How to Convert EPUB to PDF: Searchable Text or a Faithful Copy

How to convert EPUB to PDF

To convert an EPUB to PDF, upload the e-book in the EPUB to PDF tool, choose "Text (to read)" or "Faithful copy (appearance)" and click "Convert and download". The PDF comes out in A4, in chapter order, named after the e-book. In Text mode, the default, the file is light and the text can be selected and searched; in Faithful copy mode, the e-book's look is reproduced as an image. Everything runs in your browser, without sending the file to any server.

EPUB is the e-book format: the text rearranges to fit the screen and you can enlarge the type in your reading app. Great on a phone or an e-reader, but it depends on a reading app and every screen shows a different page. PDF is the opposite: each page has a fixed size and looks the same on any device, and on paper. Converting is the way to go when you want that stability to read on a computer, print or annotate. The opposite direction is in how to convert PDF to EPUB.

Step by step to convert an EPUB to PDF

1. Open the "EPUB to PDF" tool.
2. Upload your e-book's .epub file (you can upload several; each one becomes a PDF).
3. Choose the mode: "Text (to read)", selected by default, or "Faithful copy (appearance)".
4. Click "Convert and download" (with several files the button reads "Convert N EPUBs"). The PDF downloads with the e-book's name and the .pdf extension, in the same reading order as the original.

If the idea is to search passages and copy quotes, Text mode is best; if what matters is keeping the e-book's look, with the style and spacing defined in the e-book, choose the Faithful copy. An e-book with no readable text is rejected with the warning "We could not find readable text in this EPUB."

Text or Faithful copy: what each mode keeps

• "Text (to read)": reads the e-book in chapter order and produces an A4 PDF with a default 11-point type, headings, lists, tables and the e-book's images. The text is selectable and searchable and the file stays light.
• "Faithful copy (appearance)": photographs the e-book's look at high resolution and slices it into A4 pages. The style and spacing defined in the e-book are reproduced; fonts embedded in the file are not loaded, so the typeface may change. The text cannot be selected or searched, and the file is larger.
• In both modes: pages are always A4, and chapters and reading order are kept.
• In neither: there is no choice of type size, font or paper size.

Limits of Text mode worth knowing

The text PDF uses a default font, not the e-book's, so the look changes: it is the content that is preserved, not the design. Characters outside the Latin alphabet, such as Chinese, Japanese and emoji, show up as "?", because the embedded font only covers the Latin alphabet with accents. The e-book's images go in only if they are PNG or JPEG; covers and illustrations in GIF, SVG or WebP are left out without warning. If your book relies on those images or on special characters, use the Faithful copy, which reproduces everything as the screen shows it.

Keep in mind that an EPUB has no fixed pages. When converting, the text is split into A4 pages, and the final count depends on the size of the book and the chosen mode: in Text mode, with the default 11-point type; in the Faithful copy, with the type size the e-book carries. That number cannot be adjusted before converting. In long books, the Faithful copy comes out less sharp: the browser caps the size of the capture, and the tool lowers the resolution to fit.

When converting is worth it

• You want to print the e-book and get pages that always come out the same.
• You need to open the book on a computer that has no EPUB reading app.
• You are going to annotate, underline or highlight passages with a PDF reader.
• You want to send the material to someone and be sure it opens without installing anything.

Want to edit the e-book, not just read it? Convert to Word or Markdown

PDF is the right destination for printing and annotating, not for rewriting. If you want to revise the text, reuse chapters or take notes in an editor, convert the EPUB to Word: chapters become headings and the text, lists and images are preserved in an editable .docx. To study or reuse the content in any text editor, the Markdown conversion delivers the book as plain text, with headings and lists marked. Both conversions are covered in how to convert documents between Word, EPUB, Markdown and HTML.

When it is better to stay with EPUB

PDF is not always the best choice. If you read on a phone or an e-reader and like to enlarge the type, EPUB stays more comfortable, because the text adapts to the screen. Think of it this way: EPUB for relaxed reading on small screens; PDF for printing, annotating and being sure the page comes out the same everywhere. Having the e-book in both formats lets you use each where it works best. If your reader wants MOBI, or the book came as AZW3 or FB2, see how to convert e-books between formats.

The conversion happens entirely in your browser: the EPUB is processed on your own device and is never sent to any server.

If the text PDF came out missing an illustration, it was probably a GIF, SVG or WebP. Convert again as a Faithful copy to see it in the PDF.