How to "float" illustrations correctly?

lindsayw · 03-28-2011, 08:06 PM

I'm nearly at the end of converting several p-books, using all xhtml for proper re-flowable content but, wouldn't you know it, ONE book is causing a headache. All of them have gfx, but all are logos, so sit in a centered <div> and don't involve any text-wrapping. This one book has a small illustration about one paragraph of text high, and I want to wrap the text around it to the right. I know that the "align" element of the <img> tag has been deprecated, so I have been careful to use the css "float:left;" command instead... it works in software Readers or in a normal Browser, but not on a Kindle (after converting the ePub file to MOBI).

Is this a known problem? Am I just beating my head against the wall here? It would be so easy to simply center the illustration and not use any text-wrap, but one tends to get a bit bloody-minded about glitches like this... it SHOULD work! It ain't rocket science.

HarryT · 03-29-2011, 03:29 AM

To the best of my knowledge, the Mobipocket format doesn't support wrapping text around images.

lindsayw · 03-29-2011, 05:37 AM

Ah! That might explain why the books seem perfect when viewed in various PC-based Readers... they're still actually in ePub format at that stage. I convert to MOBI ( using Calibre ) only prior to loading onto the Kindle for proofing.

Hmmm. Looks like centering the image might be the sensible way to go. That's a bummer.

HarryT · 03-29-2011, 06:30 AM

Yes, that's what I do with my books, too.

lindsayw · 03-29-2011, 08:05 AM

OK, problem solved. It's a work-around that should not have been necessary, but at least the reader will not know that. I have a css class called "divider" which is usually just a row of 5 centered asterixes in a slightly larger font-size, for chapter break-points, so I made a small version of the illustration and embedded it in a divider, 2 asterixes each side... it looks intentional, because it appears at a natural break-point, anyway.

It raises an interesting question, though... do established formats like MOBI undergo occasional upgrades to accommodate new demands or are they now set in stone? I know that ePub is still very much a work in progress, but we poor Kindle owners can't afford that luxury.

JSWolf · 03-29-2011, 08:09 AM

Just keep the ePub looking nicer and let the poor Mobipocket users have to deal with a centered image.

03-28-2011, 08:06 PM	#1
lindsayw Author from pBook days Posts: 49 Karma: 10782 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kindle-3-Keyboard; 8" Android Tablet	How to "float" illustrations correctly? I'm nearly at the end of converting several p-books, using all xhtml for proper re-flowable content but, wouldn't you know it, ONE book is causing a headache. All of them have gfx, but all are logos, so sit in a centered <div> and don't involve any text-wrapping. This one book has a small illustration about one paragraph of text high, and I want to wrap the text around it to the right. I know that the "align" element of the <img> tag has been deprecated, so I have been careful to use the css "float:left;" command instead... it works in software Readers or in a normal Browser, but not on a Kindle (after converting the ePub file to MOBI). Is this a known problem? Am I just beating my head against the wall here? It would be so easy to simply center the illustration and not use any text-wrap, but one tends to get a bit bloody-minded about glitches like this... it SHOULD work! It ain't rocket science.

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03-29-2011, 03:29 AM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	To the best of my knowledge, the Mobipocket format doesn't support wrapping text around images.

03-29-2011, 05:37 AM	#3
lindsayw Author from pBook days Posts: 49 Karma: 10782 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kindle-3-Keyboard; 8" Android Tablet	Ah! That might explain why the books seem perfect when viewed in various PC-based Readers... they're still actually in ePub format at that stage. I convert to MOBI ( using Calibre ) only prior to loading onto the Kindle for proofing. Hmmm. Looks like centering the image might be the sensible way to go. That's a bummer.

03-29-2011, 06:30 AM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Yes, that's what I do with my books, too.

03-29-2011, 08:05 AM	#5
lindsayw Author from pBook days Posts: 49 Karma: 10782 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Australia Device: Kindle-3-Keyboard; 8" Android Tablet	OK, problem solved. It's a work-around that should not have been necessary, but at least the reader will not know that. I have a css class called "divider" which is usually just a row of 5 centered asterixes in a slightly larger font-size, for chapter break-points, so I made a small version of the illustration and embedded it in a divider, 2 asterixes each side... it looks intentional, because it appears at a natural break-point, anyway. It raises an interesting question, though... do established formats like MOBI undergo occasional upgrades to accommodate new demands or are they now set in stone? I know that ePub is still very much a work in progress, but we poor Kindle owners can't afford that luxury.

03-29-2011, 08:09 AM	#6
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 78,972 Karma: 144284074 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Just keep the ePub looking nicer and let the poor Mobipocket users have to deal with a centered image.

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