Epub vs PDF: Which Format Should You Choose for Your Book?

Epub or PDF? It's often the first technical question an author faces before publishing. The two formats serve distinct purposes, have different advantages, and choosing the wrong one can cause real problems at publication time.

This guide explains the fundamental difference between the two, when to use one over the other, and why most authors need both.

The Fundamental Difference

The distinction between epub and PDF comes down to layout control.

A PDF is a fixed format. Every page is precisely defined: its dimensions, the placement of text and images, the font, the margins. What you see on screen is exactly what will be printed or displayed on someone else's screen. Nothing changes based on the device or reader preferences.

An epub is a fluid (reflowable) format. It doesn't define pages, but structured content (text, images, styles) that redistributes itself based on the screen and reader preferences. The person reading on a Kobo can choose their font, text size and line spacing. The layout adapts.

This fundamental difference drives all the choices that follow.

When to Use Epub

Epub is the ebook format. It's required for:

Publishing on digital platforms
Kobo, Apple Books, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, Draft2Digital, StreetLib: all require an epub. Amazon KDP has accepted epub since 2022 and converts it to its internal format (AZW3/KFX) for Kindle devices.

Pure text books: novels, short stories, essays, self-help
For a novel, the fact that readers can choose their own font or increase text size isn't a problem. A novel's layout is simple: flowing text, separated chapters, possibly some images. Epub handles this perfectly.

Wide distribution at low cost
A well-formed epub downloads in seconds, weighs a few hundred kilobytes, and can be sold on all platforms without additional cost.

Books you plan to update
If you plan content updates (practical guide, technical manual), epub is easy to update. Platforms allow you to upload a new version.

When to Use PDF

PDF is the format for print and fixed visual content. It's required for:

Physical printing
Whether via KDP Print, IngramSpark or a local printer, you must supply a print-ready PDF. This PDF must meet precise specifications: page size, margins with bleed area if the cover goes edge-to-edge, embedded fonts, minimum 300 DPI image resolution.

Illustrated books, art books, practical guides
For a cookbook, a technical guide with complex tables, a photo album or any book where layout is part of the content, PDF is the only suitable format. Precise layouts with pixel-perfect image placement don't survive in epub.

Bookshop distribution
All books sold in physical bookshops are printed. A print-ready PDF is the source of every printed book.

"Reading" PDF
Some authors also distribute a non-print PDF (with screen-appropriate margins) for readers who prefer reading on a computer. This is common for guides and manuals.

Format Comparison

Special Cases

The Illustrated Book

An illustrated book with images precisely positioned on each page cannot be well rendered in standard reflowable epub. There's a specific epub format called EPUB Fixed Layout (FXL) that allows pages to be fixed, but support is uneven across e-readers.

For an illustrated book, the recommended solution is:

• A print-ready PDF for printing and print-on-demand distribution
• An EPUB FXL for digital platforms (with a compatibility note)
• Or a screen-optimised PDF for direct sales

Poetry

Poetry collections present a problem in epub: line breaks and the spatial arrangement of poems on the page can be disrupted if the reader changes the font size. In practice, most poetry collections work in epub with careful CSS styling, but the "fixed" layout of a beautiful printed collection requires a PDF.

Graphic Novels and Comics

For these formats, PDF is essential for print. For digital, CBZ format (image archives) is often used by specialist readers, and some platforms have dedicated sections.

Should I Produce Both?

In most cases, yes. The two formats aren't mutually exclusive: they serve different channels.

If your goal is digital distribution only: an epub is enough.

If your goal is physical printing only: a print-ready PDF is enough.

If you want to be present on all channels (ebook + physical bookshop + KDP Print): you need both. The good news is that both start from the same manuscript. Modern tools like Folio Studio export epub and PDF from the same project.

How to Produce Quality Epub and PDF

Available Tools

Folio Studio (web, free to start): exports epub and print-ready PDF from the same project. Fifteen typographic templates, real-time preview. The simplest option for authors who want professional results without technical training.

Vellum (Mac, $249-399): the quality benchmark for ebooks, also produces PDFs. Mac only.

Atticus (web, $147): alternative to Vellum, works on all systems.

InDesign (Adobe, ~$55/month): the professional standard for designers. Steep learning curve, essential for complex projects.

Pandoc (free, command line): produces valid epub from Markdown or Word, but without typographic layout. Suited to technical authors.

Mistakes to Avoid

Producing an epub from a PDF: PDF-to-epub converters give poor results. Epub is better produced from the source manuscript (Word or Markdown), not from a PDF.

Using a PDF for ebooks: some platforms accept PDFs as ebooks, but the result is unreadable on an e-reader. PDF is not suited to variable display.

Confusing print-ready PDF and reading PDF: a print-ready PDF has asymmetric margins, crop marks, and is optimised for 300 DPI printing. A reading PDF has screen-appropriate margins and optimised file size. They are two different files with different settings.

Format Choice Checklist

• Primary goal: ebook only, print only, or both?
• Book type: pure text (epub-friendly) or complex layout (PDF-friendly)?
• Target platforms: Amazon/Kobo/Apple Books (epub required), KDP Print/IngramSpark (PDF required)
• Budget and tools: which software to use for each format?

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FAQ

Does Amazon KDP accept epub?
Yes, since 2022. KDP converts the epub to Kindle format internally. You no longer need to convert your epub to MOBI to publish on Amazon.

Can I submit a PDF to Amazon KDP for an ebook?
Technically yes, but it's strongly discouraged. The rendering on an e-reader is poor: text doesn't adapt to screen size, and print margins waste a lot of space on a Kindle. Use an epub for ebooks.

What's the difference between a normal PDF and a print-ready PDF?
A print-ready PDF has embedded fonts, images at 300 DPI minimum, asymmetric margins suited for binding, and sometimes a bleed area. A PDF exported from Word or a browser doesn't guarantee these elements.

Will my epub look identical on all readers?
No, and that's by design. Each e-reader and reading app applies its own default typographic rules and lets the reader choose font and size. A well-designed epub degrades gracefully: it maintains structure and readability whatever the display, without imposing a fixed layout.