Kindle Previewer User Guide
Kindle Previewer User Guide
Copyright 2013 Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. All rights reserved. Published for Kindle Previewer version 2.92. Apple, Mac OS and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and Windows Vista are trademarks of Microsoft Corporation registered in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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Using Kindle Previewer ........................................................................................................................... 8 2.1 Launching Kindle Previewer........................................................................................................... 8 2.2 Welcome Page Settings ................................................................................................................. 8 2.3 Device Bar ...................................................................................................................................... 9 2.4 Toolbar ........................................................................................................................................... 9 2.4.1 Resizing Content ................................................................................................................ 11
2.5 Menus .......................................................................................................................................... 11 2.5.1 2.5.2 2.5.3 2.5.4 2.5.5 2.5.6 3 File Menu ........................................................................................................................... 11 View Menu......................................................................................................................... 12 Go to Menu........................................................................................................................ 12 Devices Menu .................................................................................................................... 14 Utilities Menu .................................................................................................................... 15 Help Menu ......................................................................................................................... 17
Appendix............................................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Glossary ....................................................................................................................................... 18 3.2 Keyboard Shortcuts...................................................................................................................... 19 3.3 Command Prompt Launch ........................................................................................................... 20 3.4 Customer Support........................................................................................................................ 21 3.4.1 3.4.2 3.4.3 Updates.............................................................................................................................. 21 Kindle Publishing Tools ...................................................................................................... 21 Kindle Publishing Guidelines.............................................................................................. 21
3.5 Using KindleGen to Build Kindle e-Books .................................................................................... 21 3.5.1 3.5.2 KindleGen for Windows ................................................................................................... 22 KindleGen for MacOS ...................................................................................................... 22
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1.1 Specifications
Kindle Devices Emulated Kindle Previewer can display e-books as they will appear on these Kindle devices: Kindle Fire HD Kindle Fire HDX Kindle Fire HDX 8.9" Kindle Paperwhite Kindle DX Kindle for iPhone (Kindle Reading App) Kindle for iPad (Kindle Reading App)
Supported File Formats Kindle Previewer can display e-books created in the following formats: .mobi .epub .azw .html .opf .prc .zip (XMDF)
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Operating systems Kindle Previewer is compatible with the following operating systems: Windows 7 Windows XP (SP3 or later) Windows Vista (SP2 or later)
MacOS X (10.6 or later) NOTE: Your Macintosh computer must have an Intel processor.
1.3.2
To install Kindle Previewer on a Windows system, do the following: 1. Download the Kindle Previewer installer to your computer. 2. Double-click the KindlePreviewerInstall.exe file to launch the installer. 3. Select a language for the installer, then click OK. 4. Review the Software End User License Agreement, then click I Agree. 5. Select the installation folder. The default paths for installing Kindle Previewer on a PC are: Windows 7, and Windows Vista:
C:\Users\[user]\AppData\Local\Amazon\Kindle Previewer
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To install Kindle Previewer in different location on your computer, click Browse and select the target folder. 6. Wait a moment for the installation to complete. You can now launch Kindle Previewer. 1.3.3 Installing on MacOS Systems
To install Kindle Previewer on a MacOS system, do the following: 1. Download the Kindle Previewer installer to your desktop. 2. Extract the Kindle Previewer application file from the .zip archive. 3. Drag the Kindle Previewer application file to your Applications folder. You can now launch Kindle Previewer.
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2.4 Toolbar
Use the Kindle Previewer Toolbar to navigate through your current e-book and adjust display options. Back Returns to the page displayed before the last page change. Home Returns to the Welcome page of Kindle Previewer. Previous Section Jumps back to the start of the previous section or chapter. Next Section Jumps ahead to the start of the next section or chapter. Previous Page Displays the previous page. Next Page Displays the next page.
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Table of Contents Displays the Table of Contents for the current e-book. Enabled when a book has a Table of Contents. Kindle devices do not support TOCs for books with fixed-layouts (such as childrens books). NCX View Displays the logical Table of Contents for the current e-book. An NCX view is often available even if a book does not have a physical TOC. See section 2.5.2, View Menu.
