What is an EPUB page list?

Why it matters when you convert a PDF to EPUB

A PDF knows its page numbers, so a converter can keep them as page-break markers and a page list even after the visible page numbers are removed from the text. EPUBCheck requires the page list when page breaks are marked (NAV-003) and, for accessibility, asks to identify the source edition (OPF-066).

How EpubCC handles it: it does not keep the printed page numbers yet. Page numbers and running headers are detected and removed from the text, but no page-break markers and no page list are written, so you cannot jump to "page 42" of the PDF in the EPUB. It is a known gap.

Related terms

• What is the EPUB navigation document?
• What is a running header?
• What is EPUB accessibility metadata?
• What is a page-break marker?

EPUBCheck messages about this

• NAV-003 The Navigation Document must have a page list when content document(s) contain page breaks (epub:type="pagebreak").
• OPF-066 Missing "dc:source" or "source-of" pagination metadata. The pagination source must be identified using the "dc:source" and "source-of" properties when the content includes page break markers.
• OPF-062 Found Adobe page-map attribute on spine element in opf file.
• OPF-063 Referenced Adobe page-map item "…" was not found in the manifest.
• NAV-001 The nav file is not supported for EPUB v2.
• NAV-006 Content documents contain "figure" elements but the Navigation Document does not have a listing of figures (epub:type="loi").
• NAV-010 "…" nav must not link to remote resources; found link to "…".
• NAV-011 "…" nav must be in reading order; link target "…" is before the previous link’s target in … order.