{"id":6694,"date":"2021-02-26T06:47:42","date_gmt":"2021-02-26T14:47:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.free-ebooks.net\/?p=6694"},"modified":"2021-02-26T06:49:12","modified_gmt":"2021-02-26T14:49:12","slug":"a-small-guide-to-ebook-file-formats-which-one-is-right-for-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.free-ebooks.net\/blog\/a-small-guide-to-ebook-file-formats-which-one-is-right-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"A small guide to eBook file formats: which one is right for you?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

These days, you can find pretty much every book in digital format, from school textbooks to children\u2019s picture books, novels, and self-help books. And that, of course, is a good thing. E-books make knowledge more accessible, and they\u2019re great for when you\u2019re on-the-go. You can read at home, in school, or on your daily commute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when you first go from reading only in print to reading in digital format, you might be confused by the wide variety of formats available<\/a>. Apart from the formats that sound familiar, such as .txt and .pdf, you\u2019ll see new ones, such as .mobi, .epub, and .azw. What do all these mean? Is one format superior to another? Should you save a digital eBook copy into multiple formats just to be safe? Read on to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Types of e-Book formats:<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Depending on the device where you open the file, you may need to choose one e-Book format over another. Besides those, there are also formats that are accepted across all devices. Here are the most popular ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ePUB:<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

ePUB is the most used format when it comes to publishing digital books. If you look for eBooks, you\u2019ll find that ePUB is the default version. This format is so popular because it supports HTML5, CSS, and even JavaScript, which means that it allows for lots of flexibility in terms of styling in formatting. The best thing about the\u00a0ePUB format<\/a>\u00a0is that the text adjusts dynamically to the size of the screen, so you\u2019ll have the same pleasant reading experience no matter if you open the book on a tablet or smartphone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

ePUB even supports multimedia elements such as images and videos, making it perfect for interactive books too. If you plan to download some children\u2019s books, this is the format to go with. However, one downside of ePub files is that they\u2019re not compatible with Amazon eBook readers. Yes, that includes Kindle, which happens to be the world\u2019s best-selling eBook reader, so if you have a Kindle or plan on buying one, you\u2019ll have to look for other formats. Don\u2019t worry; there are other options too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amazon Kindle formats: MOBI, AZW, KF8:<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have a Kindle eBook reader, you won\u2019t be able to open ePUB files. Instead, you\u2019ll have to download eBooks in one of Amazon\u2019s formats<\/a>: MOBI, AZW, or KF8. Out of these three, KF8 is the best one in terms of features and layouts, and it was released along with Kindle Fire. The other two, MOBI and AZW, are good too, but they have fewer layout options, and they\u2019re not compatible with complex visual and interactive elements. On the other hand, KF8 supports HTML5 and CSS3, which makes it perfect for children\u2019s books and graphic novels. In the future, it is estimated that KF8 will replace MOBI and AZW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PDF:<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a format that isn\u2019t specifically associated with eBooks. PDF has been around for a while now and, if you receive things such as employee handbooks, guides, and schoolbooks, they probably come as PDF files. The good news is that you can import these files to your eBook reader can they\u2019ll work right away. You\u2019ll be able to view the document exactly as it was created by the author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, PDF on eBook readers does have its downsides. If you open an ePUB and PDF file on an eBook reader side by side, you\u2019ll see that the PDF file looks a bit off and doesn\u2019t feel \u201cnative.\u201d That\u2019s because the file doesn\u2019t adjust to the size of the screen. And yet, many people want to use PDF for simple documents because the format is compatible with any device. Also, if you want to share a digital book with someone else but you don\u2019t know what device they are using, the safest thing to do is convert it to PDF. Fortunately, that\u2019s simple to do and doesn\u2019t require advanced skills. eBook readers don\u2019t have built-in converters, but you can find an ePUB to PDF converter<\/a> online and convert the file straight from your browser.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

iBooks:<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although Apple was late to join the eBook club, they eventually came with their own format: iBooks. This format is based on the ePUB design, but it has a few CSS characteristics. If you download eBooks from Apple\u2019s store, they\u2019ll come in this format. Overall, it has some excellent layout options, and, as Apple has used us by now, the reading experience is smooth on the iPad<\/a>. If you\u2019re deep into the Apple ecosystem, this is probably the format to go with. However, like pretty much everything else does, iBooks is an exclusive format, and if you want to open the same book on a non-Apple device, such as a Kindle or a Windows laptop, you won\u2019t be able to do that. When in doubt, download the books in ePUB format because Apple devices support that too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apart from these popular eBook formats, you also have some \u201cunderdogs,\u201d such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n