How to Convert EPUB to PDF for Printing or Sharing
EPUB is great for reading on screens. But when you need to print a document, share it with someone who does not have an ebook reader, or archive a fixed layout, PDF is the right format. Here is how to convert cleanly.
EPUB vs PDF: two different philosophies
EPUB and PDF solve fundamentally different problems. Understanding this distinction matters because it affects what you should expect from the conversion.
EPUB is reflowable. Text adapts to the screen size. On a phone, you get one column of text that reflows to fit. On a tablet, the text reflows again. Font size, margins, and line spacing adjust dynamically. An EPUB file is essentially a packaged website: HTML, CSS, and images inside a ZIP archive. The EPUB format was developed by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), now part of the W3C.
PDF is fixed layout. Every element has an exact position on a page of exact dimensions. A PDF looks identical on every device, every printer, every screen. What you see is what you get. This makes PDF ideal for documents where layout matters: legal contracts, academic papers, print-ready manuscripts, forms.
Converting from EPUB to PDF means going from a flexible layout to a fixed one. The converter must make decisions: page size, margins, font, line height, where to break pages, how to handle images. These decisions affect the final result significantly.
| Feature | EPUB | |
|---|---|---|
| Layout model | Reflowable (adapts to screen) | Fixed (exact page layout) |
| Page concept | No fixed pages (continuous flow) | Fixed pages with defined dimensions |
| Font handling | Embedded or system fonts, reader can override | Embedded fonts, exact rendering guaranteed |
| Image handling | Responsive, scales with text | Fixed size and position |
| Text selection/search | Yes (HTML-based) | Yes (if not scanned/image-based) |
| Print quality | Depends on renderer | Designed for print, WYSIWYG |
| Accessibility | Excellent (semantic HTML, reflowable) | Variable (depends on tagging) |
| File size | Small (compressed HTML + images) | Larger (embedded fonts, fixed layout data) |
| Reader software | Dedicated ebook readers (Kindle, Kobo, Apple Books, Calibre) | Any PDF viewer (built into every OS and browser) |
| Editing | Easy (it is HTML/CSS) | Difficult without specialized software |
When to convert EPUB to PDF
Not every EPUB needs to be a PDF. Here are the legitimate reasons to convert.
Printing. If you want a physical copy of an ebook, you need PDF. Printers expect fixed-layout documents. EPUB's reflowable nature means there are no defined "pages" to print. Converting to PDF creates proper pages with consistent margins, headers, and page breaks.
Sharing with non-technical users. Not everyone has an EPUB reader installed. PDF viewers are built into every operating system (Preview on Mac, Edge on Windows, Evince on Linux) and every web browser. Sending a PDF ensures the recipient can open it immediately.
Archiving. PDF/A is an ISO standard for long-term digital preservation. Libraries, universities, and government agencies use PDF/A for archival. If you need to preserve a document for decades, PDF is the safer bet. EPUB depends on rendering engines that may change over time.
Annotations and markup. While some EPUB readers support annotations, PDF has a richer, more standardized annotation system. Lawyers, academics, and reviewers often prefer PDF for markup because the annotations are tied to fixed positions on fixed pages.
Embedding in other documents. You can embed a PDF inside a PowerPoint presentation, a Word document, or a web page. Embedding an EPUB is not straightforward.
The DRM requirement: your EPUB must be DRM-free
Digital Rights Management (DRM) is copy protection applied by publishers and retailers. If your EPUB was purchased from a store that uses Adobe DRM or Apple FairPlay DRM, it is encrypted. ConvX (and any legitimate converter) cannot read DRM-protected files because the content is encrypted and locked to a specific device or account.
How to tell if your EPUB has DRM:
- Try opening it in Calibre. If Calibre shows a DRM error, the file is protected.
- Files with a
.acsmextension are not EPUBs at all; they are Adobe DRM license files that download the actual encrypted EPUB. - EPUBs from Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks, or other public domain sources are always DRM-free.
- Many indie publishers and some major publishers (Tor Books, for example) sell DRM-free EPUBs.
If your EPUB is DRM-free, ConvX handles it. If it is DRM-protected, you need to obtain a DRM-free version from the publisher.
