The range of e-book formats is quite wide and is not limited only to FB2 and . Electronic books are often saved in ePub format. If you have an e-reader, it will most likely open the book in this format. But how to open ePub on the computer?
ePub is short for Electronic Publication. This open format was developed by IDPF (International Digital Publishing Forum). The ePub format is used for documents in which text is the most important part. In addition to the actual text in HTML, XHTML or PDF format, the ePub file can contain a description of the publication in XML, graphics (raster and vector), built-in fonts, styles, etc. How to open ePub if you don’t have an e-book at hand?
There are a number of free programs for Windows that allow you to open ePub on a personal computer. One such program is Adobe Digital Editions. This free program, developed by Adobe Systems, is used to read and manage e-books in ePub, PDF and XHTML formats. Reading books are loaded into the program library. It supports highlighting text, creating notes and bookmarks, selecting font size, searching through text, printing desired text fragments, and navigating through pages.
EPub: how to open it on a computer
You can also open ePub using a free program CoolReader. In addition to ePub, this program supports a number of other e-book formats, as well as graphic formats. The program supports book content, tables and CSS in ePub files. There are different viewing modes (pages or scroll, displaying one or two pages in landscape mode, full screen viewing, page rotation). Supports bookmarks, text selection, text search, cross-references, hyperlinks, footnotes, automatic hyphenation.
You can open ePub with the program FBReader. This free, cross-platform eBook reader supports most popular formats. We have already talked about this program in our article, so we will not dwell on it in detail. By the way, in the same article you can read about two more programs for reading e-books that can open ePub - Caliber and STDU Viewer. You can also use it on Windows following applications: AlReader, Emerson, ICE Book Reader, Lexcycle Stanza, Lucidor, Mobipocket Reader, Talking Clipboard.
But how can you open ePub if you are using an operating system other than Windows? Each operating system has its own programs that allow you to read e-books in this format. Let's list some of them:
- For Android: Aldiko, Bookmate, FBReaderJ, Foliant, WordPlayer, Moon+ Reader;
- For Linux: Caliber, CoolReader, Emerson, FBReader, Lucidor, Okular;
- For Mac OS X: Adobe Digital Editions, BookReader, Caliber, Emerson, Lexcycle Stanza, Lucidor;
- For iOS: Bookmate, exLibris, iBooks, Lexcycle Stanza (for iPhone), sReader (for iPhone), Bluefire Reader;
- For mobile platforms: AlReader (Windows Mobile, Windows CE), Foliant (J2ME), Bookmate (Symbian), FBReader (PDA's), Freda (Windows Mobile), Mobipocket Reader (Windows Mobile, Symbian, BlackBerry), Okular (Maemo).
If you use browser Mozilla Firefox(regardless of the operating system), you can open ePub directly in the browser, but to do this you need to install on it special addition – EPUBReader. It is installed in the same way as any other add-on for Firefox. The add-on allows you to create a personal library, access to which does not depend on an Internet connection. You can read books in ePub format through your browser. The add-on supports page navigation, text selection, changing font size, text search, bookmarks and notes. You can send a piece of text to a friend or print it.
As you can see, you can open ePub with many programs, no matter what device or operating system you use. A the final choice of program is a matter of taste and convenience.
EPUB is a file format used to store e-books and other types of content. Developed by the International Digital Publishing Association.
If you see the EPUB format on the Internet, know that this is electronic content that is opened using special software. It is freely used both on computers and on smartphones, tablets or e-readers.
What does the EPUB format contain?
EPUB files can store not only text data, but also images, style sheets (CSS), fonts, metadata details, and content tables. Content can be displayed on 3.5-inch screens.
This is interesting:
In short, the following situation arises. The user can save a browser page, for example, that you currently have open, to the desktop. The page will completely contain all elements: text, tags, styles, pictures, etc.
To save in almost any browser, just press the Win+S combination. Next, next to this page or several, there are two XML files. One will contain the epub attribute, and the other will contain the page files html, jpg, css, etc. We save all these files in a ZIP archive. It will have a ZIP extension accordingly. Now all you have to do is change the container extension to “.epub”. That's it, we have a file that can be opened using e-readers.
