IndesignPerfect

Bring your designs to life—on every screen.

If you want your Adobe InDesign layout to appear exactly as you designed it—fonts, positioning, images, and even embedded audio/video—a Fixed Layout EPUB is your best digital export option.

Unlike reflowable EPUBs, which adapt to screen size like a webpage, fixed layout EPUBs preserve your design pixel-for-pixel. This makes them ideal for:

• Interactive children’s books
• Digital magazines
• Portfolios
• Cookbooks
• Educational guides

Here’s how to design and export a fixed layout EPUB from InDesign, complete with media support.

📐 Step 1: Set Up Your Document

1. Go to File > New > Document
2. Uncheck Facing Pages
3. Choose dimensions suitable for screens:
   • 1024×768 px (iPad standard)
   • Or 1920×1080 px for widescreen
4. Set units to pixels
5. Add multiple pages—each page becomes a screen/slide in the EPUB

Use Master Pages for recurring elements like page numbers, branding, or navigation.

🎨 Step 2: Design Your Layout

Design your EPUB pages just like any interactive layout:

• Use Paragraph and Character Styles for consistency
• Align elements using grids and smart guides
• Include headings, images, pull quotes, charts, etc.

Remember: this layout will not adjust on mobile—what you design is exactly what users see.

🔘 Step 3: Add Interactivity and Media

Go to Window > Interactive to access features like:

• Buttons and Forms
• Media panel
• Hyperlinks
• Object States
• Animations

To Add Video or Audio:

1. Go to Window > Interactive > Media
2. Place a video/audio file (.mp4, .mp3) into your layout
3. Use the Media panel to control playback:
   • Autoplay
   • Play on page load
   • Show controller
   • Loop

InDesign embeds the media or links it, depending on export options.

⚙️ Step 4: Export as Fixed Layout EPUB

1. Go to File > Export
2. Format: EPUB (Fixed Layout)
3. In the export dialog:
   • Choose Spread: One Page
   • Under General:
     • Set Navigation TOC (optional)
     • Enable Media Overlays for video/audio
   • Under Conversion Settings:
     • Choose Raster or Preserve Appearance
   • Check Include JavaScript, Interactive Elements, and Fonts
4. Click Export

Test your EPUB using Apple Books, Thorium Reader, or Adobe Digital Editions to ensure media works correctly.

🧠 Pro Tips

• Keep video and audio file sizes small for better performance
• Avoid unsupported file formats (stick with .mp4, .mp3, .jpg, .png)
• Use object styles to manage buttons and media consistently
• Add tooltips or “Tap to play” instructions for usability
• Include a cover image and metadata before distribution

💡 When to Use Fixed Layout EPUB

✅ Great for:

• Rich media books
• Digital lookbooks
• Illustrated manuals
• Branded portfolios

🚫 Avoid if:

• You want content to adapt to small screens
• You need accessibility or search-optimized text
• You’re distributing on Kindle (not well-supported)

📘 Final Thought

Fixed Layout EPUBs give designers the best of both worlds: pixel-perfect control and digital delivery. With Adobe InDesign’s export tools and interactive features, you can create rich, multimedia experiences that stand out across tablets, desktops, and EPUB readers.

Don’t just design for the page. Design for interaction.