How to use eBook files
pdf and ePub
Electronic books, or ebooks, are books that exist only as computer files, not as physical, printed books. Ebooks are convenient as they can be read on almost any computer or tablet, and even on most cell phones.
There are two main formats for ebooks, pdf and ePub. You can download my book in both pdf or ePub formats.
Pdf files are the most common and almost every computer can open them with the software that comes with the computer, or with other free software.
ePub files allow for a flexible format, allowing you to easily change the size and type of font in the book. ePub files are very convenient to use on Apple products such as Mac computers and iPads. Even on an iPhone the flexible nature of the format makes the books quite readable.
Some recommended software
The following are recommendations for software that will allow you to read pdf and ePub files. To the best of my knowledge, all of them are available for free.
PDF files
Most browsers can read pdf files, including Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
There are also many different software options for reading pdf files.
On Apple:
Preview is a built in Apple software that works very well. Adobe Acrobat Reader also works well.
On Windows:
Adobe Acrobat Reader works well.
Sumatra is a free pdf and ePub reader that also works well.
ePub files
The ePub format is an open format for ebooks.
An advantage to ePub over pdf is that you can change the size of the fonts. On the better ePub readers, such as those mentioned below, you can expand the images and then minimize them again, which is very helpful.
On Apple products, such as Mac or iPad, or even iPhone, the best app for reading ePub files is: Apple iBooks, which comes preinstalled on both MacOs and iOS (iPad and iPhone)
On Windows, Sumatra is a free program that works with both pdf and ePub
Koodo is another application that works very well for both ePub and Pdf files.
Calibre is also an excellent program for both pdf and ePub. However, it is a larger program that has many capabilities, and it can be quite confusing to use at first.