Answers.Body: <p>This would be extremely difficult since the broad range of devices out there have vastly different physical screen sizes and aspect ratios. Your best bet would be to use a small page size (perhaps 4" x 3") so that users with e-book apps on their smartphones would still be able to comfortably read the text. This comes at a price: e-book readers or tables with large screens will display very large text - although some might allow you to zoom out or display multiple pages at a time.</p>
  
  <p>I would suggest a slightly different route based on <a href="https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/16569/latex-document-to-epub-or-mobi-ebook-formats-with-mathematical-formulas">this similar question</a>. Instead of exporting from LaTeX to PDF, export to HTML. Then use a tool such as <a href="http://calibre-ebook.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Calibre</a> to convert the HTML files produced to a MOBI or EPUB file.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2013-12-19T05:21:00.097Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2013-12-19T05:21:00.097Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2017-04-13T12:34:32.050Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Nathan Osman
Body: <p>Suppose that I have to create a PDF ebook (meaning no automatic word reflow, etc). What page size (width by height) maximizes readability across common e-readers and mobile devices? </p>
  
  <p>Context: I typically create my ebooks using LaTeX, meaning that the PDF format is the only option I have easy access to. It's <em>possible</em> to design for multiple form factors, but each additional form factor requires additional debugging (in the form of looking for overfull/underfull hboxes, hyphenation issues, etc.), which is why I would prefer to work with only one form factor.</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-12-19T05:10:12.077Z
Comments.Text: With the explosion in tablets and smart phones, this question is essentially meaningless.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Donald.McLean
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-12-19T06:12:34.493Z
Comments.Text: @Donald.McLean Is there a restriction to this question that would make it meaningful? e.g. I'm under the impression that most major e-readers have similar form factors and sizes.
Comments.UserDisplayName: senshin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-12-19T06:26:22.300Z
Comments.Text: By way of example - I have 3 devices that I use for reading ebooks. iPad (4th generation, retina display), iPhone 4, Sony PRS-350. All support PDF, but there is no page size that would work WELL for all three devices because the sizes are all so different. Samsung, for example, makes 3 different sizes of its current tablet line (10.1, 8, 7). That's why folks are flocking to ePub - it's *designed* to reflow text to fit the display, not to mention the preferred font size of the user. My dad, at 78, uses a large font than I do.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Donald.McLean
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-12-19T06:27:50.013Z
Comments.Text: @Donald.McLean I see. That's fair, I guess this doesn't make for a particularly good question.
Comments.UserDisplayName: senshin
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-12-19T06:33:31.837Z
Comments.Text: I've actually changed my mind. It is a useful question, even if the way that the question is worded might seem otherwise. Many times, the value of a question can be best seen by the usefulness of the answer(s). I will change my vote if the question is edited.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Donald.McLean
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2013-12-19T14:46:21.783Z
Comments.Text: What sort of document is it, if lots of mathematics and figures then you are sort of stuck with pdf see http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/95600/recommended-workflow-latex-epub-with-math-viewable-on-ipad but if just text then possible to generate epub see http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/1551/use-latex-to-produce-epub for a start
Comments.UserDisplayName: mmmmmm
Tags: <pdf>
Title: What page size maximizes readability across common ebook readers?
UserDisplayName: senshin
ThreadText: # What page size maximizes readability across common ebook readers?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2013-12-19)
  
  Suppose that I have to create a PDF ebook (meaning no automatic word reflow, etc). What page size (width by height) maximizes readability across common e-readers and mobile devices?
  
  Context: I typically create my ebooks using LaTeX, meaning that the PDF format is the only option I have easy access to. It's *possible* to design for multiple form factors, but each additional form factor requires additional debugging (in the form of looking for overfull/underfull hboxes, hyphenation issues, etc.), which is why I would prefer to work with only one form factor.
  
  **Tags:** pdf
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: With the explosion in tablets and smart phones, this question is essentially meaningless.  
  > **username_0**: @username_1 Is there a restriction to this question that would make it meaningful? e.g. I'm under the impression that most major e-readers have similar form factors and sizes.  
  > **username_1**: By way of example - I have 3 devices that I use for reading ebooks. iPad (4th generation, retina display), iPhone 4, Sony PRS-350. All support PDF, but there is no page size that would work WELL for all three devices because the sizes are all so different. Samsung, for example, makes 3 different sizes of its current tablet line (10.1, 8, 7). That's why folks are flocking to ePub - it's *designed* to reflow text to fit the display, not to mention the preferred font size of the user. My dad, at 78, uses a large font than I do.  
  > **username_0**: @username_1 I see. That's fair, I guess this doesn't make for a particularly good question.  
  > **username_1**: I've actually changed my mind. It is a useful question, even if the way that the question is worded might seem otherwise. Many times, the value of a question can be best seen by the usefulness of the answer(s). I will change my vote if the question is edited.  
  > **username_2**: What sort of document is it, if lots of mathematics and figures then you are sort of stuck with pdf see http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/95600/recommended-workflow-latex-epub-with-math-viewable-on-ipad but if just text then possible to generate epub see http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/1551/use-latex-to-produce-epub for a start  
  
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  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2013-12-19. Score: 10 | Accepted answer
  
  This would be extremely difficult since the broad range of devices out there have vastly different physical screen sizes and aspect ratios. Your best bet would be to use a small page size (perhaps 4" x 3") so that users with e-book apps on their smartphones would still be able to comfortably read the text. This comes at a price: e-book readers or tables with large screens will display very large text - although some might allow you to zoom out or display multiple pages at a time.
  
  I would suggest a slightly different route based on [this similar question](https://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/16569/latex-document-to-epub-or-mobi-ebook-formats-with-mathematical-formulas). Instead of exporting from LaTeX to PDF, export to HTML. Then use a tool such as [Calibre](http://calibre-ebook.com/) to convert the HTML files produced to a MOBI or EPUB file.
  
  
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