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Kindle Previewers controls to scale pages, fonts, and panels are enabled or disabled by particular combinations of book format (fixed-layout or flowing-text) and Kindle device (e-ink, Fire HD, or iOS). Click the Scale Up button on the Toolbar to enlarge a page, or Scale Down to reduce it. There are three size options for the two buttons, small, medium, and large. In Paperwhite Device Mode, click the Zoom In button on the Toolbar to enlarge page content, or Zoom Out to reduce it. These buttons offer six size options. When reading a flowing-text book with the Devices menu set to the Kindle Fire HD family, click the Set Font button on the Toolbar to change Font Sizes, choosing from ten sizes. When a fixed-layout book includes Kindle Panels, virtual panels, or text popups, double-click to tap them and expand their content. Then press the Right Arrow key ( or ) to tap the next panel or popup, or the Left Arrow key ( or ) to tap the previous one. NOTE: An e-books Pane Magnification Level setting will override Kindle Previewer. The default zoom setting for Kindle panels in Kindle Comic Creator is 150%.
2.5 Menus
You can access most functions of Kindle Previewer from the menus above the Toolbar. 2.5.1 File Menu
Use the File menu to open and close books, and to exit the Kindle Previewer application. Open Book Opens e-book files in Kindle-compatible formats: .mobi,. epub, .azw, .prc, .opf, .zip(XMDF) or .html. You can also drag such book files and drop them onto Kindle Previewer to display them. NOTE: You cannot open encrypted books in Kindle Previewer. Close Book Closes the current e-book. Open Recent Displays a list of recently opened e-books. Select Clear List to remove all items from this list. Exit Closes the current e-book and exits the Kindle Previewer application.
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Use the View menu to display your e-books metadata and logical structure. Book Information Displays the metadata defined for the current e-book, including Language, Title, Author, Cover Page, File Format, Book type, and Table of Contents or .NCX file. NCX View Opens a logical Table of Contents for the current e-book, as defined in its navigation control (.NCX) file. Double-click any link in NCX View to jump to the selected location. TIP: Readers can use the NCX view to track their progress through a book. For guidance on implementing .NCX files, download the Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines (PDF). 2.5.3 Go to Menu
Use the Go to menu to navigate to specific locations in the current e-book. Home Jumps to the Welcome page of Kindle Previewer. Location Jumps by number to a page in the current e-book. TIP: Without opening the Go to Location dialog box: To display the number of the current page, enter CTRL+U. To jump to the first page in the book, enter CTRL+SHIFT+F. End Jumps to the last page in the current e-book. Table of Contents Jumps to the current e-books Table of Contents. NOTE: Enabled when a book has a Table of Contents. Kindle devices do not support TOCs in e-books with fixed-layouts (such as childrens books and graphic novels). Next Page Displays the next page in the current e-book. Prev Page Displays the previous page in the current e-book.
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From the Devices menu, you can reset the Device Mode of Kindle Previewer so that it emulates a range of Kindle devices and apps grouped by technology. Kindle e-ink Displays the current book as it will appear on Kindle Paperwhite or Kindle DX devices. Kindle Fire Displays the current book as it will appear on Kindle Fire HD, Fire HDX, or Fire HDX 8.9 devices. Kindle for iOS When you select "Kindle for iOS," Kindle Previewer converts your book to .azk format. You can then sideload this .azk book file onto your iOS device, and read the book using its Kindle for iPhone or Kindle for iPad app. For sideloading procedures, see section 2.5.4.1, Sideloading onto iOS Devices. Kindle Previewer will not convert book with audio/video into .azk, instead those books can be previewed inline in Kindle Previewer. Please see Transcode in section 2.5.5, Utilities Menu for more information. TIP: Selecting "Kindle for iOS" also enables Kindle Previewer to play video and audio clips. (Kindle Enhanced Editions with video or audio clips are not converted to .azk format.) For transcoding settings, see section 2.5.5.1, Transcoding Video Files to iOS Format. 2.5.4.1 Sideloading onto iOS Devices
To sideload a converted .azk book file onto your iPhone or iPad, do the following: 1. Open a book file for preview, then set Kindle Previewers Devices menu to Kindle for iOS. 2. Kindle Previewer converts the book file to .azk format for iOS. NOTE: If you have set Kindle Previewers Default Device Mode to Kindle for iPhone or Kindle for iPad, then whenever you open a book file for preview, your book file will be converted to .azk format. 3. The Converting Book dialog opens. Where the dialog says The output file has been generated here, click the here link. This opens the folder on your computer where your .azk book file is stored. 4. Connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer. 5. Launch iTunes on your computer. In iTunes, click Apps and select Kindle Apps. 6. Drag the converted .azk file from its folder and drop it onto the iTunes Kindle Documents area. [or] Click Add in iTunes to select the converted .azk book file and add it to Kindle Documents.
