Introduction to Accessible Ebook Production: Fixed Layout Format
By nature, fixed layout ebooks can’t have as many accessibility features as reflowable ebooks, but you can take steps to ensure a fixed layout ebook is as accessible as possible. This brief introduction to making accessible fixed layout ebooks discusses best practices.
Suggested Prerequisites
Before reading this, you might want to read:
Fixed Layout Ebooks
For some books the layout is as important to the book as the content. Think children’s picture books, cookbooks, graphic novels, travel guides, manuals, for instance. In these cases, a fixed layout ebook will be the right choice. A fixed layout ebook maintains the intended layout and cannot be modified by the reader. When a book needs to be in fixed layout, you should be aware that this format will cause challenges for some readers, as they won’t be able to customize the font size or type, background and foreground colours, or zoom in on anything.
Step-by-Step: Prioritizing Accessibility in Fixed Layout Books
While it is true that fixed layout books are inherently less accessible than reflowable books, there are steps you can take to ensure that the book you produce is as accessible as possible! In the Related Content section below, you can find some more detailed guidance on creating fixed layout books, but here are a few key elements of accessible fixed layout books:
- Ensure that the Reading Order is correct! The book has probably been carefully designed and laid out in a way that all but guarantees that the visual reader will read things in the correct order. This needs to be mirrored in the code: the reading order (which is the order that the text and image descriptions are announced) can get a little wonky when you export from InDesign (or other software)! So, you can check in the code to see if the elements are ordered correctly – if they are, they will be announced in the right order! If not, then you know that the book needs some work.
- Include image descriptions for all images!
- Include as much navigation as possible – page lists, HTML headings, landmarks, a table of contents – if you use at least two, your reader will thank you!
- Make sure the font is as legible as can be – 16pt. size is recommended, as well as a clean font and sufficient colour contrast.
- And, last but not least: include accessibility metadata! This applies to all books.
Next Steps
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Best Practices for Accessible Ebook Production – Fixed Layout
Introduction to Accessible Ebook Production: Fixed Layout Format
Fixed layout books can’t have as many accessiblity features as reflowable books, but there are steps to take to ensure the book is as accessible as possible! This brief introduction to making accessible, fixed layout…
Subject(s): Ebook Production
Resource Type(s): Standards and Best Practices
2
Understanding the Navigation File in EPUB 3
Introduction to the Navigation File
This Introduction to the Navigation File of an EPUB breaks down the elements that make up this important file.
Subject(s): Ebook Production
Resource Type(s): Checklist, Foundations and Rationale, Standards and Best Practices
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Understanding the Importance of Image Descriptions
Introduction to Image Descriptions
Including image descriptions in your ebooks and digital content hugely increases accessibility because it ensures that all readers have access to the same content. This Introduction discusses the importance of image descriptions – to your…
Subject(s): Image Descriptions
Resource Type(s): Foundations and Rationale
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Adding Accessibility Metadata to an Ebook
Introduction to Accessibility Metadata for Ebooks
Accessibility metadata should be included with every ebook, as it lets the reader know about what accessibility features have been included! This introduction discusses the importance of accessibility metadata, and shares examples of each type.
Subject(s): Metadata
Resource Type(s): Standards and Best Practices
External Links to More Information
NNELS Best Practices for Publisher Workflows
An overview of several best practices for creating an EPUB with good markup for accessibility, with suggestions on how to begin integrating them into a publisher workflow. It includes fixed layout versus reflowable, using EPUB version 3, images, headings, tables, capitalization, metadata, language and several other items.
Evaluating Your EPUB’s Accessibility
This page gives an overview of how to run an Ace report and test a book using a screen reader on a mobile device. It discusses checking accessibility of elements including fixed layout, image descriptions, well structured headings, table of contents, footnotes and endnotes, and others. It finishes with a discussion of metadata both in and alongside the EPUB, and briefly covers multimedia.
Reflowable vs Fixed Layout – Which is the Best Layout for your eBook
Reflowable and fixed layout format both offer certain features that you may need for your book, depending on your content and layout needs. This page breaks down the two types and compares them.
Content Source Acknowledgement