BookPrinting, #1

A hypothesis that will be tested and refined until a workable process is finalized.

1. Acquire EPUB
2. EPUB -> Pandoc -> LaTeX

• At this point you may wish to review table of contents, headers and footers, index, etc

3. LaTeX -> PDF
4. bookbinder.js
5. print, stitch, bind

Pandoc command

I am using the following command

pandoc input.epub -o output.pdf --standalone --table-of-contents --pdf-engine=xelatex -V documentclass=book -V papersize=a5 -V geometry:margin=2cm --include-in-header header.tex

where "header.tex" is the following:

\usepackage{titlesec}
\newcommand{\sectionbreak}{\clearpage}

Answered questions:

• Why Epub?
  • Unless a PDF file is explicitly necessary, an Epub file is easier to reflow based on preference for page size, margins, text size, etc. Epub files are largely high quality and effectively make use of semantic markup.
• Why Pandoc?
  • Fast, free, easy.
• Why LaTeX?
  • LaTeX is used for high-quality typesetting. It is a free (as in free beer) software tool and can handle things like table of contents, footnotes, indices quite well.
• Why bookbinder.js ?
  • When a printed document is upwards of 5 pages in length, especially if it intended to be printed as a booklet, it is crucial to assemble a collection of "signatures" (smaller booklets) that are later joined in order to have a book that opens easily and turns pages well.

Unanswered questions

• How many pages per signature?
  • There must be some formula to deduce this from total page count, paper thickness, etc.