You can create a word-processing document in Pages and export it to the ePub file format for reading in an ePub reader, such as the iBooks application on iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. Documents created in page layout templates can’t be exported to the ePub format.

Documents exported to ePub format will look different than they appear in Pages. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re creating a document for export to ePub:

  • To create your document, use only the Blank word-processing template or the “ePub Best Practices” sample document available at the Apple Support website:

    http://images.apple.com/support/pages/docs/ePub_Best_Practices_EN.zip

    Other Pages templates might not look as expected when they’re exported to ePub format.

  • To achieve the closest match between Pages and ePub formats, style text in your Pages document using paragraph styles similar to those provided in the “ePub Best Practices” sample document described above. You can create new styles by adjusting font sizes, font colors, and text alignment of the existing styles.

  • Limit the number of images in your document. If you include several high resolution images or too many large images, some of the images will be dropped during export to ePub format.

  • If you want your ePub book to include multiple chapters, be sure to create a table of contents using paragraph styles. In your Pages document, create a unique paragraph style for chapter titles and designate it Chapter Name. Apply the Chapter Name style to the title of each chapter, and select it in the TOC pane of the Document inspector.

    To learn more about creating and applying paragraph styles, see Modifying Paragraph Styles. To learn about creating a table of contents in the TOC inspector, see Creating and Updating a Table of Contents.

If you want to read your ePub document in iBooks on your iOS device, you must transfer the ePub file that you create onto your device.

To use the “ePub Best Practices” sample document as a template:

To learn more about using the ePub format and get a better feel for how a Pages document might appear as a book in iBooks, download the “ePub Best Practices” sample document. After reading the guidelines and instructions within the document, you can use it as a template to create your own document.

  1. Download the “ePub Best Practices” sample document.

  2. Create a copy of the sample document file.

  3. Delete the contents of the sample document copy and type in (or paste in) your own content.

  4. Apply paragraph styles as described in the “ePub Best Practices” sample document.

  5. Export the document you create to ePub format to see how it looks in iBooks.

To import the paragraph styles from the sample document into a new or existing Pages document:

You can also import the styles from the “ePub Best Practices” sample document into a document that you create.

  1. Download the “ePub Best Practices” sample document.

  2. Open the Pages document to which you want to import the styles, and choose Format > Import Styles.

  3. Locate and select the “ePub Best Practices” sample document, and then click Open.

  4. Click Select All.

  5. Select “Replace duplicates,” and then click OK.

  6. Review your document to be certain that each paragraph style from the sample document is appropriately applied to all blocks of text in your document, and correct any misapplied styles.

  7. Export the document you create to ePub format to see how it looks in iBooks.

To prepare an existing Pages document for export to ePub format:

Documents exported to the ePub format automatically appear with page breaks before every chapter. A table of contents is automatically generated, which allows readers to jump quickly to any chapter title, heading, or subheading in the book. In order to create a meaningful table of contents, it’s important to apply appropriate styles within your document. The ePub reader uses the paragraph styles to determine which items should appear in the table of contents for your book.

Note:  The Pages document must have been created using a word-processing template.

  1. Review your document to be certain that appropriate paragraph styles are applied to all chapter titles, headings, and subheadings in your document.

    If you want additional items to appear in the table of contents generated by the ePub file, make sure they are also styled with the correct paragraph style. Then open the Document inspector and click TOC. Select all of the paragraph styles that you want to appear in the TOC, and then click Update. For more information about creating a table of contents, see Creating and Updating a Table of Contents.

  2. Generate a table of contents in the current document, to verify that it lists only what you expect it to (for example, chapter titles, headings, and subheadings). Correct any errors by selecting or deselecting paragraph styles in the TOC pane of the Document inspector (as described, above).

  3. Reformat any images, shapes, or other objects in your document to make them inline objects.

    To learn about inline objects, see What Are Floating and Inline Objects?.

To export your document to ePub format:

If you have tracked changes in the document you want to export, accept or reject any changes and stop tracking changes before you export. Tracked changes are automatically accepted if no specific action is taken. (See Accepting and Rejecting Changes.)

  1. Choose Share > Export.

  2. Select “ePub” from the options shown across the top of the Export window.

  3. Fill out the following fields:

    • Title:
        Type the name of the book.
    • Author:
        Type the author’s name.
    • Genre:
        Select a genre for the book from the pop-up menu, or type a new genre into the Genre field.

  4. Select the checkbox “Use first page as book cover image” if you want to use a thumbnail image of the document’s first page as the icon for this book in your iBooks library, and start the book’s content from the document’s second page. The cover image is also visible opposite the book’s table of contents. If you leave this checkbox deselected, the book uses the generic icon in your iBooks library.

You won’t be able to open the ePub file in Pages. The file can only be opened as a book in an ePub reader. In iBooks, the book font is set to the font you choose from within the iBooks application. All the text sizes in the book are displayed only as small, medium, or large, and you can select which size from within iBooks. Colors in the book may not be identical to those in its Pages counterpart.

To transfer your ePub document to your iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch:

  1. Make sure you’ve downloaded the iBooks application from the App Store onto your device.

  2. Connect your device to your computer, and then open iTunes on your computer.

  3. Drag the ePub file to Books, listed on the left side of the iTunes window, under Library.

  4. Synchronize your device with iTunes.

For information about connecting your iOS device to your computer, synchronizing it with iTunes, and using the iBooks application, see the documentation available for the device.

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