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See also:
Creating fixed layout ebooks in the Jutoh manual
Working with fonts in the Jutoh manual
Working with embedded fonts in the Jutoh manual
Why are fonts not working when viewed on an actual device?
A common complaint from customers new to ebooks is:
The ebook isn't exactly the same as a Word or PDF file! I don't want to have to edit anything, I just want to convert my existing file!
One of the challenges of authoring tools such as Jutoh is bridging the gap between regular word processing, as most people are used to it, and the demands of high-quality digital publishing. A reflowable ebook is a different beast from a Word file, with some restrictions and simplifications, including:
Arbitrary fonts are not allowed since devices may not have access to them (see above), so you need to relax your requirements or use embedded fonts.
Arbitrary positioning of text and images needs to give way to simpler positioning, so you may need to put an image in a centred paragraph, for example, or set left or right floating (with text wrapping on the other side).
Tabs don't work in ebooks, so you need to use paragraph styles with proper indentation.
Word-created tables of content will reference page numbers, so you can simply delete them and have Jutoh create a TOC.
Jutoh does a good job of importing Word and OpenDocument files, but whether further edits need to be made depends a lot on the habits of the original author. If you used a lot of named styles, then you're ahead of the game. If you used a lot of direct formatting (applying styling to each paragraph instead of using named styles) and blank paragraphs for spacing, then you'll have a bit more work to do. But Jutoh will let you know of such issues, and will give guidance.
It's worth remembering that digital publishing is the modern equivalent of typesetting - a very specialist trade. While Jutoh can remove a lot of the pain, to produce a high quality ebook may require some adjustments and changes of habit since most people don't 'learn' word processing formally, or if they do, they may not learn all the best habits. So expect a little bit of work polishing your book - no software can eliminate this. But Jutoh gives you hints and tools to make it a great deal easier than it could otherwise be. And we'll give you personal support to get you through any frustrations.
Reflowable books (the most common kind) are usually better for the customer and author, because they can be distributed to all ebook sites and devices, and allow the reader to adjust the most options.
However, if you feel that all of the layout absolutely has to be specified precisely page by page - for example, for an illustrated children's book - then you can create a fixed layout project in the Jutoh manual. If your existing software allows export to Epub 3, you can import that into Jutoh via the New Project Wizard (New button on the toolbar or File | New Project command).
Be warned that creating fixed layout ebooks is harder than creating reflowable ones, as there are more variables involved with embedding fonts, choice of single or double page, lack of automatic reflow between pages, distributor restrictions on fixed layout books, amongst others.
Amazon's textbook creator tool can import PDF and export a fixed layout book, but the result will not work on e-Ink displays (such as the Kindle Paperwhite), and internal links may also not work satisfactorily.
Some users have got good results from using tables for complex layouts, in a reflowable book.
For small amounts of content, you can include images that have the layout 'baked in' but this should be used as sparingly as possible.
Contents | Start | End | Previous: KB0264: Why are headings smaller than normal text when viewing an Epub? | Next: KB0266: Why does my embedded font not show in the Jutoh editor?