InDesign to ePub:
Making eBooks with InDesign CS 5.5


At Digital Training & Designs, we provide you with the right training solutions to help you learn Adobe InDesign to publish eBooks. Check our schedule for class dates and prices for Adobe InDesign training in Dallas, Texas or call us for private training at your site.

Whether you enroll in our public classes, or have us create private training for your entire staff, we will help you learn this powerful application in a productive and efficient manner.

EBooks are just now coming into their own, and demand is growing. Now with Adobe InDesign customizing your eBook has never been more powerful. Each reader format has different needs, so be prepared by knowing what to make to get the results you want. The medium is so new, and there are limits to what you can do. We will explore when to push the boundaries and when to keep it simple.

This three-day course explores InDesign CS5.5’s capabilities to publish to the ePub specification. Styles conversion to CSS, ePub validation and file structure are the focus. Some introductory discussion of Kindle’s .mobi format and Apple’s addition of “fixed layout” to the standard ePub may be explored.

The course does not cover Adobe’s Digital Publishing Suite for magazine layout or Apple’s iBooks Author for dynamic book creation.


eBook Layout

  • Creating a TOC
  • Dividing your eBook into chapters
  • Two ways to make Page Breaks
  • Inserting Images
  • Controlling text flow and image positioning
  • Learning the difference between static and dynamic layouts

Content Formatting

  • Considering eBooks, ePubs, and Kindle
  • Understanding the importance of using Paragraph Styles and Character Styles
  • Introduction to basic CSS and HTML
  • Manipulating Spacing
  • Exploring why the Cover Art is so important and how to make it right
  • Wrapping text
  • Sizing images correctly

Export from InDesign

  • Choosing the appropriate Format
  • Understanding relevant settings for each format
  • Exporting Metadata

Proofing and Editing

  • Readers vs Simulators
  • Opening the ePub file
  • Understanding ePub file structure
  • Cleaning up the .html and metadata
  • Returning your file to the ePub format
  • Validation