We will not talk in more detail about the development, history and content here, since a lot of information is already on Wikipedia.
Features of the EPUB format
- Standardization – the format will lead to a standard that solves the problem of developing a wide variety of electronic content formats. This makes it easier for developers and publishers to create e-books and devices.
- Conversion – there are now tools that allow you to easily convert EPUB to another format.
- Versatility - suitable for any device with different screen resolutions.
- Security – the presence of a DRM mechanism that allows you to protect content from copying.
How to open EPUB format
There are dozens of programs for opening an e-book, both for PC and for Android or iOS. You can use Icecream Ebook Reader on your computer, download it from this site.
A convenient application that is available in free and paid editions. Has a library, reading progress, search, copy and translation functions. There is a night mode, bookmarks, and changes in the appearance of text.
If you have Windows 10, the built-in Microsoft Edge browser can open an EPUB file. Just open the book through Edge.
There are also Kodo, Barnes & Noble Nook, eReaders and Calider programs. They are in a foreign language, but this should not interfere with reading.
How to open EPUB on Android and iOS
There are simply a huge number of applications for smartphones or tablets that are downloaded from the App Store or Play Market. If you are using iOS, here is the list of applications:
- iBook;
- Bookmate.
It makes no sense to list dozens of applications, since you can independently enter the query “book reader” into the search and see if the application supports the format.
For Android, there are the following popular applications that support a variety of e-book formats.
- FBReader;
- Bookmate;
- Aldiko;
- Moon+Reader.
We usually provide our authors with books in PDF and ePub formats. PDF is easy to read on regular PCs and laptops, and regular readers also support it. The ePub format is much more convenient for iPhone, iPod and all types of reading devices. If you have a book only in ePub format, then you can read it on a regular computer using the following services.
Online
- Using the siteBookWorm from O'Reilly Labs. The BookWorm website allows you not only to read books, but also to store them in a library on your server.
On iPod or iPhone
- Using the Stanza from Lexcycle website
On a computer or laptop
- Stanza from Lexcycle. You can download and install “Stanza Desktop.” Suitable for Windows and Mac OS.
- Adobe Digital Editions. Adobe Digital Editions (ADE) - a reader for reading e-books and a catalog for a library of e-books. Please note possible problems with Cyrillic fonts. Suitable for Windows and Mac OS.
- Book Glutton. The Book Glutton website allows you to download and store e-books, as well as download them to your computer and iPod. The site's motto is “A new way to read online.”
- Caliber. Caliber is a free and open source eBook reader. Suitable for Windows and Mac OS.
- FB Reader. Free ePub reader for Linux, as well as Windows XP and Vista.
- Azardi. Azardi - beta version of e-book reader.
Book reading apps
- Textr. Textr is a new device for reading e-books.
The most common problem that prevents users from opening this file is an incorrectly assigned program. To fix this in Windows OS, you need to right-click on the file, in the context menu, hover the mouse over the “Open with” item, and select “Select a program...” from the drop-down menu. As a result, you will see a list of installed programs on your computer, and you can select the appropriate one. We also recommend checking the box next to "Use this application for all EPUB files."
Another problem that our users also encounter quite often is that the EPUB file is corrupted. This situation can arise in many cases. For example: the file was downloaded incompletely as a result of a server error, the file was damaged initially, etc. To resolve this problem, use one of the recommendations:
- Try finding the file you need in another source on the Internet. You may have luck finding a more suitable version. Example Google search: "File filetype:EPUB" . Just replace the word "file" with the name you want;
- Ask them to send you the original file again, it may have been damaged during transmission;
Many Internet users are active readers of books of various genres. With the development of technology, paper publications fade into the background, giving way to digital analogues. This is due not only to progress in the industrial field, but also to their mobility, compactness and ease of reading.
E-books can always be downloaded from the Internet or read online on the websites of specialized libraries. But recently, a previously unknown file format with the epub extension has become increasingly common.
