Moving from a Mac text editor to EPUB output requires more than confirming that the prose was copied. Check whether encoding, publication notation, image references, reading order, contents inclusion, and metadata retain their meaning through the output stage.
These details are not inevitably lost whenever another application is involved. They can be lost when the receiving tool does not interpret the notation, when settings outside the manuscript are omitted, or when the folder structure changes. This article defines six deliverables that must survive the text-editor-to-EPUB boundary and, for a one-environment route, goes from verified source notation through EPUB conversion to leftover-markup inspection.
Deliverable 1: manuscript and encoding
The first deliverable is the manuscript file, accompanied by:
- Encoding, such as UTF-8 or Shift_JIS
- Line ending, such as LF or CRLF
- Source format, such as txt or md
- Source-of-truth location
If the encoding is not specified, the recipient may open the same bytes under a different interpretation. If the receiving environment reads the declared encoding correctly, a hand-off does not itself have to alter the text. The risk is leaving interpretation unspecified.
Deliverable 2: a notation mapping
Ruby, emphasis dots, page breaks, and images require an agreement about how the plain-text notation is interpreted.
The rune Studio test used:
- Ruby:
｜背負い袋《せおいぶくろ》 - Emphasis dots:
《《海》》 - A page-break mark:
《《｜Page Break｜》》
Ruby and emphasis dots are important in Japanese typesetting, but page breaks and image references are not uniquely Japanese concepts. Do not describe all of them as “Japanese-only marks.”
If the receiving tool understands the same notation, it can be passed through. If not, define a conversion rule first. The failure to prevent is raw source notation remaining visible in the EPUB body.
Complete notation-to-EPUB inspection in one environment
With rune Studio, the six deliverables do not have to be transferred to a second application before the following verified path can be completed:
- Put the verified ruby, emphasis-dot, and required page-break notation in the source manuscript
- Supply the book information, manuscript order, cover, and other inputs needed for this EPUB
- Export an EPUB from that manuscript
- Inspect the result for leftover notation, missing images, and empty pages
In the operation test, ｜背負い袋《せおいぶくろ》 became the EPUB ruby element and 《《海》》 received the recorded emphasis-dot treatment. The valid sample returned zero leftover notation. A separate test with a missing image named the unresolved reference, and empty pages were also returned as an inspection list.
This route does not require a second application merely to copy publication instructions into another prose file. Place the instruction in the manuscript, convert that manuscript to EPUB, and inspect the result in the same working environment. Store acceptance and identical rendering across devices remain separate checks.
Deliverable 3: image files and references
For a manuscript with body images, the source file alone is incomplete. Preserve the image files and their relative relationship to the manuscript.
Include:
- Manuscript files
- Image folder
- Image notation in the manuscripts
- Cover image
- A list of image-use locations
The rune Studio operation record confirms that inspection of an exported file can identify a missing image. It does not establish automatic reference updates after every move or rename, so compare the source reference with the supplied image after hand-off.
Before hand-off, copy the folder structure intact and open it from a different location to confirm that the images still resolve.
Deliverable 4: reading order and contents inclusion
Having every file is not enough if the order is missing. Record the reading order separately from the decision to include a chapter in the contents.
The hand-off list therefore needs two fields:
- Position in reading order
- Included in contents: yes or no
Numeric filename prefixes alone cannot express both decisions.
Deliverable 5: series and volume information
Typing a title and author at the top of the prose does not by itself place them in EPUB metadata. Supply book information separately from the manuscript.
Agree the fields needed by the receiving workflow, such as title, author, language, writing direction, edition, publication date, and cover. This article does not present that list as rune Studio's verified setting or required-field specification; the completion condition is agreement with the recipient before output begins.
Deliverable 6: acceptance evidence
Define what the recipient must check before the hand-off is accepted:
- Confirm manuscript encoding and line endings
- Check sample locations for ruby, emphasis dots, page breaks, and images
- Compare reading order and contents inclusion
- Compare metadata and cover
- Export the EPUB and inspect leftover notation, missing images, and empty pages
- Check rendering and links in Kindle Previewer
The hand-off succeeds at acceptance, not merely when the files finish copying.
When editing and exporting in one environment
Using one environment for editing and EPUB output does not remove the six deliverables. The manuscript and production record become the place where they are retained, while verified notation conversion and leftover-markup inspection continue in the same environment.
If an editor or a different production environment later needs the project, turn those same six areas into a hand-off manifest. This identifies what must be preserved before debating which second application to use.
Summary
- Information loss depends on the receiving interpretation and the deliverables supplied; it is not inevitable at every hand-off
- Package encoding, notation mapping, images, order, metadata, and acceptance evidence with the manuscript
- Do not group page breaks and image references together as uniquely Japanese notation
- In one environment, convert the verified source notation and inspect leftover notation, missing images, and empty pages
- Retain all six deliverables in the manuscript and production record for any later hand-off
Start with a short source manuscript containing the verified notation, export it in the same environment, and complete the leftover-markup inspection. Then write the six headings on one page. Any blank section identifies information that still needs to be settled before a later hand-off.
See the current product scope on the Rune Studio product page.