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From the Utilities menu, you can reset the language of the Kindle Previewer interface, opt in or out of the Kindle Previewer data collection program, and adjust the transcoding of audio and video clips. Language Choose Language from the Utilities menu to reset the language of the Kindle Previewer interface. Usage Data Collection Select this option to opt in or opt out of the Kindle Previewer data collection program. NOTE: Enabling this option helps Amazon to understand and fix any issues you may encounter with Kindle Previewer. No personal information is ever gathered, and the technical data that is collected is used only by the Kindle Previewer team. Transcode This submenu is enabled when you open a book in Kindle Previewer that includes audio or video clips. For more information, see section 2.5.5.1, Transcoding Video Files to iOS Format.
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Set the Devices Menu to Kindle for iOS to preview Kindle Enhanced Editions and other e-books with video or audio clips (these are not converted to .azk format). This process uses your Transcode settings on the Utilities menu. Set FFmpeg Path Kindle Previewer uses the FFmpeg transcoder to convert the video clips. Enter the full local path to your FFmpeg executable file in this field. TIP: The FFmpeg transcoder for Windows and MacOS can be downloaded from: http://ffmpeg.org/download.html Transcode Status Tracks the transcoding process for each of the video clips in the current book. Transcode Automatically When this option is enabled, as you open a Kindle Edition or Audible Audio Edition, Kindle Previewer searches the e-book for video clips, and runs FFmpeg in the background to transcode all of the clips at once, so that they are all ready to play. When this option is disabled, transcoding is done item by item, as you click each clip to play it. TIP: By default, when you left-click an audio or video clip, Kindle Previewer plays the clip converted to iOS specifications. You can also right-click to launch the source (original) media file for the clip in the player of your choice, without transcoding.
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From the Help menu, you can open this User Guide, display lists of all keyboard shortcuts, download the Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines, send feedback e-mail to the Kindle Previewer team, set update options and check for updates, and display your version of Kindle Previewer. Kindle Previewer Help Displays this Kindle Previewer User Guide. Keyboard Shortcuts Displays a list of all keyboard shortcuts. For printable lists, see section 3.2, Keyboard Shortcuts. Open Kindle Publishing Guidelines Downloads the Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines as a .PDF file. Follow these Guidelines to create the source files for Kindle e-books, and to publish Kindle e-books to the Amazon site. Send Feedback Sends e-mail to the Kindle Previewer team. Your feedback, questions, and comments are welcome. The message generated helps the team to understand the state of the product. Update Options Opens the Update Options dialog box, where you can choose what to do when a new version of Kindle Previewer becomes available. Check for Updates Select Check for Updates to download and install the current version of Kindle Previewer. About Kindle Previewer Displays the version of Kindle Previewer that you have installed.
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3. Press Enter. Kindle Previewer opens and displays the book named.