Converting a single EPUB
convx convert book.epub --to pdfThis produces a PDF with default settings: A4 page size, reasonable margins, embedded fonts from the EPUB, and automatic page breaks at chapter boundaries. The output file is written next to the source file. Check the full set of options in the CLI reference.
Batch converting multiple EPUBs
convx convert books/ --to pdf -j 2Converts every EPUB in the books/ directory. The -j 2 flag runs two conversions in parallel. EPUB to PDF conversion is more memory-intensive than audio or image conversion because the renderer must process HTML, CSS, and font embedding for each book. Two parallel jobs is a safe default; increase to 4 if you have 16+ GB of RAM.
convx convert books/ --to pdf -j 2 -d ./pdf-booksThe -d flag outputs all PDFs to a separate directory, leaving your original EPUBs untouched.
Formatting considerations
Because EPUB is reflowable and PDF is fixed, the conversion process must make layout decisions. Here is what to expect and how to control the results.
Page size
The default output is A4 (210 x 297 mm). For US letter size (8.5 x 11 inches), most EPUBs render well on either size. Choose based on your printer's paper tray.
Fonts
EPUBs often embed custom fonts. ConvX preserves these fonts in the PDF output. If the EPUB does not embed fonts (relying on the reader's default), ConvX uses a standard serif font. The result is clean and readable, but may not match what you see in your ebook reader if your reader uses a custom default font.
Images
Images in EPUB files are typically optimized for screen display (72 to 150 DPI). When converted to PDF, they appear at their original resolution. If you plan to print, images may look soft or pixelated at print resolution (300 DPI). This is a limitation of the source material, not the converter. The PDF will be as sharp as the images in the EPUB allow.
Tables and complex layouts
EPUB tables rendered in HTML/CSS generally convert well to PDF. Complex layouts with multi-column text, sidebars, or floating elements may not convert perfectly. The renderer does its best to approximate the EPUB's CSS layout in fixed pages, but edge cases exist. Review the output for complex documents.
Table of contents
ConvX generates a PDF bookmark structure (the clickable table of contents in PDF viewers' sidebar) from the EPUB's navigation document. Chapter titles become PDF bookmarks, making the converted document easy to navigate.
Page breaks
EPUB chapters are separate HTML files inside the EPUB archive. ConvX starts each chapter on a new page by default. Within a chapter, page breaks happen naturally based on the text flow and page dimensions. For fiction and standard prose, this produces a clean, book-like layout.
EPUB 2 vs EPUB 3
There are two major versions of the EPUB format. Both convert to PDF, but with different feature sets.
| Feature | EPUB 2 | EPUB 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Markup language | XHTML 1.1 | HTML5 |
| Styling | CSS 2.1 subset | CSS3 |
| Audio/video | Not supported | HTML5 audio and video elements |
| JavaScript | Not supported | Supported (scripted content) |
| MathML | Not supported | Supported |
| Fixed layout | Not supported | Supported (fixed-layout EPUB) |
| Navigation | NCX file | XHTML navigation document |
ConvX handles both EPUB 2 and EPUB 3. For EPUB 3 files with embedded audio or video, those multimedia elements are not included in the PDF output (PDF does not support embedded streaming media in a practical way). MathML equations render as images in the PDF. For the full EPUB 3 specification, see the W3C EPUB 3.3 specification.
What about Calibre?
Calibre is the most popular free ebook management tool, and it includes EPUB to PDF conversion. It is excellent software. Here is how ConvX compares for this specific task.
Calibre gives you extensive control over the output: custom page margins, font overrides, header/footer templates, paragraph spacing, and dozens of other settings. It is ideal for users who want to fine-tune every aspect of the PDF. The downside: Calibre's GUI has a steep learning curve, and batch conversion through the command line (ebook-convert) requires learning a different set of flags. Calibre is also a large application (300+ MB) because it includes a full ebook library manager.
ConvX is a focused converter. It produces clean PDF output with sensible defaults. It is faster for batch jobs (parallel processing built in) and integrates with CLI workflows and AI agents via MCP. If you do not need Calibre's extensive customization and just want a reliable EPUB to PDF conversion, ConvX is simpler.
