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Here are some answers to your barrage of question...
You couldn't have set the precise display parameters for the screen to be used, right?
I've created this FXL e-book as a landscape 1200 x 768 px with a spread of two 600 x 768 pages.
And how did you set the pixel offsets, for the words?
The reader determines the flow of the words in the verso and recto containers. I don't set any pixel offsets for words.
So, I am not sure how you actually designed that, to be FXL, without taking into account all the various parameters?
The layout is fixed on 1200 x 768 px, the text and figures are in the verso and recto containers a paragraphs in chapter and section containers. The images are figures with a figcaption.
Did you size it by the clients custom requirement, to a specific screen and reader?
The client requested a FXL e-book. I determined the size of the layout. It is not sized to a specific reader.
Do you design for an iOS full-size iPad? A Mini? What about a Nook? Color Nook? Nook Color HD? Droid tablet? Phone?
It is not sized to a specific reader. It's tested on my Windows laptop with Sigil, Calibre, ADE en Kindle previewer 3, the clients mac and on my Sony phone with Kobo Android app.
What about every "reader" out there, that resizes itself to fit a screen of (whatever) size? How can that even remotely work?
From what I can see, the readers all padd any remaining space to black or white when the aspect ratio does not match.
Sure, you can create text boxes--but how do you know if the box will work in environment X?
I can imaging the verso and recto page containers don't work on every environment, but I'm conviced it will work on most modern readers.
How the hell can the thing work, unless all the text--all of it--is images of text, not real text?
I can assure you the text is "real text" and the images are "real" images.
But also it probably can be done reflowable. It's not a graphic novel.
Better still: I've done the book reflowable first, because I did not see a need for FXL. And it worked. It still works when I swipe through it.
I’m not sure what aspects of the book require fixed layout?
As mentioned earlier, the issues were: the figcaptions in figures not sticking with the images, "hero" - images not visible next to chapter openings, images not bleeding of the sides of the pages, chapters not starting on recto pages, no running headers or pagenumbers. These are not my requirements, but the clients'.
So, in other words, the client didn't understand eBooks, resisted all attempts at client education and basically wanted an ePDF, but instead, got this?
I assume that when you discussed this with her, you disclosed everything--what works in reflow, what doesn't.
The client already provided me with a PDF of the printed book. The client wanted a FXL e-book and got that. It looks similar to a PDF, but it is an ePub3 e-book.
I delivered the flowable layout e-book first and educated on how e-books did not have verso and recto pages, no page numbers, no running headers and such. The client requested a FXL e-book anyway.
But you undertook the job anyway? And made a fixed-layout ePUB, from scratch, it seems, even though generally speaking, that doesn't work?
I created a FXL ePub3, starting from a InDesign export, but reworked it the way I needed it to be. In my view the e-book works just fine (apart from the glitches in iBooks).
You warned her, you told her that you couldn't guarantee that it would work across the spectrum of devices, right? She understood that she was taking that risk?
The client understood the risk involved. It did mention the danger of getting tiny text on small screens. l wouldn't have been paid if I hadn't deliver the FXL e-book.
Well...you say it's successful, but it's not even working in iBooks, which is the most forgiving, the most supportive, of fixed-layout.
For me, iBooks is the sole reader giving problems. Even the Kindle version is looking fine, which is normally the worst PITA as far as I'm concerned.
This isn't from INDD, right, so you don't have the expectation that it should work in iBooks.
I created a FXL ePub3, starting from a InDesign export, but reworked it the way I needed it to be. It's not a one-on-one export from InDesign.
Does it work on a NookHD? What about a Droid tablet? What happens on other devices? Kobo?
It's tested on my Windows laptop with Sigil, Calibre, ADE en Kindle previewer 3, the clients mac and on my Sony phone with Kobo Android app.
Can you elaborate on which real devices you tested, rather than readers?
Devices this book is tested on are a Sony phone with Kobo Android app and a Samsung phone with Kobo Android app, my laptop and the clients mac
I bet your screen is bigger than 800x600, 1366x720, 1024 x 768 and is either 1920x1080, 1920 x 1200 or 2K or 4K and 15″ or larger?
The second screen on my laptop is 1280 x 1024. The laptop screen is 1366 x 768. Indeed, the chosen dimension fit on both my screens and the clients screen.
The resolution of my Sony 10 plus phone is 2520 x 1080.
Do you mean 1200 x 768 or portrait 768 x 1200?
The e-book is landscape 1200 x 768, containing spreads with two pages of 600 x 768 px.
Readers on a desktop are only to preview TOC, links etc. Real testing is on phones, tablets and dedicated ereaders.
The e-book is tested on two phones and two computers. No tablets an no dedicated e-readers.
We test new styles / layout on ...
I would love to test this e-book on those devices as well. Alas, I don't have access to any of those. I did test with the devices I do have access to.
Well, It's so nice to be a new member on this forum. I feel very welcome here. All that attention...
Can we get back to normal and try to answer the question in the title? Why is iBook creating those glitches, so I could try to mitigate that issue, in stead of answering to these allegations?
