EpubCCPDF to EPUB questions, answered
Short answers to the questions people ask before converting a PDF to an e-book. Each one answers in its first two sentences and links to the tool or setting that fixes it.
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Most people who convert a PDF to EPUB run into the same handful of problems: text too small on a Kindle, paragraphs broken at every line, page headers in the middle of sentences, footnotes stuck between paragraphs, or a scanned book that won't convert at all. These answers take those questions one at a time.
Each answer gives the short version in its first two sentences, then explains why it happens, shows evidence from our public benchmark or a real case where we have one, and links to the page that fixes it. When a free tool such as Calibre is enough, the answer says so. When EpubCC can't do something yet, such as OCR for scanned PDFs, it says that too.
Every answer carries the date it was last updated, and we revise it when the engine or the services it mentions change.
- How do I convert a very large PDF to EPUB?
Large PDFs upload to EpubCC in resumable pieces, straight to the engine, so a dropped connection doesn't start over. Size and page limits per plan.
- What happens to my files after converting a PDF to EPUB?
EpubCC deletes the EPUB 1 hour after the first download or 24 hours after it's ready, and the PDF once the book is converted. Delete now removes all.
- Why does my PDF look terrible on Kindle?
A PDF is a fixed page, so a Kindle can only shrink it. Why that makes text tiny, and how a reflowable EPUB fixes it.
- Why does PDF-to-EPUB conversion break paragraphs?
A PDF stores lines, not paragraphs. Why converters keep the line breaks, and how paragraphs are rebuilt from line positions.
- Can a scanned PDF become a reflowable EPUB?
Yes, but only after OCR turns the page images into text, and OCR makes mistakes on poor scans. EpubCC doesn't do OCR yet.
- How do I preserve footnotes when converting a PDF to EPUB?
Footnotes survive a conversion when they are detected as notes and linked from their call, instead of being left as small text at the bottom of each page.
- When should I keep a fixed-layout PDF instead of converting to EPUB?
Keep the PDF when the layout is the content: comics, sheet music, forms, maps, designed pages. Convert when it is mostly running text.
- Is EPUB better than PDF for e-readers?
For running text, yes: an EPUB re-flows to the screen and your font size, while a PDF is a fixed page the e-reader can only shrink or zoom.
- Can a Kindle read EPUB files?
Not directly from a USB cable, but Amazon's Send to Kindle accepts EPUB files (up to 200 MB on the web) and converts them for your Kindle library.
- KEPUB vs EPUB: what's the difference?
KEPUB is Kobo's variant of EPUB, opened by Kobo's own reading engine; a plain EPUB opens on every Kobo and on nearly every other reader.
- How do I know if my PDF is scanned?
Try to select a sentence or search for a word: if nothing can be selected or found, the pages are images, the PDF is scanned and needs OCR.
- Why does my EPUB show page numbers in the middle of the text?
The converter copied the PDF's page numbers and running headers as text. A converter that detects repeated page furniture removes them.
- Why are words split with hyphens after converting a PDF?
The PDF broke words at line ends with a hyphen, and the converter kept the break. Rejoining needs the PDF's line-end hyphen marks.
- Can I convert a PDF with tables to EPUB?
You can, but tables are a known weak point: EpubCC reads them column by column today, so check them in the free sample before converting.
- How do I convert a two-column PDF to EPUB?
Use a converter that finds the columns before joining lines, so each column is read top to bottom instead of across the page.
- What is the best free PDF to EPUB converter?
For a simple single-column PDF with clean text, Calibre is free and often enough. Hard layouts need testing: here is how to compare.
- PDF to EPUB without losing formatting: what is possible?
Structure survives (paragraphs, headings, chapters, notes, images); the exact page design doesn't, because an EPUB re-flows. What to expect.
- How do I fix EPUBCheck errors?
Read each message's code, file and line, fix the first errors first, then run EPUBCheck again. Look up any code in our EPUBCheck reference.
- How do I read a PDF on a Kobo without zooming?
Convert the PDF to a reflowable EPUB and copy it to the Kobo: the text then fits the screen at the font size you choose, with no zooming.
- What is EPUB 3 and why does it matter?
EPUB 3 is the current e-book standard (EPUB 3.3 is a W3C Recommendation): HTML, CSS and a navigation document in one ZIP that re-flows.
- How long does a PDF to EPUB conversion take?
Seconds once it starts: a 585-page text book took 3.0 s and a 487-page chart-heavy book 14.9 s on our server. The free sample: under a second.
- Is it legal to convert a PDF I bought to EPUB?
It depends on your country's law and the seller's licence. General information, not legal advice: only convert files you have the right to use.