Page numbers may sit at the outside edge because that works beautifully when the book is open in your hands.

An ePDF is usually read one page at a time, so we look at those decisions again. Blank pages that only existed for print may be removed. Margins can be adjusted where necessary for single page viewing, and the file can be set up so that moving through it feels natural on a screen.

For a longer book, we can also create PDF bookmarks so a reader can jump straight to a chapter or section instead of scrolling through hundreds of pages. Contents entries, websites, email addresses and other useful references can be made clickable too.

The layout stays fixed, which is sometimes exactly what you want

The big difference between an ePDF and a reflowable ebook is what happens to the page.

In a normal reflowable ebook, the reader can change the font size and the text rearranges itself to fit the screen. That works wonderfully for novels and other books that are mainly continuous text.

An ePDF does the opposite. The page stays put.

That makes it very useful for recipe books, workbooks, illustrated books, photography books, children's books and more complex nonfiction. If an image needs to sit beside a particular paragraph, or a table, caption or exercise needs to remain in a particular place, the relationship between those elements stays intact.

A children's picture book is a good example. On a tablet, the reader can move through the same designed pages they would see in the printed book, rather than having the words and pictures rearranged by the device.

The text can still be real text

Fixed layout does not mean that every page has to be turned into a picture.

When an ePDF is exported properly from professional layout software, the text can remain genuine text. That means readers can usually search the book, select words and copy passages rather than looking at a photograph of a page. Fonts can also be embedded so the typography remains consistent when the file is opened on another device.

The images can be optimized for screen use too. A print file may contain very large high resolution images because they are intended for a press. An ePDF can often use more appropriate screen resolution and compression, keeping the pages looking sharp without making the download unnecessarily enormous.

An ePDF is particularly useful when you want to distribute the book yourself

One of the nicest things about an ePDF is how simple it is to distribute. It is a single, familiar file that readers can open on almost any computer, tablet or phone.

You can sell it from your own website, include it in a course, provide it as a private download, send it directly to customers or simply share it with friends and family. There is no retailer approval process between you and the reader.

PDF is not the only digital format you can distribute yourself, but for a book whose designed pages need to stay intact, it is often the simplest.

Retailer distribution is different. Amazon, Apple Books and other ebook stores have their own formats and publishing workflows. Amazon can, for example, accept PDF as a source in some circumstances, but it may be converted into a Kindle format rather than sold to the reader as your original ePDF. If retailer distribution matters, a reflowable ebook or a fixed-layout ebook prepared for that retailer is usually the better route.

An ePDF is not right for every book

The fixed page that makes an ePDF so useful can also be its main limitation.

On a tablet or computer, a designed page can look excellent. On a small phone, the same page may need pinching and zooming because the text cannot simply enlarge and reflow. For a long novel or another mainly text based book, a reflowable ebook will usually give the reader a more comfortable experience.

An ePDF makes most sense when keeping the page design intact matters more than allowing the reader to resize everything.

There is also no perfect way to stop a PDF being shared once somebody has downloaded it. Passwords and restrictions can make legitimate use awkward without guaranteeing that the file will never be copied. Some authors use a watermark or a simple copyright notice instead. For many specialist books sold directly to readers, that is enough.

So, what is an ePDF and do you need one?

An ePDF is simply a screen version of a designed book that keeps every page in its original layout. It can add useful digital features such as clickable links and bookmarks, while removing or adapting the parts of a print file that only make sense on paper.

If your book is mainly continuous text and you want to sell it through the major ebook retailers, a reflowable ebook may suit it better. But if the design of the pages matters, or you want a digital edition you can sell or share directly, an ePDF can be an extremely simple and useful addition to the printed book.

We create ePDFs as part of our book formatting services, from professionally formatted book pages, adapting them for comfortable screen reading while keeping the design intact. It is a particularly natural addition to our nonfiction book formatting and children's book design. If that sounds useful for your book, you can read more about our ePDF design service.