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3.4.2
The Amazon Kindle Publishing Tools group makes ongoing improvements to all Kindle apps, including: Kindle Previewer Kindle Comic Creator Kindle Plugin for Adobe InDesign Kindle BookVault KindleGen
We encourage you to join in the discussions on the Kindle Publishing forum. You can also e-mail us at: [email protected] 3.4.3 Kindle Publishing Guidelines
The Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines provide guidance on how to format and test e-books, and suggest best practices for Kindle publishing. To download this .PDF file, click the following link: Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines (PDF)
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KindleGen will run on Windows 7, Windows XP, and Windows Vista. 1. Download the KindleGen installer archive to your computer. 2. Right-click the installer archive, select Extract All, and extract the KindleGen application files to a convenient folder, such as c:\KindleGen. 3. Select Start Run, type cmd and press Enter to open the Command window. 4. For guidance on how to run KindleGen in the Command window, type kindlegen at the command prompt and press Enter. 3.5.1.1 Book Conversion Example for Windows
Suppose that you wish to convert a source file called MyBook.html to Kindle format. Youve stored this file in your \My Documents\Books\ folder. 1. Copy the full path to your \Books folder from folder Properties. 2. Open the Command window. At the command prompt, type cd (Change Directory) and a following space. 3. Then press CTRL + Right-Click to paste in the path to your \Books folder. For example:
cd C:\Users\[user]\My Documents\Books
Then press Enter. The command prompt changes to indicate the new directory. 4. At the command prompt, type an instruction to KindleGen such as this one, giving the full path to the KindleGen application, then a space, then the name of your source file:
c:\KindleGen\kindlegen MyBook.html
5. Press Enter. If KindleGen is able to convert your source file, it creates a new Kindle book file called MyBook.mobi in your \Books subfolder. 3.5.2 KindleGen for MacOS
KindleGen will run on MacOS X 10.5 and above, on Macintosh computers with Intel processors. 1. Download the KindleGen archive to your computer. By default, the file is placed in your Downloads folder. 2. Double-click the downloaded archive to extract the KindleGen application. NOTE: The Safari Web browser extracts the KindleGen application automatically.
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Then type kindlegen at the terminal prompt and press Enter again for KindleGen help. 3.5.2.1 Book Conversion Example for MacOS
Suppose that you wish to convert a source file called MyBook.html to Kindle format. Youve dragged this file to your Macintosh desktop. 1. Open the Terminal window. At the terminal prompt, type kindlegen with a following space. 2. Drag your source file to the Terminal window and drop it at the cursor location. The path to your file is added automatically, and the cursor shifts to the end of the line.
kindlegen ~/Desktop/MyBook.html
Then press Enter. [or] In the Terminal window, type a Change Directory command like this one, and press Enter:
cd ~/Downloads/KindleGen_Mac_i386_v2
3. The terminal prompt changes to indicate the new folder. Then type an instruction like this one to KindleGen, and press Enter again:
kindlegen ~/Desktop/MyBook.html
4. If KindleGen is able to convert your source file, it creates a new Kindle book file called MyBook.mobi on your Macintosh desktop.
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Various Kindle Web sites can help you install Kindle Previewer and other Kindle Tools, and use them to convert e-books to Kindle format and publish them to your Kindle device. TIP: CTRL+Click any link to open the site in a new Web browser tab. Kindle Previewer Kindle Previewer The home page for Kindle Previewer provides Windows and MacOS installers. KDP Tools and Resources Provides Windows and MacOS installers for Kindle Previewer, Kindle Comic Creator, Kindle Plugin for Adobe InDesign, KindleGen (also Linux), and Kindle Reader.
Kindle Publisher Tools Kindle Publisher Tools Home page for their site. Kindle Comic Creator Home page for this tool on the Kindle Publisher Tools site. Kindle Plugin for Adobe InDesign Home page for this tool on the Kindle Publisher Tools site. KindleGen Home page for this tool on the Kindle Publisher Tools site. Kindle BookVault Home page for this tool on the Amazon site. Kindle Publishing Forum Threaded discussions of Kindle publishing tools
KindleGen KindleGen The home page for KindleGen provides Windows, MacOS, and Linux installers. KDP Tools and Resources Provides KindleGen installers for Windows, MacOS, and Linux systems, and Windows and MacOS installers for Kindle Previewer, Kindle Comic Creator, Kindle Plugin for Adobe InDesign, and Kindle Reader. KindleGen Read-me Includes the procedures given here for converting e-books to Kindle format. Use KindleGen to convert source files in HTML, XHTML, or IDPF 2.0 format (.html content files with an .opf XML manifest) into Kindle books in .mobi, .azw, or .prc format.
