[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by apastuszak

Obviously, there is a difference in the file format. But is there some reason you would pick PDF over fixed layout ePub3 or vice versa?

If you want some more info on "Fixed Layout EPUBs (FXL) vs. PDFs", see the discussion in:

• 2022: "Two-pages image (facing pages) / How to?"
  
  • Especially Booknook.biz's page on "Kid's Books".
    
  • Note: Hitch is the MobileRead user and owner who runs that conversion company. Anything she says should be held at the highest value.
    

For a little more Fixed Layout discussion we've had over the years, see:

• 2019: "ePub format looks right on Calibre/Play Books but not in other ebook reader"
• 2021: "Indesign-epub-kindle formatting problem: footnotes export with massive indent."
  
  • This discussed some of the internal code from InDesign's iBooks-only formatting + how to try to clean it up.
    
• 2023: "Help: missing embedded fonts after ePub3 transfer to Kindle"
  
  • I linked to 2 Reddit topics where I broke down and discussed even more FXL things in detail.
    

And here's a snippet I wrote in that 2019 topic:

Originally Posted by Tex2002ans

FXL has been discussed extensively on MobileRead in other topics, and Hitch [...] has written a few blog posts about the advantages/disadvantages:

http://www.booknook.biz/ebook-conver...ooks-as-ebooks
http://www.booknook.biz/our-ebook-pr...-format-ebooks

Long story short:

• Extremely expensive to produce
• Each device/store is going to need their own unique variants
  
  • File that works in iBooks doesn't work in Kobo/B&N/Amazon.
• Very poor reading experience
• Loses all the advantages of actual ebooks (reflowability + following user preferences).

Nothing has changed on that front. FXL EPUBs are still just as awful as they were back then.

(Like jhowell said, the panning/scanning required is so annoying!)

- - -

99%+ of ebooks can be completely reflowable and DO NOT need Fixed Layout at all.

One of the only "pros" of FXL EPUBs is... the largest ebook stores (Amazon, B&N, Kobo, etc.) don't let you sell PDFs directly to customers. So if you wanted to do something like sell a specialized textbook, cookbook, or children's book, the FXL EPUB may be one avenue you can use to get a non-physical version into readers' hands.

But that's about it... in almost all other cases, PDF > FXL EPUB.

(Normal, reflowable EPUB is better than all though! )

- - -

Side Note: If you want to find even more of the discussion, just type this into your favorite search engine:

• "Fixed Layout" EPUB PDF site:mobileread.com

and you'll find plenty of topics.