reMarkable EPUB Guide: reMarkable 2, Paper Pro, Transfer Methods and PDF Conversion (2026)
The reMarkable 2 and reMarkable Paper Pro are e-ink writing tablets built around the pen. Both read EPUB and PDF natively, and both run reMarkable's own locked-down OS — no app store, no notifications. This single guide covers what separates the two models, every way to get an EPUB onto the device, how to read and annotate, and why text-heavy PDFs are better converted to EPUB before you send them.
reMarkable 2 vs reMarkable Paper Pro
| Feature | reMarkable 2 | reMarkable Paper Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Screen size | 10.3 in | 11.8 in |
| Resolution | 1872×1404, 226 ppi | 2160×1620, 229 ppi |
| Colour display | No (greyscale) | Yes (colour e-ink) |
| EPUB support | Yes (firmware 3.0+) | Yes (native) |
| Stylus | Marker or Marker Plus (eraser tip); no charging | Marker or Marker Plus (eraser tip); no charging |
| Frontlight | No | Yes (adjustable) |
| Type Folio keyboard | Yes (accessory) | Yes (accessory) |
| Thickness | 4.7 mm | 5.1 mm |
| Storage | 8 GB | 64 GB |
| Battery life | ~2 weeks | ~2 weeks |
| Weight | 403 g | 525 g |
| Released | 2020 | September 2024 |
The reMarkable 2 is the thinner, lighter, more affordable option and remains the best choice for black-and-white reading and writing in good light. The Paper Pro adds colour highlights and figures, a frontlight for evenings, a larger page, more storage and a faster processor. Both get the same firmware, so the reading and annotation experience described below applies to each.
How to Transfer EPUBs to reMarkable
Method 1: reMarkable Desktop App (Mac or Windows)
- Install the reMarkable app from remarkable.com/apps and sign in with your reMarkable account.
- Drag the EPUB into the app window, or click + → Import.
- It uploads to your cloud library and syncs to the device over Wi-Fi within seconds.
Method 2: reMarkable Mobile App (iOS or Android)
- Open the reMarkable app on your phone and tap + → Import.
- Choose the EPUB from your phone's files. It syncs to the device the same way.
Method 3: reMarkable Web (my.remarkable.com)
- Sign in at my.remarkable.com and click Upload.
- Select the EPUB. It appears on the device the next time it connects to Wi-Fi.
Method 4: USB Cable (no account or Wi-Fi needed)
- On the device, enable Settings → Storage → USB web interface.
- Connect the reMarkable to your computer with the USB-C cable.
- Open http://10.11.99.1 in a browser and drag the EPUB into the page. The device does not mount as a drive — this web page is the USB transfer route.
The Read on reMarkable browser extension (Chrome) sends web articles straight to the device as well, and cloud sync also brings in files from Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive once linked under Settings → Integrations.
Reading and Annotating EPUBs on reMarkable
- Typography: tap the text icon in the toolbar to set the font (several serif and sans-serif choices), font size, line spacing, margins and justification. Set these before you annotate — see below.
- Highlight text: pick the highlighter and draw across a passage; it snaps to the text. Greyscale on reMarkable 2; several colours on Paper Pro.
- Freehand notes: pick a pen and write in the margins. Notes layer on top of the EPUB content. Because they are anchored to the page layout, changing font or size afterwards can shift them — the device warns you when this would happen.
- Typed notes: attach a Type Folio keyboard or use the on-screen keyboard to add typed text.
- Export annotations: open the file in the reMarkable app and click Share — you get an annotated PDF with handwriting embedded.
- Paper Pro colour mode: toggle between monochrome (sharpest text, fastest refresh) and colour for documents with coloured figures or highlights.
- Lighting: the reMarkable 2 has no frontlight, so read it in ambient light; the Paper Pro's adjustable light covers evenings.
reMarkable vs Other E-Ink Tablets for EPUB Reading
| Device | EPUB support | Stylus annotation | Frontlight | App store |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| reMarkable 2 | Yes (v3.0+) | Yes | No | No |
| reMarkable Paper Pro | Yes | Yes (colour) | Yes | No |
| Kobo Elipsa 2E | Yes (native) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Kindle Scribe | No (MOBI/AZW3) | Yes (PDF only) | Yes | No |
| BOOX Note Air 3 C | Yes | Yes (colour) | Yes | Google Play |
| Supernote A5X | Yes | Yes | No | No |
PDFs on reMarkable: Convert to EPUB First
reMarkable displays PDFs as fixed pages, exactly like printing them. An A4 research paper on the 10.3-inch reMarkable 2 shrinks its text to fit, two-column layouts mean reading down the left column and jumping back for the right, and there is no font-size control — only zoom, followed by horizontal scrolling. Since firmware 3.0 the device reads EPUB natively, and a converted EPUB fixes all of that: text reflows to the font size you choose, line length follows the screen width, and chapters are navigable from the table of contents.
