Convert a PDF to an accessible ePUB

The whole workflow at a glance, from uploading a PDF to exporting a validated, accessible ePUB, with a guide to each step.

PDFxt turns a print-ready PDF into a reflowable, accessible ePUB. It analyses each page, tags the content as headings, paragraphs, figures, tables, notes and index entries, and builds the ePUB from that structure. Your job is to check its work and correct anything it got wrong, page by page, before you export.

This guide lists every step in the order we recommend. Each step has its own article with screenshots.

Before you start

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Use the final, print-ready PDF of the title. Text-based PDFs give the best results. Scanned pages need OCR first, and preflight tells you when they do.

Set up

Upload PDFs: one title or a batch.
Review preflight checks: fix or skip what preflight finds, then complete preflight.
Choose settings and save PDF presets: decide how indexes, forms and figures are handled, then start the Accessible ePUB analysis.
Find your way around the editor: thumbnails, zones, the PDF and the live HTML preview.

Fix the structure

Fix page numbers: always first, because links, notes and the index depend on them.
Check and fix zones page by page: covers, line breaks, columns, running heads and TOC links.
Build the table of contents and chapters: the ePUB navigation and one HTML file per chapter.
Fix tables: redraw a table, correct rows, columns and spans, and join a table split across pages.
Fix footnotes and note links: draw notes and rebuild links between cues and notes.
Process an index: tag a whole index and link every page number in one step.

Style it

Clean up styles and map company styles: tidy the extracted stylesheet and replace styles with your house styles.
Edit styles and HTML for a zone: change CSS with a live preview, fix parent and reading order, and edit HTML.

Review and export

Check and edit ePUB metadata: title, author, publisher, ISBN and dates.
Export the accessible ePUB: check the chapter structure, then export with EPUBCheck and Ace.
Preview and inspect the ePUB: read it beside the source PDF and look inside the package.

Watch or download

Video: the whole workflow in one video, PDF to accessible ePUB: full course, or one video per step.
PDF guide: every step with screenshots, to read offline or print, in English, Español, Deutsch, Nederlands and தமிழ்.
The videos are also narrated in Spanish, German, Dutch and Tamil.