Text within Graphics in Fixed Layout ePubs

[verydeepwater]

I understand for a fixed layout eBook to be accepted and sold by Amazon and Apple, you cannot have text within background images. I would like to ask how strict is this rule. I know for example it is OK to include text within the graphics on the cover and title pages.

I am making a fixed layout eBook with some simple graphics showing walking routes, with place names marked along the way. It would be a pain to separate out all the place names and position each one as a block of text. So my question is: how strict is the rule that you cannot include text within graphics? Can you get away with a small amount here and there? Particularly where it would be a lot of extra work to separate out every word of text.

January 22, 2013 at 4:32 AM

[mzmm]

i think Apple's 'no text in images' rule is for large bodies of text, so probably wouldn't apply your graphics. mostly i think they're trying to prevent people from converting pdf > jpg and chucking the book into the iBookstore.

i've never had problems getting books into the iBookstore with small bits of text embedded into charts, for example.

[verydeepwater]

Very helpful, and exactly what I wanted to hear. Thanks

[dgatwood]

Everybody who includes a cover image has text in their images. Like mzmm said, as long as it is incidental text, and as long as you have reasonable alt attributes so that someone using a screen reader doesn't get too confused, you should be fine.

Wait, this is a fixed-layout book? Why aren't you including the text as... you know, text. It should be in an SVG text tag so that it is searchable. I'm assuming you created the text in an app like Photoshop or Indesign, right? If so, you should be able to export in a way that preserves the text as text.

[mzmm]

dgatwood has a good point here - that your workflow could be adjusted minimally to essentially create a better product. it's always preferable that text in fixed layouts be live.