Top Four File Formats for eBook

A writer or publisher has many options when it comes to choosing a format for publication. While the average end-user might arguably simply want to read books, every format has its proponents. The myriad e-book formats are sometimes collectively referred to as the “Tower of eBabel”. The following is a comparison of e-book formats used to create and publish e-books.

AZW which is the same as MOBI but the DRM is different. You often see TXT with TXT no formatting and HTML with eBook readers often ignores any complicated formatting. More general purpose portable devices will have loadable applications for other formats.

DJVU is a format originally developed by Lizardtech. It was transfered to Celartem Technology Inc. in 2008.DjVu software enables businesses, publishers and creative professionals to easily exchange and efficiently archive complex color documents without compromising image quality or text legibility. DjVu (pronounced “déjà vu”) is a digital image format with advanced compression technology and high performance value. DjVu allows for the distribution on the Internet and on DVD of very high resolution images of scanned documents, digital documents, and photographs. DjVu viewers are available for web browsers, the desktop, and PDA devices. Its main characteristics are that the compress ratio is about 10x better than in PDF format at the same quality.

CHM stands for Compressed HTML but it is much more than that. It is a container for multiple HTML files and provides a mechanism to rapidly access data in this format. It is largely used for reference documents and Help documents. This is a handy way to keep reference manuals close at hand for easy access. Microsoft includes a CHM Help reader in its Microsoft Windows operating system called hh.exe. When you click on help in a Microsoft application and some 3rd party applications you will find yourself in the CHM Reader. It can also be used directly by providing the CHM file as the argument for the command on a command line or in a shortcut.

PDF – Portable Document Format created by Adobe for their Acrobat products. It is the defacto standard for document interchange. Software support exists for almost every computer platform and handheld device. Some devices have problems with PDF since most content available is scaled for either A4 or letter format, both of which are not easily readable when reduced to fit on small screens. Some Readers can reflow some PDF documents, including the Sony PRS505, to accommodate the small screen. Some eBook readers, including the iRex iLiad, have a pan-and-zoom feature that aids readability, but extracts a price in ergonomics. Some PDF files have drm protection on eBook if you need to remove drm from pdf first with pdf drm removal before reading.

Processing your request, Please wait....