What it means
InDesign source layout and EPUB output are different artifacts. Validators inspect the exported package: generated XHTML, CSS, assets, OPF metadata, navigation, manifest, and ZIP files.
EPUB error guide
Scan an InDesign reflowable EPUB to check generated XHTML, CSS, image paths, TOC wiring, OPF entries, media types, and ZIP packaging before upload.
Scan the EPUB to check file paths and see what can be repaired or needs manual review. Your original EPUB stays unchanged.
Need fixed-layout, DRM, or source-file help? Check unsupported or review-first EPUB cases.
Match these report titles
Start here
Upload the reflowable .epub InDesign exported, not the .indd file. The scan checks generated XHTML, CSS, images, fonts, OPF entries, navigation files, and ZIP packaging before you edit styles or export settings.
InDesign source layout and EPUB output are different artifacts. Validators inspect the exported package: generated XHTML, CSS, assets, OPF metadata, navigation, manifest, and ZIP files.
A checked repair is possible when the generated EPUB has one clear mismatch, such as a path, manifest item, media type, OPF field, navigation declaration, or ZIP issue that can be changed and validated again.
Use the reflowable EPUB exported from InDesign.
It cannot repair fixed-layout design, change print layout, improve typography, choose reading order from visual pages, restore missing source assets, convert PDFs, or decide KDP review outcomes.
1. Example report output
A useful report should name the generated file before you touch the layout source.
Export checked
The reflowable EPUB exported from InDesign.
Generated content
XHTML, CSS, images, fonts, nav.xhtml, toc.ncx, content.opf, manifest entries, and ZIP entries.
Common blocker
Missing linked asset, stale CSS path, undeclared manifest item, wrong media type, broken generated anchor, or TOC wiring issue.
Decision
Checked repair, re-export from InDesign, manual EPUB review, unsupported, or no supported blocker found.
The report should tell you whether the exported package has one clear mismatch or whether the source/export settings need the fix.
2. Next step
InDesign EPUB issues are easy to overfix unless you start with the exact generated path.
Trace path
Start with the XHTML, CSS, image, font, OPF, nav, or ZIP path before editing.
Checked repair
Repair may be safe for path case, manifest, media type, OPF, navigation, or ZIP wiring when references stay consistent.
Re-export
Return to InDesign when linked images, styles, TOC order, fixed-layout behavior, or missing content must be corrected at source.
3. Concrete path example
Generated stylesheets can point to files that changed during export or asset cleanup.
Report: Source file: OEBPS/Styles/idGeneratedStyles.css Referenced file: ../Images/sidebar-bg.png ZIP target: missing Decision: manual review; restore the asset or remove the CSS reference in the source/export workflow
If one same-name image exists under a clear path, the report may suggest repair. If the asset is missing, re-export from InDesign with the right source files.
Quick decision
Use this for reflowable EPUB package validation. It is not a print-layout or fixed-layout repair tool.
Good fit
The scanner can inspect generated XHTML/CSS paths, images, fonts, OPF metadata, navigation, manifest entries, media types, and ZIP packaging.
Manual fit
Use the report to find the generated file, then fix the source layout, linked asset, export setting, or EPUB editor state.
Not this tool
Fixed-layout EPUBs, PDF/print layout, typography, image quality, and visual design work are outside this scanner.
Common situations
Start with the generated EPUB file, not the .indd layout.
Generated CSS or XHTML may point to a linked image that was renamed, omitted, or never declared in the manifest.
Scan the EPUB and compare the source path with the packaged target.
InDesign can output nav.xhtml or toc.ncx entries that do not match the OPF manifest, spine, or generated chapter ids.
Check nav, NCX, OPF, and generated ids before rebuilding TOC entries.
A file can keep a .jpg extension while the actual bytes are PNG, or a font can be declared with the wrong media type.
Repair only when the real file type is clear and references can stay consistent.
Check EPUB after InDesign export: scan generated XHTML, CSS, images, OPF, nav.xhtml, toc.ncx, links, anchors, manifest, media type, container.xml, and ZIP blockers.
A reflowable EPUB exported from InDesign fails KDP, Kindle Previewer, EPUBCheck, or another validator, often around generated assets, CSS, navigation, OPF, manifest, or media types.
What it means
InDesign export blockers often come from missing linked assets, CSS paths to absent files, undeclared manifest items, wrong media types, generated anchors, disconnected nav.xhtml or toc.ncx, OPF identifier issues, and ZIP packaging mistakes.
Before you edit
Do not patch random XHTML or CSS. First find out whether the blocker is a missing linked asset, wrong media type, stale generated path, disconnected navigation file, or a layout/source problem that belongs back in InDesign.
Why validators check it
EPUBCheck checks EPUB 2 and EPUB 3 files against the official rules and reports package, markup, link, and file-reference problems.
The OPF file is the EPUB's map: metadata, file list, reading order, and navigation wiring. KDP and EPUBCheck use it to decide whether the book package is coherent.
KDP supports EPUB files that meet Kindle Publishing Guidelines and recommends checking the file with Kindle Previewer before upload.
Repair example
Before: content.opf declares a JPEG but the packaged image is actually PNG. After: the manifest media type can be aligned if the image is readable and references remain consistent. Before: an image is missing; restore it in InDesign and export again.
Ready to retry?
Use the reflowable EPUB output. The report tells you whether the fix is a small package repair, an InDesign export setting, a missing linked asset, or a manual EPUB review item.
Upload EPUB to scanFAQ
Yes, when it is a reflowable .epub. The scan can name generated paths, package fields, and repair decisions for supported validation blockers.
No. It does not repair visual layout, typography, print PDF output, or fixed-layout books. It only checks supported EPUB structure issues in reflowable EPUB output.
If the image is not packaged anywhere, restore the linked asset or export again from InDesign. EPUB Fixer can point to the missing reference, but it should not invent image files.
Sometimes. If the file bytes clearly identify the true type and the references can stay consistent, a checked repair may be possible.