Epub files and their structure
The epub extension was developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). Electronic books with a similar format are archived files (zip archive). It contains various folders containing various information:
- description of the publication in the form of an XML file;
- the text of the book itself in one of the formats: (x)HTML or PDF;
- connected fonts;
- catalogs with graphic information contain: pictures, photographs and other images;
- CSS files are stored in the styles directory.
This structure of e-books allows the publishing house to design and implement the same functionality and display type on computers and gadgets running different operating systems.
Attention! The EPUB extension provides copyright control and protection.
How to open EPUB files
Due to its flexible system of implementation and configuration, epub electronic books are becoming increasingly popular and in demand. You can use several methods to open such files:
- online mode;
- installation of necessary programs or applications.
When viewing on a personal computer, Android or iOS devices, you can use two ways to read books in digital format. To implement such operations, you can use the following software or install the necessary browser extensions:
- Windows OS - Software: Caliber, Adobe Digital Editions, Universal, Viewer or FBRreader, browser extension: EpubReader.
- Mac OS – Software: Caliber, FBRreader or CoolRreader, EpubReader extension is used to open in a browser window.
- OS Linux – software method: FBRreader, Caliber or CoolRreader; when using a browser, you must install the EpubReader add-on;
- Android devices – applications: FBRreader or CoolRreader.
- OS iOS – iBooks (system application), BookMate, Stanza or i2Reader.
The high popularity and demand of the format contributed to the development of “readers”, software for viewing and editing, and a wide range of browser extensions. In this regard, you can choose a program for epub files depending on the preferences and wishes of the user.
Advice. If you have constant access to the Internet, it is recommended to use online services or browser extensions, which will provide quick access to the book database and eliminate the need to download them into the device’s memory.
Adobe Digital Editions
The software from Adobe has a free license and is freely distributed on the Internet. This software can be downloaded from the official website of the developer. It allows the user not only to view and read books in electronic format, but also to highlight and copy certain pieces of text, make bookmarks and notes. You can also use it to search the text throughout the book or in a specific section, print the desired pages or sections of text, and perform page-by-page navigation. In addition, depending on the selected font size, you can split the book into several columns.
Caliber
The Caliber program is specially designed for opening and editing electronic books with the epub extension. It can be downloaded for free from the developer's website. After installation, it provides the user with the following options for working with files in this format:
- catalog (sort or organize) all downloaded books in a single database (library) by author, year of publication, genre, title;
- perform the functions of a converter both into epub format from pdf, fb2, etc., and vice versa;
- provides the ability to flexibly configure literary and keyboard abbreviations;
- changing the appearance (interface, cover) of the program;
- provides all background information about the publication: book title, author's name, year of publication, genre, etc., and a preview and annotation of the publication are also available.
All these basic functions and settings greatly simplify working with the e-book, which can be customized for each user.
FBRreader
The FBRreader program differs from its analogues in its versatility. It is supported by almost all operating systems and devices. This fact testifies to its reliability, stability of opening and ease of reading books on any device and PC. It has all the functions and settings that are available in similar programs. In addition, the user is given the opportunity to view images and other illustrations in full screen format. Flexible display brightness adjustment allows you to set the required mode depending on the ambient light level.
CoolReader
The CoolRreader viewer is one of the popular and multifunctional programs for working with epub files. Its adaptation mechanism adjusts the book text (font size and style, font style) to suit the vision of each user. Thus, the load on the reader’s eyes is significantly reduced, which eliminates the negative impact on the eyeball while reading. The presence of a “talker” function and a large database of artificial voices allows you to select the required timbre and intonation of the virtual narrator. Such program features completely relieve the user of the need to read publications.
EpubReader
The EpubReader application is supported by the main ones that most Internet users use: Google Chrome, IE and Firefox. To install this extension, you need to go to the add-on store of your specific browser and enter the name in the search bar. After installation, to read books, you need to click on the application icon and select the required edition from the library.
In addition to the main and most popular programs and add-ons for opening epub files, there are many viewers, editors, etc. Each user chooses the appropriate option that will meet all his requirements.
Caliber review: video
