Fixed-Layout EPUB (FXL): When to Use It and How It Works

June 12, 2026  ·  7 min read

Most EPUBs are reflowable — text reflows to fit the screen. But some content requires a fixed layout: picture books, comics, graphic novels, magazines, and heavily designed non-fiction. Fixed-layout EPUB (FXL) gives you pixel-precise control over every page, like a PDF, while staying in the EPUB ecosystem.

Reflowable vs Fixed-Layout EPUB

Declaring Fixed-Layout in the OPF

Add rendition properties to content.opf to enable fixed layout globally:

<metadata>
  <!-- Global fixed-layout declaration -->
  <meta property="rendition:layout">pre-paginated</meta>
  <meta property="rendition:orientation">auto</meta>
  <meta property="rendition:spread">auto</meta>
</metadata>

Per-item overrides are possible in the spine — useful for mixing fixed and reflowable content:

<spine>
  <!-- Fixed-layout page -->
  <itemref idref="page01" properties="rendition:layout-pre-paginated"/>
  <!-- Reflowable page (override) -->
  <itemref idref="intro" properties="rendition:layout-reflowable"/>
</spine>

Setting Page Dimensions

Each fixed-layout XHTML page declares its viewport size — equivalent to setting the canvas size for a print page:

<!-- In the head of each fixed-layout XHTML file -->
<meta name="viewport" content="width=1200, height=1600"/>

<style>
  html, body {
    width: 1200px;
    height: 1600px;
    margin: 0;
    padding: 0;
    overflow: hidden;
  }
</style>

Common dimensions: 1200×1600 (portrait), 1600×1200 (landscape). Reading systems scale the page to fit the screen while maintaining the aspect ratio.

Two-Page Spreads

For content designed as facing pages (comics, art books), declare spread behaviour:

<!-- In content.opf metadata -->
<meta property="rendition:spread">landscape</meta>

<!-- Per-item spread override in spine -->
<itemref idref="spread01"
         properties="rendition:page-spread-left"/>
<itemref idref="spread02"
         properties="rendition:page-spread-right"/>

Fixed-Layout Accessibility Challenges

Fixed-layout EPUBs are harder to make accessible:

• Text as image — if text is baked into images, it's not selectable or screen-reader accessible. Overlay real text on top of the image instead.
• Reading order — CSS positioning breaks document order; add a logical reading order in the HTML even if it's hidden visually.
• No text reflow — users can't increase text size. WCAG 1.4.4 (Resize Text) fails for fixed-layout by design — document this in your accessibility summary.

<!-- Real text overlay on image background -->
<div style="position:absolute; top:120px; left:80px;
            font-size:24px; color:#fff;">
  Chapter title text here
</div>

Reader Support for Fixed-Layout EPUB

• Apple Books — excellent FXL support, two-page spreads, smooth zoom
• Kindle — FXL supported via KFX format; Amazon converts FXL EPUBs automatically for Kindle
• Kobo — good FXL support on tablets; limited on e-ink devices
• Thorium Reader — EPUB 3 FXL supported

When to Choose Fixed-Layout vs Reflowable

Use fixed-layout when: page layout is part of the content (manga, comics, children's picture books, art catalogues). Use reflowable for everything else — novels, textbooks, articles, and any content where accessibility and multi-device readability matter more than layout precision.

Note: PDF-to-EPUB conversion always produces reflowable EPUB. Fixed-layout EPUBs are typically authored from scratch in InDesign, Affinity Publisher, or Sigil.