Both tools produce good PDFs. Use Calibre if you need fine-grained control. Use ConvX if you want fast, batch-capable conversion with minimal configuration.
Using the desktop app
Drag your EPUB files into the ConvX window. Select PDF as the output format. Click convert. The desktop app shows a preview of the first few pages so you can verify the layout before processing the entire document. For batch jobs, drag a folder of EPUBs and ConvX processes them all.
Using ConvX with AI agents via MCP
The ConvX MCP server exposes EPUB to PDF conversion as a tool for AI agents. An agent can convert documents as part of a larger workflow: extracting chapters from an EPUB, converting to PDF, and attaching to an email, all in a single automated sequence.
Common use cases
Academic reading lists. Professors distribute reading materials as EPUBs. Students who prefer to print and annotate by hand need PDF. Batch convert the semester's readings in one command.
Self-published authors. If you write in an EPUB-first workflow (many authoring tools output EPUB natively), you may need PDF versions for reviewers, proofreaders, or print-on-demand services. ConvX converts your manuscript while preserving chapter structure and embedded fonts.
Legal and compliance archiving. Organizations that receive documents in EPUB format may need to archive them as PDF/A for long-term retention. Converting EPUB to PDF and then applying PDF/A compliance (using a separate tool like Ghostscript) creates an archival-grade document.
Offline sharing in low-tech environments. In regions or workplaces with limited technology access, PDF is the lowest common denominator. Everyone can open a PDF. Not everyone has an EPUB reader.
Limitations of EPUB to PDF conversion
No conversion between these formats is perfect. Here is what you should know.
- Reflowable content becomes fixed. Once converted, the text no longer adapts to different screen sizes. The PDF is optimized for one page size.
- Interactive elements are lost. EPUB 3 supports JavaScript, embedded quizzes, and interactive widgets. None of these survive the conversion to PDF.
- Audio and video are dropped. If the EPUB contains embedded media, the PDF will not include it. A placeholder or the media's fallback content may appear instead.
- Complex CSS layouts may simplify. Multi-column layouts, CSS grid, and advanced positioning may not render identically in the PDF. The converter approximates the layout.
- Accessibility may degrade. EPUB's semantic HTML provides excellent accessibility for screen readers. PDF accessibility depends on proper tagging, which automated conversion may not produce perfectly.
Troubleshooting
PDF has blank pages between chapters
This happens when the EPUB has short chapters that do not fill a full page, combined with the "new page per chapter" default. The blank page is the back side of the previous chapter. This is standard book formatting (chapters typically start on odd-numbered pages in print). If you do not want this behavior, it is a cosmetic issue that does not affect content.
Fonts look different from the ebook reader
Your ebook reader may override the EPUB's embedded fonts with its own default. The PDF uses the fonts actually specified in the EPUB. If the EPUB does not embed fonts, ConvX falls back to a standard serif. The result is correct per the EPUB file's actual content, but may differ from what your reader shows.
Images appear blurry in the PDF
EPUB images are typically low resolution (72 to 150 DPI) because they are designed for screen display. At print resolution (300 DPI), these images look soft. This is a limitation of the source material. There is no way to add resolution that does not exist in the original. If you need sharp printed images, you need a higher-resolution source.
Conversion fails with a DRM error
The EPUB is copy-protected. ConvX cannot decrypt DRM-protected files. Obtain a DRM-free version of the EPUB from the publisher or retailer. Many publishers offer DRM-free versions directly from their websites.
Table of contents bookmarks are missing
The EPUB may lack a properly formatted navigation document (NCX for EPUB 2, nav for EPUB 3). Without this, ConvX cannot generate PDF bookmarks. Check the EPUB in Calibre to verify its navigation structure. If the EPUB has no table of contents, the PDF will not have bookmarks.
Special characters or non-Latin scripts render incorrectly
If the EPUB does not embed the fonts required for its text (common with EPUBs containing Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Devanagari scripts), the converter falls back to system fonts. Make sure your system has fonts installed that cover the required character sets. On Linux, install the fonts-noto package for broad Unicode coverage.