| Use case | Keep as PDF | Convert to EPUB |
|---|---|---|
| Long reading sessions | — | Better |
| Two-column academic papers | — | Better |
| Font size control | — | Better |
| Precise handwritten markup | Better | — |
| Diagrams, charts, slides | Better | — |
| Forms and tables with exact layout | Better | — |
Which PDFs convert best
- Academic papers — arXiv preprints, journal articles, conference papers. Two-column layouts are detected and re-ordered into a single flow.
- Reports and whitepapers — single-column text with charts; figures are kept inline.
- Technical documentation — manuals and specifications with clear heading structure become navigable chapters.
- Scanned books — image-only PDFs are OCR'd, so the EPUB is real, searchable text.
- Go to toolkit.bot, upload the PDF and download the EPUB.
- Send it to the reMarkable with any method above — desktop or mobile app, my.remarkable.com or the USB web interface.
- Open it, set your font and size, then annotate.
Keep the original PDF alongside the EPUB when you expect to mark a document up heavily: PDF annotations sit at exact page positions, while EPUB annotations follow the text. Many readers use the EPUB to read and the PDF to review.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does the reMarkable 2 support EPUB files natively?
- Yes. Since firmware update 3.0 (2023), reMarkable 2 natively supports EPUB files, and the Paper Pro has supported them from launch. You can transfer EPUBs via the reMarkable desktop or mobile app, my.remarkable.com, or the USB web interface. Once on the device, EPUBs are fully readable with reflowable text and adjustable font size.
- How do I transfer an EPUB to my reMarkable?
- Four methods: (1) reMarkable desktop app (Mac or Windows) — drag the EPUB into your library and it syncs over Wi-Fi; (2) reMarkable mobile app (iOS or Android) — tap + → Import; (3) reMarkable web — sign in at my.remarkable.com and click Upload; (4) USB — enable the USB web interface under Settings → Storage, connect the cable, and drag the file into http://10.11.99.1 in a browser. The device does not mount as a USB drive.
- Can I annotate PDFs and EPUBs on reMarkable with the stylus?
- Yes. Both PDF and EPUB files support highlighting, freehand margin notes and typed notes on reMarkable 2 and Paper Pro. Highlights snap to the text. On an EPUB, set your font and size before you start writing, because handwritten notes are anchored to the page layout and changing typography afterwards can move them. Annotations export as an annotated PDF via the reMarkable app.
- What is the difference between reMarkable 2 and Paper Pro for reading?
- reMarkable 2 has a 10.3-inch greyscale display (1872×1404, 226 ppi), no frontlight, 8 GB of storage and weighs 403 g at 4.7 mm thin. Paper Pro (September 2024) has an 11.8-inch colour e-ink display (2160×1620, 229 ppi), an adjustable frontlight, 64 GB of storage and a faster processor, at 525 g. Paper Pro is better for colour figures, coloured highlights and reading after dark; reMarkable 2 is the lighter, more affordable option for black-and-white reading and annotation.
- Why convert a PDF to EPUB before sending it to reMarkable?
- reMarkable displays PDFs at fixed page size, which makes multi-column journal articles or small-font PDFs hard to read without zooming and horizontal scrolling. Converting to EPUB first gives you reflowable text that adapts to the screen at whatever font size suits you — particularly useful for academic papers, clinical guidelines and reports with dense two-column layouts. Scanned PDFs are OCR'd during conversion, so the EPUB is searchable text.
- When should I keep a document as a PDF on reMarkable?
- Keep the PDF for anything where the layout is the content or where you will mark up heavily: slide decks, forms, diagrams and charts, tables with exact positioning, and papers you intend to annotate line by line. PDF annotations sit at fixed page positions, which suits detailed review. Convert to EPUB for anything you mainly want to read.
- Can I install apps on reMarkable?
- No. reMarkable runs its own Linux-based OS with no app store, so the built-in reader is the only reading environment. What you can add is the Type Folio keyboard, the Read on reMarkable browser extension for sending web articles, and cloud integrations (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) under Settings → Integrations. If you want Android apps such as KOReader on an e-ink tablet, look at BOOX instead.
Related guides
Have a PDF you want to read or annotate on your reMarkable? Convert it to EPUB first — reflowable text adapts to any font size.
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