Epub: you come across this name in the list of file format names more and more frequently. More and more ereader manufacturers, publishers and software designers are using it. But what is it actually? What exactly does it offer? Does this file format have the future? Read on and find out all you need to know about this increasingly popular file format.

An open standard
Epub is sometimes also called the new ‘open standard’, for it is a combination of three open standards: OPS (Open Publications Structure), OPF (Open Packaging Format) and OCF (Open Container Format). Officially, ePub is the file extension that can be used for digital publications and ebooks.

And what does this mean in ordinary language?
The combination of these three open standards ensures that an ePub file automatically adapts the text to the screen, which is not the case with PDF. This means that ePub automatically shortens the lines when the screen is smaller.

Protection of rights is possible
ePub files are not automatically protected against illegal copying, but this is possible by the application of DRM (Digital Rights Management). Using Adobe Digital Editions can open up these rights.

Which publishers use ePub?
Currently, ePub, together with MobiPocket, is one of the most popular file formats used in e-readers, especially, therefore, for ebooks. At the moment, Bol.com is starting the sale of a great number of books which are solely available in ePub, which may have been an important step for the future. It could possibly mean the definitive breakthrough.

Which e-readers already support ePub?
All ereaders which are for sale here support ePub except those by iRex. We advise you to consult the specifications to make sure, by clicking on the product and, after that, on specs. Here you will see which file formats are supported by the ereader and also whether it is MobiPocket DRM or Adobe DRM. On this page, you will read more about DRM (Digital Rights Management).