EPUB Conversion: Fonts, Images, Hyperlinks, and Footnotes

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Fonts

There are times when you want to add a little “flair” to your work, so now’s your chance. The Lulu EPUB Converter will convert most formatting like bold, italic, and strikethrough. However, symbols do not always convert properly and may display as other characters, so you will want to double-check them after conversion.

Always use Times New Roman, Arial, or Garamond fonts when creating your document. Any other fonts detected during conversion will be converted to Times New Roman. When applying styles to your document, be sure to change the default font to a supported font. You must do this for each style used in your document.

TIP: If you try selecting all text and applying one of the supported fonts, you may inadvertently leave unsupported fonts in your file. The Lulu EPUB Converter will change these to a supported font for you, but if you want to apply them yourself, see the next section.

Problem:

When you select all of your text and apply Arial, all paragraphs using the Heading 1 style ignore the selection and remain as the default font (i.e. “Cambria”).

Solution:

There may be paragraphs in your file that use a hard-coded default Style such as Cambria or another unsupported font. Ensure all Styles used in your document are set to a supported font.

To modify font styles:

1. Right-click on the Style in the styles menu and select Modify.
2. Under Formatting, select a supported font (Arial, Times New Roman, or Garamond).
3. Check Automatically update to update all instances of this style in your manuscript to the new setting.
4. Click OK.
5. Repeat for all other styles in your manuscript (i.e. Normal, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.).

 
Figure: Modify Heading 1 Style Window

Create New Styles

Once you become accustomed to using styles, you may discover that creating a new style may be easier than repeatedly applying direct (inline) formatting.

To create a new style:

1. From the Styles box click on the Manage Styles icon (at the lower right of the Style menu).
2. Select the New button.
3. Enter a descriptive name such as Copyright Text, Hanging Indent, Note Format, Figure Title, etc.
4. If your new style is similar to an existing style, choose the Style Type, Based on, and Style for following paragraph settings from the dropdown boxes.
5. Choose the Default Justification (left, centered, right, etc.) for the new style. For EPUB conversion, Lulu recommends using Left justification.
6. Add or remove paragraph spacing as necessary.              
7. The Preview panel displays an example of how the style will appear when applied to text.
8. Click OK.
   
   

Figure: Create a New Style Window

As always, look over your converted EPUB to ensure it looks the way you want. Make adjustments as necessary.

Images

Blurry images are one of the most common rejection reasons from our retail distribution partners. If your document contains images, you may need to make a few adjustments in order for them to convert properly. We accept the most commonly used image formats: JPG, GIF, PNG. Images require a delicate balancing act since your image must have a resolution high enough to be clear and crisp, but not so high that it is too large. Try to keep the resolution on your images between 96 - 150 DPI. You will also want to keep your image size around 500 x 500 pixels or less. You can adjust image resolution and DPI in any image-editing program.

NOTE: Some retail distribution outlets do not accept images above 2 million pixels. To prevent rejection, we suggest you make adjustments to images prior to conversion to EPUB format.

To add an image to your manuscript:

1. Place your cursor in the location at which you would like your image to appear.
2. From the toolbar, click Insert > Picture. Be sure you are inserting the image, not linking to it.
3. The selected image displays in the cursor location.
4. Click on the image and select Format Image.
5. Choose the In line with text option.
6. Click Save.
7. Click on the image and click Center in the toolbar.

NOTE: The Lulu EPUB Converter automatically formats images in line with text regardless of the settings you apply prior to conversion.

Hyperlinks

A hyperlink can be a nice addition to an eBook when read on a device like the iPad or Nook Tablet. It can also be a bit annoying if a reader accidently clicks a hyperlink and suddenly finds they have unintentionally navigated to an unexpected webpage. Keep in mind that on most eReader devices, when a reader clicks a hyperlink, the eReader application closes and a browser window opens. Your reader may get distracted by the Internet and never come back to your book! Therefore, you should be judicious in your use of hyperlinks.

To add a hyperlink:

1. Highlight the text to which you want to add a hyperlink.
2. Right click on the text and select Hyperlink.
3. In the Address field, enter the URL for the website (for example http://www.lulu.com). Be sure to include the http:// otherwise the link will not work.

Figure: Add a Hyperlink

If you want an internal link to another chapter or section within the EPUB, select the Place in this Document option from the Link to panel and link to a previously created bookmark or heading.

TIP: Be careful with internal links. Many eReaders do not include a back button.

There are some restrictions on the URL addresses and sites that can be hyperlinked from your EPUB. Links cannot be to advertisements. You cannot link to sites selling books. You can, however, link to your Blog or personal website(s).

Footnotes and Endnotes

Not to be confused with headers and footers, EPUBs do support footnotes and endnotes.

To add endnotes or footnotes:

1. From the toolbar, click Insert > Footnote.
2. In the popup window choose Footnote or Endnote and select the formatting options.
3. Click OK.

Figure: Insert Footnote Window