An EPUB can be technically well-formed while still creating difficulties for readers. File validation, accessibility assessment and reading-system testing answer related but different questions. A reliable handoff identifies all three instead of allowing one report to stand in for the entire review.
For an author or publisher, the useful question is what evidence accompanies the finished book and which requirements that evidence addresses.
Begin with publication validity
EPUBCheck checks conformance with EPUB specifications. It helps identify problems in the publication's structure and packaging. Resolving those problems is an essential production step, but it does not establish that every content decision supports accessible reading.
For example, a publication may contain an image description while that description still fails to convey the point of the image. The file structure and the editorial meaning need different kinds of review.
Add accessibility-focused evaluation
Ace by DAISY supports automated accessibility checking for EPUB. Its results can help direct attention to issues that need correction or further assessment.
A reviewer must also judge the content in context. Are headings meaningful? Does a description convey the relevant information? Can a reader follow a note and return without losing their place? Those questions depend on the publication's intended use.
State the target and the evidence
EPUB Accessibility 1.1 addresses accessibility requirements and discoverability metadata. The project should specify the target, including the WCAG version and level used in the assessment.
Metadata should describe the finished publication honestly. A conformance statement should be supported by the assessment, and any material limitations should remain visible. Copying metadata from another book is not evidence about this one.
Test actual reading tasks
Open the book in the agreed reading systems and review representative tasks: moving through chapters, enlarging text, following links, navigating notes and interpreting tables. Include assistive-technology review in the assessment plan.
Record the versions and systems tested. A problem in one reading environment may require a different response from an error in the publication itself. That record helps future maintainers understand what was observed.
Commission the appropriate scope
COLONFILM's Essential package is $349 for a primarily textual reflowable book up to 60,000 words. Professional is $649 up to 100,000 words with an agreed image, note and simple-table scope. Complex work starts at $1,090 after assessment.
Provide the source file and a list of features before selecting a package. A novel, a heavily illustrated reference book and a mathematics textbook should not be assumed to need the same conversion process.
The final delivery should pair the EPUB with a useful assessment summary. That gives the publisher a basis for describing the book and maintaining it when the text or source files change.
Send your source material for a written quote confirming the supported scope, final price and delivery schedule.
Explore Accessible EPUB 3 Conversion & Remediation for the scope and enquiry details. Continue reading: Prepare Your Manuscript for Accessible EPUB Conversion.