EPUB Hidden Chapter Titles and TOC Issue
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- This topic has 6 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 4 years, 2 months ago by
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Hello!
This is my first post and I’m new to the EPUB world so please forgive any overly basic questions. :)
I am converting a book layout I created for print, to EPUB now. The book layout is such that each chapter begins with a full page piece of artwork with the chapter title embedded (rasterized) into it. Then on the next page, the chapter text begins with a larger drop cap and continues with the content. There is no chapter title in the text flow because it is rasterized on the chapter artwork page. Here’s my struggle. I am trying to create an anchor to the first chapter page (the artwork page) without a text frame. I tried typing the chapter title into a text box on a different layer and then hiding the layer before exporting to EPUB, but that results in a missing link and the TOC entry of course links nowhere.
How can I create a TOC entry that is properly linked/anchored to the full page artwork that begins each chapter?
Please help! Thank you so much!
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This might not be the best way, but it has worked for me.
I type a small line of text with the chapter name in it right above the rasterized chapter title graphic. Make sure it’s part of the text flow so it doesn’t get bumped to the end of the document when you export to epub. Then I color that type white (or whatever color your background is) so it doesn’t show up. Make sure you set up a unique style sheet for that little chapter title. Then use that style sheet in setting up your TOC.
Does that all make sense? It works like a charm in EPUB, sometimes not so well when you convert to a mobi file for Kindle.
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Agree with the prior comment, but I have no problem with kindle. In my books, I like to have the small image first before the visible chapter title, which causes havoc with the TOC because it does not know where to go exactly. So, I do something similar to the previous comment. I put a duplicate chapter title in white above the image (using a particular “toc” specified Paragraph style and then put my image followed by the visible chapter title. You could do something similar. Now course, if someone using a Kindle, for example, changes the color to “white on black” or to sepia, it will show up. To address this, I will often output the file to the epub, break it open, go and find that specific Chapter title text in each file and delete it. The TOC still works amazingly well, and there is no number to show up if someone changes the color to sepia. The only real draw back is, it is very tedious to do that for each chapter, but such is life. I have no problem with mobi files because I use 3 different TOCs. I do not know if the previous commentor does that or not. But I have one TOC for Paperback (on one layer), I have another for what I call ‘in epub’ (on a second layer), and a third one I call ‘outside epub,’ which refers to the one that Kindle will use in their player. The third one is not actually in the epub at all. Then, I designate the ‘outside epub’ one when I output it to epub, before throwing it in the Kindle Previewer. Works like a charm, but just a bit tedious.
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Hi Steve,
I’m having a hard time figuring out how to put the small text box for the chapter title on the same page as the chapter artwork. The chapter artwork fills the full page, edge to edge. With EPUB’s limitations, there isn’t a way that I know of for the text box to stay on the same page as the chapter artwork during export, it ends up being pushed to the next page or later in the document depending on text flow.
Do you have any other ideas?
On another note, I can’t seem to get the full page chapter artwork to export. They don’t appear anywhere in the document. Does it matter what format they’re in, (pdf, jpeg, etc.)?
Thanks in advance for your help!
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Hi Steve and Dan,
I’m having a hard time figuring out how to put the small text box for the chapter title on the same page as the chapter artwork. The chapter artwork fills the full page, edge to edge. With EPUB’s limitations, there isn’t a way that I know of for the text box to stay on the same page as the chapter artwork during export, it ends up being pushed to the next page or later in the document depending on text flow.
Do you have any other ideas?
On another note, I can’t seem to get the full page chapter artwork to export. They don’t appear anywhere in the document. Does it matter what format they’re in, (pdf, jpeg, etc.)?
Thanks in advance for your help!
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