Electronic Publishing

Carl Shank • October 25, 2023

Electronic Publishing (E-Publishing). Having come of age in the early 2000s, electronic publishing provides the writer a means to publish their work online without having to go through the task of print design. First appearing in the 1980s in the form of plain text emails sent to a subscriber via a mailing list, the first e-journal appeared in 1994. In the years 1985–1995, a revolution took place in the printing world from analog to digital printing with CD-ROMs and PDFs. E-Publishing has become faster, cheaper and allows many people across the world to have instant access to books and articles, as well as multimedia presentations. While many people still prefer the feel and look of a printed book, electronic books are growing in popularity.


Common Electronic Publishing formats are EPUB, PDF, HTML and TXT. (See Chart Below) The Kindle Reader for Amazon also has its own proprietary format, called KPF. Kindle Package Format (KPF) is the successor to their old MOBI format. Both are proprietary formats created by KDP and specifically meant for displaying ebooks on Kindle devices. The KPF file is built when you use Kindle Create, another proprietary tool for formatting ebooks specifically for sale in Kindles stores. More broad distribution of electronic publishing materials need EPUB or PDF formatting.


EPUB is the open standard format developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). It is specifically designed for e-books and is widely supported by e-readers, tablets and smartphones. It is a responsive format, meaning that the text adjusts itself to fit the screen of the device being used.  EPUB supports interactive features such as videos, animations and hyperlinks. It is an ideal format for e-books that contain multimedia content. Also, the content can be updated in real time, allowing users to have an up-to-date document without having to download a new book. EPUB, however, has certain inflexible strictures for font use, cover design, and table of contents (TOC) that need to be obeyed for EPUB publication. The formatting can be challenging and requires a significant investment of time and resources.


The PDF format is a file format system developed by Adobe Systems in the 1990s. It is a very popular format that preserves the formatting of the original document, including images, fonts and layout. PDF files can be read on almost any device, including desktop computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones. It has the advantage next to printed materials of being WYSWYG, or what you see is what you get, in terms of visual compatibility with the original text. PDF is popularly used for textbooks, business reports and where a lot of specialty fonts and images are employed. EPUB is the better format if the content is primarily distributed through e-readers. If the content, however, is on various platforms, including desktop computers and mobile devices, PDF is the better choice.


The HTML format is a markup language used to create web pages. HTML files can be used to create e-books that can be read on a variety of devices using a web browser. It is the format offered by Adobe InDesign on their Digital Publishing menu, giving a web address to the file created through InDesign. I have created calendars using this format that I have offered online to anyone interested. (See the BLOG on Calendars for 2024)


The TXT format is a simple text file format that can be used for e-books. TXT files do not support formatting or multimedia content and are often used for public domain books that have been digitized. TXT files can be read on almost any device using a text editor or e-reader app.


EPUB Design Basics (using Lulu.com) — Lulu suggests using a word processor, like Microsoft Word or Google Docs, for creating e-books. Just like designing a printed book, the first step is to finish writing and editing the book. Here, don’t forget to proofread, or better, have someone else, proofread the final book. Don’t worry about formatting, metadata, or the cover design until you have finalized the book’s contents.


Give emphasis to the typography of your book, blowing up the title to an exaggerated size, and setting the text in a highly contrasting color to the background. Make sure the typeface is clear and easy to read, and conveys the genre of your book instantly. When you’re creating a fixed layout EPUB be sure to choose a highly legible font and make the font size and leading (space between baselines) generous. (See the type samples below for some help)


Thanks to Microsoft Word’s style-based formatting, you can let Word do most of the work for you for an EPUB approved file. Using the standardized headings in Word, Heading 1 style is for the book title, Heading 2 style is for the chapter titles, and the content is the body or Normal style in Microsoft Word.


Never use the “Enter” key to create extra white space. Reflowable books, like EPUBs, do not have a page size. They show content based on your reader’s screen size. Multiple line breaks may make your text appear not as intended on different devices.


Images need to be appropriately sized in JPEG or PNG format. No single image can be greater than 3.2 million pixels (total pixels = length in pixels x width in pixels). Indeed, Apple will not accept EPUB files that contain individual images greater than 5.6 million pixels. They need to be clear, high-quality and complete. They must be clearly readable and saved in RGB color format. (See BLOG on “All About Color.”)


Table of Contents (TOC) is required for EPUBs, but not your usual printed contents with page numbers. Get rid of those. Use Microsoft’s heading styles to define what appears in your table of contents.


Hyperlinks need to be checked to make sure they work properly.


Front & Back Matter. The Front matter to the book includes a title page, copyright page, dedication and preface. Back matter can include an about the author page, glossary, and bibliography. Use an ISBN either your own or free from Lulu without any spaces between the numbers. These are to be added to the main text of the book before formatting for EPUB. The copyright page comes after the title page in an EPUB. It must have accurate metadata and look something like this:

Copyright © 2023 YOUR NAME. All rights reserved.

Published by YOUR NAME/COMPANY NAME

ISBN 1234567891012


Cover Design — The file must contain front cover image only (spine and back cover images will be rejected). The color must be RGB. Cover image must be a flat, 2D image and sized correctly: 612 x 792 pixels and 72–300 pixels per inch resolution. Any references to pricing cannot be included. No advertisements or hyperlinks or mention on possible included elements, like CDs. The cover text must be English, using a standard Latin character set. The cover content cannot infringe upon another publisher’s or artist’s copyright on the same cover.


Some other notes from Lulu.com include — No truncated text and no overlapping of text and images. EPUB files with interactive elements are not accepted by Lulu. EPUB files with fillable areas (like fill-in-the-blanks) are not accepted. Illegal content is not accepted, including public domain content or repurposed Project Gutenberg content. Advertisements or prices are not allowed in EPUB content. Links to online retailers or booksellers are not allowed.


