Convert EPUB to PDF
Turn a reflowable EPUB e-book into a print-ready PDF with a fixed page size, chapters carried over as bookmarks and images intact. Runs on our server; files are deleted automatically within about two hours.
Drop your files here
.epub · up to 300 MB · up to 30 jobs an hour · uploaded to our server and deleted after processing; the result is wiped within about two hours
More settingsFewer settings
How to convert EPUB to PDF
- 1
Upload your EPUB
Up to 300 MB. DRM-protected files are rejected outright.
- 2
Pick a page size
A4, US Letter, A5 or 6×9in, with optional font size, page numbers and a table of contents.
- 3
Download the PDF
One page per screenful of text, chapters as bookmarks, embedded fonts if you asked for them.
What happens to the text
EPUB stores text that reflows to fit whatever screen or window it is shown in; there is no fixed page. Converting it to PDF means picking a page size and letting Calibre repaginate the whole book against it: paragraphs break where the chosen page runs out of room, not where the original reader happened to wrap them. The book's own table of contents becomes the PDF's bookmark panel automatically, whether or not you also add a printed contents page at the front.
Why this isn't done in LibreOffice
LibreOffice can open an EPUB, but its import filter is built for reading, not for producing a clean print layout, and embedded fonts and a good deal of the book's CSS styling are lost on the way in. Calibre's EPUB engine is built for e-book formats, which is why it is used here instead. It is called as a separate process rather than linked into the server, because its licence, GPL-3.0, requires that separation for this kind of service.
Font size and embedding
Leaving the font size at its default lets Calibre keep whatever size the book's own stylesheet requests; setting it explicitly overrides that uniformly across the whole book, useful for a heavily illustrated book whose text was set unusually small or large. Embedding fonts keeps the book looking the way its designer intended on any device that opens the PDF, at the cost of a larger file. Turn it off only if file size matters more than exact typography.
Processed on our server, deleted automatically
Repaginating a whole book needs a real conversion engine, so the file is processed on PulsarKit's server. The uploaded file is deleted as soon as the job finishes. The result stays downloadable for one hour and is wiped from the server within about two hours, whether or not you download it.
Frequently asked questions
Why won't DRM-protected EPUBs convert?
Digital rights management exists to block this kind of conversion, and working around it is not something this tool does. Remove the protection in the application you bought the book from, then upload the resulting file.
How does the EPUB's table of contents become PDF bookmarks?
Calibre reads the book's own navigation file (its NCX or nav document) and builds the PDF's bookmark panel from it automatically. This happens whether or not you also add a printed table-of-contents page at the start of the file.
Why does the text get reflowed instead of staying exactly as it looks in my reading app?
EPUB has no fixed pages to begin with; the text reflows to whatever screen shows it. A PDF does have fixed pages, so producing one means choosing a page size and letting the text flow into it afresh, rather than copying line breaks that never existed as a fixed layout in the first place.
Does this work for comics and manga in fixed-layout EPUB?
Fixed-layout EPUB (used for comics, manga and picture books) already has one image per page, so conversion mostly carries those images through onto pages of the size you choose, rather than reflowing prose text.
How long does the file stay on the server?
The uploaded EPUB is deleted as soon as the job finishes. The converted PDF stays downloadable for one hour and is wiped from the server within about two hours, whether or not you download it.
How is this different from PDF to ePub?
This tool goes from EPUB to PDF, fixing the page layout in place. PDF to ePub goes the other way, turning an already paginated PDF back into reflowable text, which is a much less exact process, since a PDF does not record where paragraphs and headings begin the way EPUB does.
Related tools
PDF to ePubTurn a PDF into a reflowable ePub 3 e-book for e-readers. Best on text-based, single-column PDFs. No signup. Runs on our server; files are deleted automatically within about two hours.
Compress PDFMake a PDF smaller by re-encoding the images inside it, dropping duplicated objects and clearing metadata, without sending the document anywhere.
Merge PDFCombine several PDFs into one document in the order you choose, without uploading anything.
Protect PDFPut an open password on a PDF, encrypt it with AES-256 and decide who may print, copy or edit it.
Word to PDFTurn a DOC or DOCX file into a PDF that keeps its layout, with fonts embedded so it renders the same on any device. Runs on our server; files are deleted automatically within about two hours.
OpenDocument to PDFTurn an ODT document, ODS spreadsheet or ODP presentation into a PDF with one tool that covers all three OpenDocument formats. Runs on our server; files are deleted automatically within about two hours.