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Kindle Reading Apps Download Free Kindle Reading Apps Provides Kindle Reader Apps for computers, tablets, smart phones, and the Web. Kindle for PC Install Kindle Reader on a PC computer. Kindle for Mac Install Kindle Reader on a Macintosh computer. Help for Free Kindle Reading Apps Get online help for any Kindle Reader application. Help for Other Kindle Apps Get online help for other Kindle applications.
Kindle Direct Publishing Kindle Direct Publishing Home page for their site. Publishing FAQ Frequently Asked Questions on publishing your own e-books. Kindle Direct Publishing Help KDP Help topics. Types of Formats KDP help topic on book file formats that they can convert into Kindle e-books. Basic HTML Formatting Guidelines KDP Help topic on preparing HTML files for conversion into Kindle e-books. KDP Community Forums Public discussions on publishing your own e-books. Building Your Book for Kindle Free book from Amazon. Available for PDF download and in print form. Professional Conversion Services Lists commercial e-book conversion specialists.
Glossary Orientation How the display screen of Kindle Previewer is turned, to Portrait view (longer sides vertical) or Landscape view (longer sides horizontal). See sections 2.3, Device Bar and 2.4, Toolbar.
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Windows CTRL + CTRL + CTRL + L CTRL + B CTRL + S CTRL + T CTRL + R CTRL + SHIFT + F F3 F4 F5 F6 CTRL + N
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Kindle Previewer for Windows now supports command line arguments. If you have Administrator rights, you can open an e-book in Kindle Previewer directly from the command prompt. 5. Open the Command window from the Start menu. TIP: To open the Command window as an Administrator who can launch programs there: e. Expand the Start menu, and type command in the Search programs and files field. The Command Prompt shortcut appears. f. Right-click to display this shortcuts Properties. g. Click Advanced, and select Run as Administrator. h. Then click OK and OK again to close Properties. Whenever you click the Command Prompt shortcut, it will now open the Command window with Administrator permissions. 6. At the command prompt, type KindlePreviewer.exe and a following space, then press CTRL + Click to Paste in a path to an e-book on your computer. For example: KindlePreviewer.exe C:\Users\[user]\My Documents\Books\Book1.mobi 7. Press Enter. Kindle Previewer opens and displays the book named.
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3.9.2
The Amazon Kindle Publishing Tools group makes ongoing improvements to all Kindle apps, including: Kindle Previewer Kindle Comic Creator Kindle Plugin for Adobe InDesign Kindle BookVault KindleGen
We encourage you to join in the discussions on the Kindle Publishing forum. You can also e-mail us at: [email protected] 3.9.3 Kindle Publishing Guidelines
The Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines provide guidance on how to format and test e-books, and suggest best practices for Kindle publishing. To download this .PDF file, click the following link: Amazon Kindle Publishing Guidelines (PDF)
3.10 Using KindleGen to Build Kindle e-Books You can use Kindle Previewer to assist you while running the KindleGen utility to convert e-books to Kindle format. KindleGen is a free command-line tool that build Kindle e-books from source files in HTML, XHTML, or IDPF 2.0 format (HTML content files with an XML .opf manifest file). KindleGen is the only tool officially supported by Amazon to convert these files into Kindle .mobi format. TIP: You can download installers for Windows and MacOS from the KindleGen site. When you open an e-book in .epub format in Kindle Previewer, KindleGen converts the book to Kindle .mobi format. When this conversion is done, the Compiling eBook dialog box displays the resulting KindleGen build messages. Click OK and Kindle Previewer displays the converted e-book. NOTES: KindleGen is designed to run from the Command (PC) or Terminal (Mac) window. Double-clicking KindleGen will not launch it. If you drag a source file and drop it onto the KindleGen application, KindleGen will convert the file to Kindle format, but it will not log any compilation messages.
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