My takeaways — While the cost of a book as an EPUB instead of a print paperback or hardback is certainly low, the disadvantages for me as a specialty typographer, with articles and books that illustrate many different fonts, special characters, and settings are enormous. I definitely  choose the PDF route, even with Lulu.com, and the print book options. Moreover, they distribute the book over a wide swath of booksellers and commercial sites, like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. 


Successful Layout & Design

French Typography History (Part 2)

By Carl Shank • August 24, 2026
Art Nouveau and Paris Between 1500 and 1900 typography evolved from Renaissance humanist forms to industrial mass production and artistic revival. Old style typefaces (like Garamond) moved to Transitional faces (like Baskerville) to Modern/Didone faces (like Didot and Bodoni) to Industrial display types (fat faces, slab serifs, sans serifs) to the Arts & Crafts revivals. Art Nouveau was a reaction against the academicism, eclecticism and historicism of nineteenth century architecture and decorative art. The new art movement had its roots in Britain, in the floral designs of William Morris, and in the Arts and Crafts movement founded by the pupils of Morris. Art Nouveau fonts ( REFERENCE ) grew out of the late nineteenth century Art Nouveau movement (c. 1890–1910). The style flourished across Europe and America in architecture, furniture, illustration, and typography. In lettering, Art Nouveau embraced organic forms, flowing curves, floral motifs, and asymmetry, reflecting the movement’s fascination with natural growth and hand-drawn ornament. Art Nouveau took its name from the Maison de l'Art Nouveau, a Parisian gallery that exhibited the works of artists and designers who were associated with the movement. The style was characterized by flowing, curvilinear forms inspired by natural shapes and motifs such as flowers, vines, and insects. It also incorporated elements from other artistic traditions, such as Japanese art and the Arts and Crafts movement. The work of Alphonse Mucha and the type of Eugene Smauel Grasset (1845–1917) are particularly important to understanding this period. (ILLS) Grasset taught design at the École Guérin from 1890 to 1903, at the École d’Art graphique in the rue Madame from 1903 to 1904, at theAcadémie de la Grande Chaumiere from 1904 to 1913, and at the École Estienne in Paris. Grasset had freely adapted the alphabet of Nicolas Jenson (1471) with the intention of using it to print a book on his own method for ornamental composition, inspired by the courses he gave to the Guérin school. (Wikipedia) The Grasset Typeface (ILLS) from Lewis F. Day's Alphabets Old and New , London, 1910, shows that art nouveau flair for which these men were famous. The font has been digitized by CARE Typography and is offered with a number of other historic fonts for a modest fee. Contact cshanktype@gmail.com for details. Auriol (1901, George Auriol, France). Produced by G. Peignot et Fils foundry, was one of the most widely used Art Nouveau fonts in Paris. It was inspired by Japanese calligraphy. Japanese calligraphy, called Shodo or Shuji, heavily influenced Art Nouveau type. Art Nouveau was particularly popular in Europe, where it influenced a wide range of artistic disciplines, including architecture, interior design, furniture, jewelry, and graphic design. Some of the most notable Art Nouveau architects included Hector Guimard, Antoni Gaudí, and Victor Horta, while artists such as Alphonse Mucha, Aubrey Beardsley, and Gustav Klimt were celebrated for their decorative and ornamental works. By 1910, Art Nouveau was fading. It was seen as overly decorative and was replaced by Art Deco, Plakatstil (poster style), and modernist sans-serifs (e.g., Futura, 1927). Still, Art Nouveau typefaces remained popular in advertising for certain luxury goods. In the 1960s–70s counterculture revival, fonts like Arnold Böcklin were rediscovered and associated with psychedelic posters, bringing Art Nouveau back into fashion. In short, Art Nouveau fonts were display-oriented, highly decorative, and tied to the broader artistic revolt against rigid academic styles. Fonts like Eckmann, Auriol, Bradley, and Arnold Böcklin remain the most recognizable products of the period.

French Typography History (Part 1)

By Carl Shank • August 24, 2026
Parisian Typography History Parisian typography refers broadly to the traditions of type design, printing, lettering, bookmaking, and graphic design that developed in Paris, particularly from the early days of European printing through the modern era. Paris became one of Europe's most important centers of typographic culture, alongside Venice, Rome, Antwerp, Amsterdam, London, and later Berlin. What makes Paris especially significant is that French typography repeatedly combined technical innovation with an unusually strong concern for aesthetics and cultural identity. The French Renaissance established some of the foundations of Western book typography, The Romain du Roi introduced a rationalized approach to letterform construction. Didot transformed the Roman into a highly elegant Modern style, while Parisian poster, fashion, and advertising design subsequently made typography an essential component of visual culture. For a study of European typography, Paris is therefore best viewed not simply as another printing center, but as one of the places where the craft of type, the art of the book, state patronage, intellectual culture, fashion, and graphic design repeatedly converged. Parisian typography in perspective The history of Parisian typography can therefore be understood as a progression through several major phases — Gothic manuscript tradition, to Renaissance humanism, to French Old Style Romans, to Royal/Rational typography, to Romain du Roi, to Didot Modern Roman, and to Industrial display typography. Another way to organize this history would be to note several recurring characteristics of French typography. French typographical elegance can be seen in the developing of refined proportions and carefully controlled letterforms. There was a strong early connection to Roman inscriptions and Renaissance typography. Mathematical order was especially evident in the Romain du Roi typography. Didot established high contrast in lettering and there was strong emphasis on readable, beautiful text typography. Ornamentation became particularly important in the Art Nouveau period. Display typography defined much of posters and advertising typography. Type was often treated as part of French intellectual culture, and Paris repeatedly absorbed international design movements.
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